Objective:

A center activity that involves children in matching letter cards/tiles/foamies/etc. to picture card prompts.

When to Introduce:

After students have gained a better understanding of beginning letter sounds, and have had practice identifying/naming/matching beginning letter sounds, this activity is introduced and added to the ABC Corner (center). 

How to Introduce:

Divide the letter tiles and pictures into 9 groups.

Label each letter tile (reverse side) and zipper baggie with a number, letter, or some other identifying mark.

Divide the class into 9 teams.

Give each team a baggie.

Model how to take the tiles out, how to sort the tiles into two piles (letters/pictures), and how to make two rows, one for letters and one for pictures.

Model how to point to each letter tile and say its name and sound.

Model how to point to each picture tile and say its name.

Model how to sort each picture tile by its beginning sound.

Allow groups to work cooperatively to complete the activity.

When all groups have finished, take a walk around the classroom and give each group a chance to share their work.

Model how to clean the activity up (making sure that each tile that is placed into the baggie belongs to the baggie).

Differentiating the Task:

Have students create a list of objects for each letter they sorted.

Have students write a story for one of the letters they sorted, that includes the objects sorted for that letter.