Assessment Conditioning Exercises (ACE)
Reading
Grade: First
Activity Number: 1
Activity Title: Letter Sound Relationships, Phonological Awareness
Standard #1: Reading–The student reads and comprehends text across the
curriculum.
Benchmark #1: The student uses skills in alphabetics to construct meaning from
text.
Indicator#1: The student identifies sounds of both upper and lower case letters
of the alphabet (letter-sound relationships).
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes
Resources Required: a box with pairs of objects that start with the same sound,
suggestions: comb-(toy) car, hat-horse, feather-fish
Activity:
Students empty the box and match the items whose names start with the same sound. An adult or partner checks for accuracy.
Variations:
Make the activity self checking by taking digital pictures of objects and pairing them on a covered checking sheet. Try attaching the photos inside a folder so that it can easily be changed as items and tasks change.
For beginning learners, use 2 pairs of objects and increase the number of choices as they develop mastery.
The activity increases in difficulty by including items which have no match and by asking students to match items which have the same ending or medial sound.
Working with a partner, a student selects an item and says a word that also begins with that sound or, when developmentally appropriate, the student provides a word that rhymes with the item from the box.
Grade: First
Activity Number: 2
Activity Title: Letter Sound Relationships
Standard #1: Reading–The student reads and comprehends text across the
curriculum.
Benchmark #1: The student uses skills in alphabetics to construct meaning from
text.
Indicator#1: The student identifies sounds of both upper and lower case letters
of the alphabet (letter-sound relationships).
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes or in a literacy center
Resources Required: pictures of the children in the class (digital camera or school pictures) – set of letters (ABC tiles, index cards, etc.)
Activity:
Students match the name of each child with the appropriate beginning letter sound.
Variations:
If needed, students refer to classmates’ printed names such as on desk nametags. A photo of the student with the nametag adds reinforcement.
As the year progresses, add various items from the classroom and people from the school to the photo collection.
Include pictures from the school environment as well, i.e., library, hall, water fountain, and bus.
Include pictures depicting action verbs such as jump, kick, smile, and sit.
Include pictures that use digraphs and blends such as slide, swing, and playground.
Grade: First
Activity Number: 3
Activity Title: Phonological Awareness
Standard #1: Reading–The student reads and comprehends text across the
curriculum.
Benchmark #1: The student uses skills in alphabetics to construct meaning from
text.
Indicator#5: The student identifies onsets and rimes in spoken words (e.g., alliteration, intonation, rhyme).
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes
Resources Required: copy of Elkonin box (see below), small manipulatives such as
circular counters or tokens, letter tiles
Activity:
Provide Elkonin Boxes similar to those below. Distribute small manipulatives such colorful tokens. Show students an object or a picture of an object with a one-syllable name (e.g., a cup, a bee). Model for the children how to say the name of the object slowly and move a token into each box as the sound is pronounced. This is sometimes referred to as “pushing in” the sounds. Have the students repeat the process.
Variations:
This activity can be made more difficult over time by asking the children to attach the corresponding letter sounds to each box as they push in the sounds of the name of the object.
ELKONIN BOXES
2 Sound Words 3 Sound Words
© 08/2006 Southwest Plains Regional Service Center 1-800-728-1022
Assessment Conditioning Exercises (ACE)
Reading
© 08/2006 Southwest Plains Regional Service Center 1-800-728-1022
Assessment Conditioning Exercises (ACE)
Reading
Grade: First Grade
Activity Number: 4
Activity Title: Expressive Reading
Standard #1: Reading–The student reads and comprehends text across the
curriculum.
Benchmark #1: The student reads fluently.
Indicator#3: The student reads expressively with appropriate pace, phrasing, intonation, and rhythm of speech with familiar text.
Time Needed: 15-20 minutes
Resources Required: blank note cards, large chart paper, markers
Activity:
The teacher guides a discussion with the children to brainstorm a list of topics (e.g. puppies, mothers, the playground). Narrow the discussion to one topic and write it on 12 cards. Place 3 topic cards across the large chart paper. This is the beginning of a class-created chant. Invite each child to contribute an adjective to describe the topic. Record the adjectives on note cards and place three adjectives per line with the topic note card completing the line. See the example below. The last line is a repetition of the topic.
Variations:
Use the chart and chant in individual “reading the room” activities or in small group literacy centers.
Rearrange the cards to create a new chant when the first one becomes routine.
Grade: First
Activity Number: 5
Activity Title: Sequencing Events
Standard #1: Reading-The student reads and comprehends text across the curriculum.
Benchmark #4: The student comprehends a variety of text (narrative, expository,
technical, and persuasive).
Indicator#7: The student sequences events according to basic story structure of
beginning.
Time Needed: 15-30 minutes per session
Resources Required: 2 copies of a picture book
Activity:
Cut apart two copies of a picture book and back each of the pages with poster board. Students sequence the events of the story either in a literacy center or in small cooperative groups.
Examples of expository sequence books:
Milk: From Cow to Carton (Let’s Read and Find Out Book) by Aliki
My Puppy is Born (Reading Rainbow Book) by Joanna Cole and Margaret Miller
The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States (Updated Edition) by Alice Provensen
Variations:
Conduct a group activity modeling the sequenced story, but have the pages in an incorrect sequence so the students correct the teacher.
Students transfer the activity to their own written and illustrated stories which are created on story boards and sequenced as well.
© 08/2006 Southwest Plains Regional Service Center 1-800-728-1022