All About Names Unit




Songs & Poems

Here We Are Together
Tune: Did you Ever See a Lassie?
 
    Here we are together,
   Together, together,
   Here we are together,
   At (name of school)
   There's ____ , and ____,
   ____, and ____,
   Here we are together,
   At (name of school)
Who's Here Today?
Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle
 
__________ came to school today.
We're so glad we'll shout
Hooray!
 
Good Morning!
  Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It

 
    Good morning, (first name / last name).
   How are you?
   Good morning, (first name / last name).
   How are you?
   How are you this special day?
   We're so glad you came to play.
   Good morning, (first name / last name).
   How are you?
Can You Find My Friend
Tune: Mary Had a Little Lamb

 
My friend has a blue shirt on,
a blue shirt on,
a blue shirt on.
My friend has a blue shirt on,
Can you find my friend?
(children identify the friend by name)
 
Use different clues:
*  blonde hair
*  black shoelaces
*  a dress
Glad to See You
Tune: Frere Jacques
 
Teacher:
I'm Mrs. _____,
I'm Mrs.______,
That's my name,
that's my name.
I'm so glad to see you,
I'm so glad to see you,
What's your name? 
What's your name?
(teacher points at student, student says
his / her name)
Stand Up and Take a Bow
Tune:  If You're Happy And You Know It

 
If your name begins with  A
Stand up now. (clap, clap)
If your name begins with  A
Stand up now. (clap, clap)
If your name begins with  A
Stand up and take a bow!
If your name begins with  A
Stand up now. (clap, clap)
 
repeat for all the letters
Where is _____?
   Tune: Frere Jacques
 
  Where is _____?
   Where is _____?
   Here I am, here I am,
   How are you today _____?
   Very well I thank you.
   We're glad you're here!
   We're glad you're here!
These Are My Friends
Tune: The Adamms Family
 
These are my friends
(clap, clap)
These are my friends
(clap, clap)
These are my friends,
these are my friends,
these are my friends
(clap, clap)
There's _________ and
there's ________
there's ________ and
there's ________
and then there's ___________.
Good Morning
Tune: unique tune...you'll have to make one up
 
Teacher:  Good Morning!
Children:  Good Morning!
Teacher:  How are you?
Children:  How are you?
All:  It's so nice to see you again!
Teacher:  There's (name)
Children:  Hi (name)
Teacher:  and (new name)
Children:  Hi (new name)
 
repeat until all children's names have been done
Name Song
Tune: If You're Happy and You Know It
 
If your name is (name),
clap your hands.
If your name is (name),
clap your hands.
If your name is (name),
If your name is (name),
If your name is (name),
clap your hands.
 
Change the actions:
stomp your feet
wiggle your fingers
nod your head
Hickledy, Pickledy, Bumblebee
 
Hickledy, Pickledy, Bumblebee
Who can say their name for me?
Teacher:  (child's name) regular voice
Children: (child's name) regular voice
Teacher:  (child's name) softer voice
Children: (child's name)
softer voice
Teacher: (child's name) whisper
Children: (child's name) whisper
 
repeat until all children have had a turn
This is a great one that I learned at a workshop:
 
Say as a chant:
(child's name)  (child's name)
How do you do?
Who's that sitting next to you?
Child:  (says name of child beside him/her)
All: clap one time and say the name
then pull your hands apart (imagine you are pulling a rubberband) and say the child's name slowly.
 
The children love to hear their names "pulled" apart!
Hello, My Friend
 
Hello, my friend.
How are you?
Say your name and we'll clap for you.
Child says his / her name and the whole class claps the beats.
 
The kids love this one and especially like to find out who has the same "beats" as they do.  Towards the end of the year we do a graph about "How many beats are in your name?"

Who Ate the Cookies From the Cookie Jar?

 Cut 3" circles (cookies) out of construction paper.  Write each child's name on the "cookie"  Place the cookies in a cookie jar.  Choose one cookie at a time and sing the song below.

Who ate the cookie in the cookie jar?
_______ ate the cookie in the cookie jar.
Who Me?
Yes you!
Couldn't be.
Than who?

(Child chooses another cookie, reads the name and the song continues.)




Books




Writing Center

Writing Center
 
Your writing center should be filled with a variety of materials for children to practice writing  with.  Here you will find  some materials children can use for practice in making their names.  I always have pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, and pens available but rotate these other items at different times of the year.   Make sure that there are plenty of picture dictionaries and lots of alphabet posters in your writing center too.
 
* chalk and chalkboards
* playdough or clay with ABC cookie cutters
* Wikki Stix (use on a cookie sheet)
* Magna Doodle
* finger paints
* shaving cream on a table top
* paintbrush and water (use on black construction paper) 
* pipe cleaners
* wooden letters 
* salt (or sand) box (put enough salt to cover the bottom of  a box lid or pie pan, write with finger, shake to erase)
* letter sponges 
*letter stamps
* die cut letters, from a variety of materials
*laminated letter tracing sheets




Activities

Magnetic Letters
 
Have children use magnetic letters to match upper/ lower or to form their name, their friends names and sight words.  Small cookie sheets or burner covers can be used as magnetic boards (or the side of a file cabinet).
Magazine Letters
 
Have the children look through  magazines, cut out letters in their name and  glue onto construction paper.
Name Memory Match
 
Write each child's name on a set of  index cards.  Use another color (of the marker or card) and write the names again.  Laminate.  To play this game, the children read the names and match the cards.
Letter Stamps
 
I have a set of uppercase and a set of lowercase.   Have the children use the letter stamps to form their name.  Place a basket of name cards with this center for the children to write each other's names too!
Milk Cap Names
 
Write each child's name on a milk cap and place them all in a container.  When you need a helper or it is time to line up, pull one name at a time out of the container and hold it up for the class to read.
Name Sorting
 
Make two signs (one with a boy picture and one with a girl picture) Also write name cards for each student.   Have the children sort the name cards according to boy/girl.
(I have also used clothespins in place of the name card.)
Name Card Bingo
 
Write everyone's first name on a sentence strip and laminate them. To play the game use a set of letter cards.  Call one letter at a time and have the children place a milk cap to cover their letters.  I always play until everyone wins.  The children that finish first help the others.
Name Puzzles
 
: Write each child's name (in bubble letters) on a sentence strip and allow them to decorate it.  Cut them into puzzle pieces (more or less depending on their ability level)  Place them in an envelope and label with the students name.  Have them put the pieces in the  order. 
ABC Name Chart
 
I always make a chart that includes everyone's name on it.  I write it in ABC order.  All the names beginning with the same letter are also written in the same color.  Also, place a small picture of each child beside their name.  Hang this in your group area.  You will be amazed at how often you and your children will refer to this chart to read and write names!  This idea is from the Guided Reading book by by Irene C. Fountas and  Gay Su Pinnell.
Name Graph
 
Have each student write their name on a small piece of paper.  Make a graph of beginning letters (I use letter cards and spread them across the floor).  You can either use just the letters that are needed for the beginning letters of the names in your class, or one showing all 26 letters.  Have each child place their name under the correct letter.
Flannelboard Letters
 
Have the students use felt letters to form their name on the flannelboard.  Write a set of name cards  (with pictures) and place in a basket so they can practice writing their friend's names too.
Attendance Cards
 
Make name cards by writing each child's name on  a sentence strip cut to the length of their name (so they can see who has a long name and who has a short one).  Place the name cards on a table.  When the children come in they pick up his or her name card and put it in a pocketchart, to show that they are at school that day.   I
write two sentences on the chart:
I am at school today.
I am home today.
After taking attendance I have the helper place the names of the absent children under "I am home today."
You can begin this on the very first day of school.  It is a great way to quickly assess who can read their name.
Name Graph
 
I usually give children a name card and unifix cubes to put on each letter, then they put them together like a "train"  It is a great visual for children to see whose name is long and whose is short.   Then we graph the number of letters in each child's name.  Afterwards we discuss who's name has the most, who has the least, which children have the same amount, etc.   Eventually, we turn this into
"Our Book of Names".
I give each child a paper with a large block grid and they write one letter in each block and cut around the whole thing.  They draw a self-portrait on another piece of paper .  I glue it onto large construction paper.  Each page will say:
(child's name) has ____ letters.
Playdough Name Mats
 
  Cut pieces of construction paper in half and write the children's names on it in big letters.  Laminate.  This makes a great model for forming their names.  To play, the children roll out the playdough and then form it on top of their name.
Name Guess
 
Take each child's picture and glue it to one side of an index card.  Make sure you use the same color for each one.  On the back of the card write the child's first name.  To play the game the children read the name on the back and then flip it over to see who it is and if they were right! 
Write the Names
 
Write the alphabet vertically down the left hand side of a piece of paper (or break it down and do 5 - 10 a day) Photocopy. The children use name charts and name cards displayed in the room and  list each friend beside the correct corresponding letter.
A:  Ann, Alice
B:  Bobby
Alphabet Stickers
 
Provide the students with alphabet stickers  to form their name with and then draw a self portrait on the same page.
Tactile Names
 
Provide the students with small items  such as popcorn kernels, beans, rice, cereal, etc.   Give each child a piece of  construction paper with their name written on it. Let them (or you) trace it with glue and add the items for a tactile name sign.
 
(I love to use crumbled leaves in the fall . . . they are so cute!)
Trace Your Name
 
Write each student's name using dots onto a sentence strip.  Laminate.  The children trace their name with a Vis-a-Vis pen (use baby wipes to clean)
Some computer programs already have dotted letters in different scripts. They are a great time saver!





Class Books
 

Kindergarteners, Kindergarteners, Who Do You See?

This class book is based on everyone's favorite Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?
Each child gets a paper programmed with the following words:

_______________, _______________
Who do you see?



(leave space here for child's picture)



I see _______________ looking at me.

The child doing the page writes their own name twice at the top of the page.  That same child's picture gets glued onto the page.  I have my children sit in a circle and we say the words orally.  They have to write the name of the child sitting next to them on the bottom of the page.  Make sure the pages are assembled in the correct order!
Alphabet Book








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