Writing Activity

Objective:

After reading Alison’s Zinnia by Anita Lobel, a circle story involving alliteration, the students will write and publish their own alliteration class book using the names of the class members. They will learn alliteration as they recognize sound patterns and apply creative use of language to discern sound repetition, as well as learn about alphabetizing.

Materials:

• Book Alison’s Zinnia
• Crayons
• Pencil
• Piece of paper for each child
• Chart paper and markers

Teacher Preparation:

List all the first names of the students in alphabetical order.

This will assist in the activity later on. Have a list of action verbs that begin with each letter of the alphabet. The teacher may find this helpful in assisting students with their writing experience.

Warm-up Activity:

Introduction: (3 min.) Review student’s names. Ask if any names sound alike, focusing on specific sounds that are similar. Tell students to pay attention to the sound patterns in the book as you read it aloud.

1) Reviewing the students’ names and discovering similar sound patterns is a scaffolding technique that prepares the students’ minds to recognize alliterated sounds.

Teaching/Learning Activities:

Presentation: (7 min.) Read book aloud. Ask students if they notice any patterns. Discuss that it is a circle story, that it has same sounds, etc.

2) Reading a pattern book with alliterated text is an effective way to teach sound patterns and phonemic recognition. Because the book has attractive illustrations and catchy text, the students find the book quite enjoyable and learn quickly the concept of alliteration.

Activity: (20 min.) The students, gathered on the rug, will take turns writing their first name on chart paper in alphabetical order. (The teacher’s list of alphabetized names will help.) After the lists are compiled, instruct the class that they will write a class book following the pattern in the book using their own names. Each student will decide what he/she will do for the next person on the list using the same beginning letter and sound in his/her name. For example, ‘Andy allotted an apple to Beverly. Beverly bought a basketball for Carl. Carl caught a caterpillar for Denise’, etc. The last name in the story will do something for the first name listed. The teacher/parent volunteer will write the phrase on the chart paper after that student’s name. It is not imperative that every letter in the alphabet is used in the list; however, ensure that every child’s name is represented in the story. To facilitate this activity, the teacher can refer to the list of alphabetical action verbs to encourage the students. Next, the students will illustrate their part of the story on a blank sheet of white paper. Finally, the students will copy their name phrase from chart onto their illustration.

3) Shared writing in a whole group setting provides an excellent model of writing that will enhance their concepts about print. Collaborative grouping promotes language learning as students discuss orally with one another the topic at hand.

4) Providing the students with an activity using their own name provides an effective learning experience as students use a familiar subject. A person’s name is the most beautiful word to them. This kind of experience enhances creativity as students are excited to discover words with similar sounds as their name.

Follow-up Activity: (10 min.) Arrange the students in a circle. Have each student go around the circle and show and read their page to the classmates. Have the students order themselves in alphabetical order, and arrange the pages in this order for the class book.

5) Allowing the students to ‘show and tell’ their finished product provides an opportunity of increased confidence. Because of the nature of the activity, the students are provided with a low-pressure environment which stimulates increased learning for the LEP student.

6) As the students are allowed to arrange themselves in alphabetical order they are provided with a Total Physical Response experience which creates variety and enhanced language comprehension as well as provides an opportunity for review of alphabetical sequencing.

Evaluation/Assessment:

Students are evaluated on their comprehension of alliterated sounds. During the oral discussion, the teacher can assess if the students have basic phonemic awareness in that they can identify other words that begin with the same sound as their name. The correct copying of the name phrase from the chart onto their paper will also allow assessment of writing ability, specifically visual discrimination.

Resources:

Lobel, Anita (1990). Alison’s Zinnia. Greenwillow Books.