Phonics Through Literature: Learning About the Letter M

This lesson provides a list of activities that can be selected from during the course of the week. Activities are organized into four sections: Introduction, Children's Literature, Letter Study, and Word Study. Each section contains a focused lesson, along with integrated learning centers and activities. The learning centers and activities are intended to actively engage students in interactive experiences to encourage meaningful construction of knowledge. The variety also allows students to participate in the lesson at a level that is appropriate to their individual abilities. Students are able to practice newly acquired skills and display their learning through various means.

Introduction: Mystery Box

Before class, gather a bag of M&Ms, a small box, an index card, chart paper, and markers. Place the M&Ms in the box and write an m on the index card. You may also want to decorate the box with question marks or other artwork and label it as the "Mystery Box." Title the chart paper "Mystery Box Guesses," and list the names of your students in a column on the left.

[Note: You will need to alter this plan if there are students in your class who are allergic to chocolate.]

Children's Literature

Read aloud Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow. Distribute the Five Little Monkeys Comparison Chart and have students discuss and compare the story elements, including characters, setting, problem, solution, and ending. As you conduct this discussion, help students fill in the chart.

Reading center:
Place fiction and nonfiction books about monkeys in the reading center of the classroom. See the All About Monkeys: Recommended Booklist for titles you can include in your reading center. Encourage students to read these books on their own or to each other.

Writing center:
Encourage students to write their own story about monkeys. Have them use the Five Little Monkeys Comparison Chart and change one thing to create a new story. For example, students can change the characters from monkeys to moose or from Momma to Mary. Challenge them to use words that begin with the letter m in their story.

Technology center:
Have students access the website developed by Eileen Christelow: Author and Illustrator. Students can read a comic strip about the author and learn about her illustrations.

Students can also access The Chunky Monkey Fan Club website to learn about the Chunky Monkey comic strip character. The site includes tips on how to draw the character and other fun activities. Encourage students to create their own drawings and poems about monkeys, then submit them to the Chunky Monkey website.

Art center:
Encourage students to creatively represent the stories that they have read in a form of their choice, such as through drawing, painting, or sculpting. Place photographs and books with monkeys in the art center for children to reference while creating their artwork. Student can use play dough for sculpting monkeys or scenes from the book. You might also add other small items to this area, such as toy beds, trees, and plastic toy monkeys.

Dramatization center:
Copy the Monkey Mask for each student on card stock. Have students decorate and cut the monkey masks out and mount them on tongue depressors. Monkey tails can also be made out of felt, construction paper, or other materials. Invite students to take turns acting out the two stories they have read about monkeys. Students might also work in small groups to act out the stories. Add props to this center, such as a telephone, stethoscope, doctor's outfit, blanket, mats or pillows for a bed, and so on.

Music center:
Use the Monkey Fingerplays to sing and act out the rhymes Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree. Copy these handouts and send them home for students to do with their family.

Math center:
Use The M&M Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, along with the M&M Math sheet to work on mathematical concepts. Place some M&Ms in a small plastic bag and have students estimate how many M&Ms are in the bag, recording their guesses on the M&M Math sheet. Then have students count the actual number in the bag, record the answer on the sheet, and indicate whether their estimate was more, less, or the same as the actual number. Next, have students sort the M&Ms by color and graph their results on the M&M Math sheet. Have student identify which color had the most and least amount. [Note: You will need to alter this plan if there are students in your class who are allergic to chocolate.]

Letter Study

Reading center:
Place the "M, M, and More M's" class book in the reading center for continued enjoyment and additions throughout the year.

Art center:
Squeeze some mustard or mayonnaise (two more things that begin with m) on trays. Have students practice writing the uppercase and lowercase m with their fingers in the gooey mess.

Technology center:
To integrate reading, technology, and math, have students read the online children's story Bananas for Lunch and access the interactive game Count the Bananas. This story and game can also be viewed in Spanish.

Writing center:
Use the Amazing Handwriting Worksheet Maker to create a worksheet for students to practice writing uppercase and lowercase m. You can select basic, Denelian, or cursive print, and input letters or words.

Word Study

As preparation for this activity, print out Monkeys Jumping on Things That Begin With the Letter M. Make one copy of the second sheet for each student.

Reading center:
Place the classroom book in the reading area for students to read on their own.

Snack:
[Note: You will need to alter this activity if students in your class are allergic to any of the ingredients in the recipe.]

Follow the Monkey Mix recipe by pouring M&Ms, marshmallows, and banana chips into a large bowl. Invite each student to take a turn mixing the Monkey Mix and then have each student scoop out a cup of the mix and put it in a baggie. Serve the Monkey Mix with milk. As students eat the snack together, reinforce the /m/ sound by saying things such as, "M'm, M'm this Monkey Mix tastes good. M'm, M'm I like to drink milk. M'm is the same sound the letter m makes!" Have student practice making the /m/ sound. Talk about items in the recipe that start with the letter m as they snack.

Art center:
In advance of this activity, ask each student to bring in a photograph of him or herself from home that can be cut. Distribute the Monkeys Jumping on the Bed activity sheet and have students glue a photograph of their face on the monkey, color the picture, and cut it out. Set up a bulletin board, label it as "[number of students in class] Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," and draw a large bed at the bottom. Place the student monkeys on the bulletin board. To reinforce words that begin with the letter m, draw a few things on the bed that begin with the letter m.

Technology center:
Invite students to create an m word crossword puzzle using the online Crossword Puzzle tool. The answers can be words from the class list; students can work in pairs to create clues. Ask students to print and share their puzzles when they are finished. See Creating Puzzles: A Guide for Teachers for more information.

Writing center:
Have students work at home with their families to create a Mom & Me book. On the cover sheet provided, have students fill in their name. In the space at the bottom, students can either draw a picture of themselves with their mom or glue a photograph. On each inside page, have students write one thing that they like to do with their mom and illustrate it with a drawing or photograph. Encourage them to include activities that begin with the letter m. For example, "Me and my mom like to munch on snacks at the movies." Students can highlight the letter m whenever it is used in their book. Encourage parents to work with their child on at least five pages for the "Mom and Me" book. For additional ideas, they can read the book Just Me and My Mom by Mercer Mayer.