English Language Arts: Evaluation Strategies

K-12: Standard 3

• Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

English Language Arts: Applying Language Skills

K-12: Standard 12

• Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).

Standards for the English Language Arts, by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, Copyright 1996 by the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English. Reprinted with permission.

Source: NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts

Create a classroom border to identify letters of the alphabet and words they represent. Maintain student interest by regularly updating pictures and discussing the beginning, middle and ending sounds.

Figure A

Figure B

Supplies Used: Cardstock, Glue, Push Pins

The teacher will die-cut the materials for student use prior to the lesson.

1. Cut a strip of white butcher paper 7" wide and long enough for the ABC Train (approximately 10 to 11 feet).
   
2. Die-cut the Locomotive from cardstock or construction paper using black and several other colors. Leave the black Locomotive whole and cut highlights from the other colors. Adhere the highlights to the black Locomotive.
   
3. Die-cut 26 Trains, Tank Car from black paper, laying the straight edge along the platform of the Tank Car and cutting the wheels and flatbed only (Figure A). To embellish the wheels, die-cut several layers of gray paper covering the wheel area of the Tank Car. Trim to embellish the wheels.
   
4. Adhere the Locomotive and the 26 Tank Cars to the butcher placing, placing the Locomotive facing left to pull the ABC Train in the correct order.
   
5. Die-cut the 2" Block Capital Letter Set (or any alphabet) from a variety of colors of cardstock or construction paper. Adhere one Letter to the left side of each of the 26 flatbed cars.
   
6. Die-cut a Apple from red and green paper. Leave the green Apple whole. Trim the stem from the red Apple and adhere over the green one to embellish (Figure B). Attach the completed Apple to the "A" flatbed car.
   
7. Die-cut a Butterfly from two colors of paper. Leave one color whole and cut the other to embellish. Attach the completed Butterfly to the "B" flatbed car.
   
8. Die-cut a Cupcake from two colors of paper. Leave one color whole and cut the other to embellish. Attach the completed Cupcake to the "C" flatbed car.
   
9. Continue adding die-cut shapes to the remainder of the alphabet (see Main Photo).