Making Time To Rhyme In Kindergarten

After finishing my assessment on phonemic awareness I have shifted my program to include more opportunities for Kinders to experience and produce rhymes. Here are a few of our spring literacy work stations that support continued practice with letters names and sounds, word play and rhyme. Currently we are alternating Literacy and Math work stations every morning.

 Pocket Charts
I have several pocket charts. This rhyming poem we sing together during morning calendar. I change the pictures and we sing it again using the tune The Muffin Man.

Building Words Kinders use magnets and letter boxes to build 3 letter words. The word is on the back making this a  self checking activity.(I use a fishing tackle box to sort the letters.

Writing Centre
This is a very popular centre. It includes spring stamps (insects, flowers...) assorted papers, rhyming word cards on rings, alphabet stamps, alphabet cards, pencil crayons, magazine pictures and markers. I have added flip books for students to work on producing rhyming words using worksheets from Words Their Way.

Creation Station This centre includes collage materials, speciality scissors, coloured paper, glue, glitter, cardstock, water colour paints and bingo dabbers. Kinders use the materials to decorate letters, decorate words or make & label pictures.An example would be rhyming ladders where the words/letters are printed with crayon and then painted using a different water colour for each word/letter.



Pocket Chart Sort Kinders sort picture cards  using the beginning sound.  I also have alphabet letters for my two little guys who still need practice with letters.




Pocket Chart Kinders rebuild nursery rhymes using sequencing pictures, phrases and a model. The next day they would move to a second station that requires them to make their own book by sequencing the pictures (downloaded from Enchantedlearning.com).

 Classroom Collection
These books are available throughout the day including family reading and play/work time.

Big Books This week's big books are a rhyming series that they just love!  






Sensory Tub This tub has resources for students to play with rhyme using sensory materials. I have included  word cards and rhyming picture cards . Kinders can chose from four materials that I rotate through the tub. 
Here is a sample list of materials that students might find in the tub: magnetic letters, playdoh, rainbow writing using spring coloured pencil crayons, wikki sticks, letter blocks, dry erase lapboard, pipe cleaners, scrabble letters, shaving cream, paint bags, hair gel bags, I Spy bags, magna-doodle, letter stamps and sand ( I just added dry paint to white sand to make different colours), sensory bottles with rice or pom poms.

Games Tub This tub includes an assortment of rhyming games some of which I have made, been handed down by colleagues or purchased. Some include memory, snap, go fish, boggle and bingo. 


Rhyming Words These are two part puzzles that I borrowed from a colleague to build rhyming words ... I have put it on my wishlist for classroom resources.



Reading Buddies  Kinders choose books from a basket of rhyming books  from Lakeshore and sit EEK with a stuffy and read together.




Listening Centre I have a small collection of songs and  books available at the listening centre. Some examples are  The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed  a Chick, Is Your Mama a Llama? 
Teacher Centre  This time is used to teach a new literacy work stations or just spend time playing a literacy game with two students. Right now I have a student teacher and an education assistant so we will actually have three teacher centres during the next five weeks! This week we are teaching Go Fish using rhyming picture cards, Roll a Letter and rhyming flip books.