For years, early childhood educators have recognized the importance of personalizing literacy experiences. Names are often among the first letters and words that children recognize and identify. They play a key role in emergent literacy as children make their very first personal connections to print. In kindergarten we explore an abundance of options to practice traditional name writing alongside playful hands-on experiences.
Through different types of exploration with names, children gain confidence and a stronger self-identity as readers and writers. We view this as a key moment to introduce a balanced vision that integrates and values the role of traditional and digital literacy as part of the experience of reading and writing in today’s world.
Check out our free resource where you can make a class book out of your children’s names.
Digital Reimagining and Retelling with Jack and Jill
As we explore the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, our kindergarten students participate in an extensive selection of play-based and hands-on literacy centers. Through playdough, Legos, art exploration, oral retellings, scissors, glue, varied writing instruments/paper, puppets (and more!) our learners are busy building their sense of self as capable, independent, and literate individuals.
Included in the center options is the opportunity to work on Chromebooks. In the Name Typing and Storytelling Activity, students are invited to create several different variations of the rhyme by typing new names for the characters in each version. Once names have been typed by the students, children practice retelling their unique versions while manipulating the image. In this activity students explore a balance of digital and print objectives including: proper use of upper and lowercase letters, use of the Shift Key during typing, naming and locating letters on the keyboard, correct order of letters from left to right, reading of classmates' names, manipulating objects on a screen, and story retelling by working in Google Slides.
Teachers have the opportunity to customize each slide by typing names of children in the class in the Notes section of the slide. Using the pre-typed name as a resource, children simultaneously work on solidifying traditional and digital literacy skills and strategies.
Here are some nuances for the ways we support learners as they explore this activity:
Model selection of the text box and looking for the “dancing line” to show that typing may begin.
Place a purple smiley sticker on each of the Shift Keys on the keyboard so that children can easily locate the key needed to type the uppercase letter.
Children quickly learn that they need to adapt the ways that they interact with the keyboard when using the shift key. Empower them to problem solve by introducing the delete/backspace or undo button to try again.
Children learn to identify names of classmates by reading, typing, and rereading names. Encourage them to create as many versions as time allows, and use the last slide with a variety of character images for more open-ended creation and storytelling.
Children practice selecting images of each character on the slide and use the arrow keys to orally retell while moving objects on the screen. Encourage oral language as they interact with the objects on the screen.
This activity provides a successful option for children to express and view themselves as writers, especially as their fine-motor skills and strength may still be still emerging for traditional letter formation.
When we take time to personalize literacy experiences, we allow children to own the experiences and motivate them to want to develop their ideas through reading and writing. By extending reading beyond the book, we help children to see and feel the joy, connection, and the possibilities that they possess as authentic learners, thinkers, and creators.
-Innovating Play page 71
Jack and Jill Name Typing and Storytelling Google Slides Activity
Who Went Up The Hill? A Class Book Inspired By Jack and Jill
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