We have Q when we get back. There's not a lot out there, they always confuse q and g, and I don't exactly have the most stellar plans waiting for me when I return. While browsing, I got an idea, so here we go.
I KNOW I will play this YouTube song from Have Fun Teaching, they love, love, love these.
I have come up with motions for each of the letters and they do them as they are making the sound. Q stumps me. Pretend to put on a tiara? Curtsy? Raise hand as if asking a question? Draw a question mark in the air? Make a confused face? I think I am going to have them pretend to wrap a quilt around their shoulders, and make quilts the main focus of Qq work.
I remember going to my grandmother's house for "quilting days." She, her sister, sisters-in-law, and church friends would all sit around the quilt that was braced on old wood. I absolutely loved it then, and the memories now. Quilting used to be a big thing here, one of the "old ways" that has gone by the wayside. I'm very big on old ways, and try to keep those memories and traditions alive. So here is the plan:
We will read The Quilt Story by Tomie De Paola
I'm also going to check to see if I can find The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco at our local library this week. I just heard about this and don't have it at school. I will be buying this before next year, though. The Amazon preview won my heart!
After reading, I will bring out a few quilts. My grandmother made me 2, one a baby quilt and one for me as a "big girl" just before she died. I absolutely treasure these, and I will do a little oral tradition storytelling about them. I will tell them how when I missed her as a child, I would wrap the quilt around my shoulders and it felt like I was still getting a hug from her. If I don't cry immediately, then I will play our Q song so they have that visual as we are doing our motions for Q.
I had repinned this great idea for displaying artwork - a student quilt. I think I am going to make one this week and have it all ready to go for Q, and then will use it the rest of the year and hopefully next year. Unfortunately, the originally pinner didn't link to the site, I would love to give credit where credit is due. These are gallon Ziploc bags, duct taped together. You duct tape the fronts together, leaving the word Ziploc on the back. Once the students' artwork in slid into the back side, you don't see the words.
After I show images of quilts, I will give the kiddos some markers and white construction paper, and have them make their own quilt square to be placed in our classroom "quilt"
They loved reading Princess and the Pea, so I think we will then talk about how a queen is the mother of a princess. (Here in our small town USA, my beloved Disney has taught the kids about princesses, but not much about queens!) Then we will do a shared writing called Queen and the Quilt. No idea on how this will turn out, totally going with their plot!
We will brainstorm other q words. To try to minimize the confusion with q, p,and g, I will tell them that q is so quick, sometimes the "hook" is left off completely, and sometimes it gets left dragging behind the circle. We'll practice that backwards hook a few times in the air, saying quick as we do. Hopefully, that will help.
One thing I don't like about our Language Arts series is that we introduce Q before U. It makes the whole concept of u is always after Q tough, because U is tough for them. I think we will do a personality profile of Q on chart paper:
quiet - I'll use that to remind them to put the line on Q, it's her quiet finger. I'll glue a quiet Q-tip the written O. We'll walk with Q-tip feet in the halls (I hope!)
quick - no hook or a dragging behind one.
shy - thinking I'll use this to talk about u always being with her. She can't go anywhere without her u. I'll write q words on the paper to demonstrate
loves quilts - glue fabric scraps on the Qq to represent the quilt. (Since she's shy, sometimes she hides under a quilt
has a lot of questions - cover the paper with question marks
For stations this week, I think this will be a good time to review some previous concepts.
Q - quarter - I'll pull the play money back out, a veggie tray, and have them sort.
Q - question mark - Give them some newspapers for a ? search, highlight. Also have them write a question.
Q - they might make their artwork for the quilt during a station
Q - Queen - thinking a little card game. Deck of cards in the middle of the table. They draw one, repeat it's number or letter Taking turns, continue until deck is gone. Person with the most queens "wins"
Q - personality profile. I'll put the chart we made together in whole group in the art center, along with paper, q-tips, markers, and fabric pieces. I'll have them make their own to take home.
Q - for a quilt/sewing, we might do a little lacing around a cardboard crown, if I get them made this week!
Q - sensory box. Thinking about a quiet sensory box! BWAHAHAHAHAHA. pom-poms, cotton balls, foam letters and stickers, felt pieces, ribbons, yarn, etc.
Q - quill writing - feathers, tempera, paper. I think they will totally love this!
I thought about retelling/creative dramatics with crowns, kings, and queens, but nixed this for several reasons:
* My group does not , as a whole, have a lot of vocabulary exposure. I am afraid they would confuse king/queen and not be able to remember the genders they represent. Not in any form of gender discrimation, etc. but just for vocabulary development.
* The ones that know are too into relationships already (can't tell you how many hand holding, arms on shoulders I have to break up. CRAZY!) and don't need to encourage that any more!!!
Hope you get an idea here to help with that elusive letter Qq!
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