Handy4class
Getting "Handy" in the classroom with technology integration!
What are Alphabet Stories?
The Apple Learning Exchange explains that "Learning the letters and their sounds provides the building blocks for beginning reading. Alphabet books are one way to introduce children to the letters and their sounds. Younger students love alphabet books, especially ones with wonderful pictures. Wouldn't pictures from their environment make a photo alphabet book even more special?" Students can create their own alphabet books by taking pictures of their home, friends, school, and other familiar subjects OR finding ClipArt, then inserting these pictures into PowerPoint or a SlideShow tool such as iPhoto or Picasa to write the alphabet letters and words to represent that letter.
Advantages for use in the classroom:
- Excellent center activity
- Students can create their own alphabets
- "Stretching" creative thinking skills--creating a written statement based upon visuals (diagrams) requires students to think "outside the box."
Disadvantages for use in the classroom:
- Students become frustrated when they are unable to find a picture that matches the letter
- Teachers may need to supply beginning images for practice until students feel comfortable with the process
Examples:
Alphabet Photo Album from Apple Learning Exchange
Alphabet Recognition Poems (Take the Alphabet Book one step further and create poems that emphasize each letter!
Yellowstone Online Alphabet Page (Animals of Yellowstone National Park are highlighted! Great example of making the alphabet photo album global!)
Alphabet Books: A WIL Home-School Connection (An Alphabet Book for every month!)