Literacy Emergency Substitute Plan for Kindergarten

Objective

Students will recognize basic letter sounds, form simple words, and engage in activities that promote phonemic awareness and letter recognition.

Materials/Resources

• Letter Recognition/Phonics Song: "The Alphabet Song" or "Phonics Song" (YouTube link or audio file)
• Alphabet Flashcards: A set of flashcards with letters A-Z and corresponding images (e.g., A - Apple, B - Ball)
• Whiteboard and Markers: For writing letters and words
• Picture-Word Matching Worksheet: A simple worksheet with images and letters (printable)
• Sounding Out Activity Cards: Cards with simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like cat, dog, and hat
• Crayons or Markers: For coloring activities
• Timer: For timed activities (optional)

Lesson Plan Procedure

Opening/Lesson Hook (10 minutes)

• Warm-Up Activity: Play the "Phonics Song" or "The Alphabet Song" as students sing along. Encourage them to clap or dance to the rhythm to engage them physically and mentally.
• Letter Recognition: Use flashcards to introduce a few letters. Hold up a card and ask, "What letter is this?" and "What sound does it make?"

Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Basic Letter Sounds:

  • Write a few letters on the whiteboard (e.g., A, B, C).
  • Ask students to say the letter sounds together.
  • Introduce simple CVC words using the letters on the board (e.g., "A is for Apple, what sound does A make?").

Independent Practice (15 minutes)

• Picture and Letter Matching Task:

  • Hand out the Picture-Word Matching Worksheets.
  • Instruct students to match pictures (e.g., apple, ball) to the correct starting letter (A, B).

• Sounding Out Activity:

  • Distribute the Sounding Out Activity Cards.
  • Students can work individually or in pairs to sound out the words and draw a line from the word to the corresponding picture (if applicable).

Differentiated Activities

• Below Grade Level:

  • Provide additional support with one-on-one or small group time using extra flashcards. Use tactile letters (e.g., foam letters) for students to feel the shapes while saying the sounds.

• At Grade Level:

  • Encourage students to create their own simple CVC words using letters from the alphabet. They can write the words on the whiteboard or on paper and illustrate them.

• Above Grade Level:

  • Challenge these students to form short sentences with the CVC words they’ve created, and they can share their sentences with the class.

Closing (5 minutes)

• Review: Gather the students and ask them to share one letter and its sound. Encourage them to give an example of a word that starts with that letter.
• Transition: End the lesson by singing the “Phonics Song” again, reinforcing the sounds and letters learned.

Extension Activities or Sample Questions

• Formative Assessment Questions:

  • "Can you tell me what sound the letter B makes?"
  • "What picture starts with the letter S?"

• Summative Assessment:

  • Create a mini-book where students draw a picture for each letter of the alphabet and write the corresponding letter next to it.

Reflection

• The substitute teacher should observe student engagement levels during the warm-up and activities. Note which students needed extra support and which excelled. Feedback from the students can be collected through a simple thumbs up/down on which activities they enjoyed the most.

This plan is adaptable for any time of the year and can be modified based on the available resources or specific classroom dynamics.