Working with English Language Learners

See It, Feel It, Name It, Hear It

For first and second graders who need practice in phonics.

Girl playing with blocks Children enjoy activities that allow them to use a variety of senses. In this activity, children will use a variety of senses in order to see their letter, feel its shape, say its name and hear the sound it makes in their name.

Give children a name card (with their first and last names). Beginning with one child's name, ask the children in the group to look at the first letter, feel the letter by tracing its shape in the air, say the letter's name, hear the sound it makes by saying the child's name and finally, make the sound of the letter. For example:

"All right, Jordan, let's use your name. Let's begin with Jordan's first letter and letter sound.

"See it." (Children look at the letter J.)

"Feel it." (Children draw the shape of the letter J in the air.)

"Name it." (Children say J.)

"Hear it." (Children respond, " Jordan!")

"What's the sound?" (Children say /J/.)

This type of activity fits well with children of different ability levels because the pace of the chant can be slow for a beginning reader, or quick for an accomplished reader. The difficulty of the activity can be increased by using middle and ending letters and spelling patterns or decreased by focusing only on the beginning of the children's names. For children who need additional practice, try using play dough, sand, finger paint, pudding, white board, chalk board, or shaving cream so the children can create the letter during the "feel it" portion of the chant.

This information was produced by the National Center for Family Literacy for use on www.thinkfinity.org, a powerful educational platform supported by the Verizon Foundation. This information is in the public domain and may be reproduced for noncommercial purposes without permission.