PHONICS LESSON PLAN- Small Groups

Activity- In My Name/Not in My Name (Focus: Letter Names and Shapes) Adapted from the Florida Center for Reading Research

SMALL GROUP PHONICS LESSON: DAY 1 AND DAY 2

Small Group Activity (completed with half of the students on day 1 and the other half on day 2)
Materials:
 Uppercase and lowercase alphabet letter cards made from cut-up sentence strips
o Differentiate the amount of letters you give each child to sort depending on the amount of support they will need from you. For
example, children that need a lot of teacher support might get 2 capital letters and 6 lower case for the name “Joel.” Children
that need less support might get 4 capital letters and 10 lower case.
 Individual baggies for letter cards (labeled with children’s names)
 Construction paper (create a T-chart on the paper ahead of time)
 Sentence strips with students names
One two three, all eyes on me. When I say go we are going to walk over t the carpet area, criss cross apple sauce, hands in
our laps and our voices on love zero, that means no one is talking, because all of our friends need to be able hear the
directions that Ms. Armstrong is giving. (Check for clarity, then say go). (PN): Student is walking over to the carpet, student
is sitting, and student had hands in lap.
10 min
Okay today we are going to be exploring which letters are in our name and which letters are not in our names.
In My
Name/Not in Prepare T-charts on construction paper ahead of time. On one side of the T-chart it should say “In My Name” and the other
My Name side should say “Not in My Name”. You may want to put a star on the “In My Name” side to differentiate it from the “Not in
-SWBAT say the My Name” side. Have sentence strips with students names printed clearly and baggies with their letter cards ready. Boys
names of letters Students spell name.
and girls, we are going to play a game called “In My Name/Not in My Name.” Our job is to turn over letter tiles,
-SWBAT identify name the letter, and say if it is in the name or if it is not in the name. If the letter is in the name, we are going to put
the shapes of it on this side of the paper, where there is a star. Make sure to gesture to the T-chart here so students clearly
letters understand where to put letters. If it is not in the name, it will go on this side. Let’s do one together! Select one of the
Students say letter
Star Students names to model this activity. Layla! This is Layla’s name. Help me say the letters in Layla’s name. L-A-Y-
name.
L-A-. Point to each letter as you spell it. Hmmm… let’s look at my letter pile to find out which letters are in Layla’s
name and which letters are not in her name. Make sure you have several letter cards available and that you have
Students say letter
multiples of letters.
name.
(I DO) What letter is this? Encourage students to respond. That’s right, it is a “P”. Does Layla’s name have a “P” in it? Students say letter
Hold the “P” letter card next to Maurice’s name, pointing to the first letter and comparing it. No! It belongs on this side of name and help
the chart because it is not in her name. Teacher should model this first example and non-example. What letter is this?
 That’s right, it is an “L”. Does Layla’s name have an “L”? Hold the letter card up to show how this letter matches the decide if it is in
first letter in Layla’s name. It does! I will put it on this side of the chart, with the star, because it is in his name. Now, I chosen name.
need your help to decide where to put the letter. (WE DO) What letter is this? That’s right, it is a “Y”. Is there a “Y”
in Layla’s name? Yes! Where does this letter go? Have students help you here. Make sure to support their thinking with
specific verbal feedback. For example, “I like the way you are looking at this letter and Layla’s name, good thinking” or “I
can see you found this letter in Layla’s name by looking at his name card.” Great job, because this letter is in Layla’s
name, we will put it on this side. Continue to refer to the name card so students understand how to check their work.
Repeat this with the rest of the letters, making sure to spell the name. This modeling part of the activity should take no Students sort letter
more than 2 minutes. Keep a quick pace so that the students can move on to the independent practice. cards independently.

(MVP) we are not throwing the cards, we are not sharing the cards, and we are working alone on our own names. What are
we doing?(NOTE TO SELF COLOR CODE LETTERS and SEPARATE LETTERS)

(YOU DO) Now it is your turn to find out which letters are in your name and which letters are not! Hand out individual
student T-charts, name written on sentence strip and individual baggies with the letter cards (amount specifically
differentiated for each child, see directions above). Look at your name. Choose a letter card, say the letter, and decide
which side of your paper to put you letter on! Make sure students use the sentence strip with their name to check their
work.

* For students who have sorted all their letters you can extend the activity by having them spell their name using the letter
cards.

* After you teach this activity, it will make a great center!

Example of letters created from cut-up sentence strips: