Unusual Items Aid Pre-k with Letter Lessons

Anne Somerville and Beth Smith’s pre-kindergarten students are discovering the alphabet under an unusual umbrella of learning tools including underwear, an umbrella cake, unicorns, and other utterly ludicrous learning utensils –all this to stress the letter that falls between “Tt” and “Vv” in the alphabet. Pre-kindergarten teachers at the Lower School familiarize their students with the letters of the alphabet by emphasizing a different letter each week and then discussing and discovering many ways the letter is used in words that name common daily items. During “Uu” week students heard the sound of the letter and became familiar with it as they discovered all the familiar items in their lives that began with the highlighted letter of the week: umbrella, underwear, unicorns. During “Hh” week students celebrated Hawaiian music as some dressed in grass skirts, wore leis and danced the hula. Hearts, hands, hats, and happy faces also supplied support to this lesson.