Alphabet Art - It's Not Just A Letter

1. Have a set of assorted letters cut out of construction paper, and identical letters with a loop of masking tape placed on the back.
2. Using the alphabet charts in the kindergarten room, lead students as they sing the alphabet song and use a pointer show each letter as they progress through the song.
3. Ask students what the word "repeat" means; then model (using the construction paper letters) how to repeat the writing of a letter (the same letter) and challenge students to fill up an entire page with the same letter.
4. Ask students what the word "connect" means, then use the stick-able letters to demonstrate a pattern of the same letter connecting to the other letters, rotating in different directions to show variety.
5. Draw a letter pattern on a 9" X 12" (23 cm x 31 cm) white drawing paper with a marker. Demonstrate how to fill in the spaces around the letter with different colors of Crayola Construction Paper Crayons. Ask students if the letters you are making are the same size or different sizes. How do they know?
6. As students finish, have them use their alphabet art drawings to spell out words. Suggest they come to the front of the room and stand next to each other as the rest of the class spells out the word made by students. Use masking tape to post their words in the room.
7. After words are displayed, challenge students to draw an animal that begins with the alphabet letter that they used in their artwork.

LA: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose opinion pieces in which they tell a reader the topic or the name of the book they are writing about and state an opinion or preference about the topic or book (e.g., My favorite letter is . . .)

VA: Elaborate on an imaginative idea.

Using a Crayola Dry Erase Board and (Markers only for K, add markers and dry erase crayons for 1st grade/ELL small groups), have students practice letter design variations for upper and lower case on the dry erase board as a warm-up before starting alphabet art, or create alphabet art patterns within a giant letter.

Have 1st grade students explore "stamping" by shaping their letter out of Model Magic. Once the Model Magic dries, students can color the backside quickly with washable markers, then stamp it on a piece of paper.