language arts

Reading: Foundation Skills - Print Concepts
RF.K.1 Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print.


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letters in order

matching letters

words in alpha order

Reading: Foundational Skills - Phonological Awareness
RF.K.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).

Use sorting circles, a chart, or a pre-created sorting template from your software to sort out words that begin with a specific sound from ones that do not. Fill the bottom of your board with clip art or stamps. Make sure a large portion of the objects begin with the sound of the lesson focus. Have the students take turns dragging the pictures to the correct place on the board.
Using clip art or online graphics, place pictures randomly around the board. Some should begin with the target sound being taught, and other should not. Ask students to draw an X on top of the ones that do not begin with the sound. They can circle or put a check mark next to the ones that do. This activity can be done using middle and ending sounds as well. 
Using online graphics, clip art, or stamps int he software, create multiple pairs of pictures that when said aloud rhyme. Mix the pictures on the screen. Have students find the matching rhyming pictures and move the pair to another part of the screen. This can be made slightly more challenging by having groups of three or four rhyming pictures.

Reading: Foundational Skills - Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.K.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Students can drag word-family letters to match pictures that have the beginning letter next to each one. For example, add to the board a picture of a dog. Next to it should be the letter d. On the bottom of the board should be the grouped letters of og. Load the board with a handful of pictures with the same word family to reinforce the concept. Students take turns moving the word-family letters to complete the words. One possible adaption can be using multiple word families at the same time on the board to drag to the corresponding pictures.
Focus the lesson on one word family. Write as many words as you wish from that family on the board. Then write those words on the board again with a letter missing from each one of them. The missing letter could be any part of the word: front, middle, or end. Place the missing letters independently somewhere else on the board so they can be dragged over to complete the words. Students would drag the letters untl they are used up, encouraging them to use strategy and think ahead.
Use opposite colors when teaching onset-rime phonics; if your software allow layers, use those layers to hide one or the other. For example, let's take the work show. Imagine two large boxes that are layered behind the text. One is black, and the other is white. The background behind the two boxes is red. For the text colors, the sh in show is black and the ow in show is red. As the word show is slid atop the background, only the black sh shows because the ow in red matches the background color. As it moves across the black box, now the red ow shows but not the black sh. Dragging it farther to the white box will show the entire word. Using text and background color strategically will mimic a hiding effect and a magic reveal for students.

Language - Conventions of Standard English
L.K.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

A horizontal straight line can provide a good writing base for a handwriting lesson of a letter or number. Using two lines of different colors can help differentiate the top line from the bottom. using a green dot where you start and a red dot where you stop provides a color cue to help students remember how the letter or number is formed.
Use lined paper graphics that match the same physical paper that students will write on. If no graphics are available in the software or online, you can scan lined paper. Display the scanned image through the interactive whiteboard, and write on top of it to demonstrate correct letter formation in relation to the other letters. Using similar paper models, you can correct writing skills when students work independently.
Teaching students how to write a simple sentence can be done using puzzle pieces. Draw puzzle pieces or use software-generated puzzle pieces that fit together horizontally. Write one word on each puzzle piece, and mix up the puzzle pieces. Students should move the pieces around into the correct order and then read the sentence. the pieces should only fit together if the sentence is int he correct order.
Place a simple sentence on the board to teach verbs. The berb of the sentence can be left blank. the noun can also be left blank for fun. In playing this game, the noun should be decided at random by the teacher, a picture dice, or some other method. For example, the format of the sentence could be "The ____ can ____." Once the noun is chosen, the student gets to fill in the verb for fun in the same way the Mad Libs are played.

Reading: Foundational Skills - Phonics and Word Recognition
RF.1.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

If your software has a dice graphic that allows it, add a letter to each side of the dice. the letters should be a mix of vowels and consonants found frequently in words. Place the dice side-by-side on your display to form a word. To start off easy, begin with three dice, with the first and third full of consonants and the middle of one containing vowels only. Students should tap the dice for the dice to spin and land on a randomly selected letter. Have students read the entire word aloud and determine if it is a nonsense word or not. A student or teacher can write the randomly generated words on the bottom in T-chart form. One side is for nonsense words and the other for real words.

Language - Conventions of Standard English
L.1.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Show a picture that has great detail and is of great interest to students. It can be one taken with a camera or one found on the web. Ask students to generate a list of adjectives to describe what they see. Students can write the list below the picture on the board. 
To help students learn about nouns, place circles, squares, or a pre-created chart on the board and write "person, place, or thing" next to each one of the areas. Place clip art of nouns on the board. Have students drag the clip art to the correct area that describes that type of noun.
Sentence starters for emerging writers can help a student with writer's block. Display a graphic of an animal, a location, or a tow that would provide an idea or a topic to write about. On lined paper displayed on the board, start off with "I like ______" or "I want ______" to help them begin their sentences. Demonstrate letter formation, correct spacing, and how to write a complete sentence. After you have modeled proper writing, have the students take turns writing on the board prior to writing independently at their own desks. 
Nouns and pronouns can be matched on the board. In a column on one side of the board, list some nouns. In a column on the other side of the board, list corresponding pronouns. Students can draw lines using their finger or pen, connecting nouns to their matching pronouns. Discuss why they match.
Use two separated circles, squares, or a chart that will allow students to sort a predetermined set of words. For instance, perhaps the goal is to differentiate between adjectives and verbs. A student would click and drag the word big onto the side of the board that represents adjectives. Sorting the words would continue until all words in the pile are placed. This activity will work for all the different intensities of verbs or adjectives.

Language - Conventions of Standard English
L.2.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. 

This next idea involves taking Daily Oral Language (DOL) and digitizing it. For example, if you are working on capital letters, you would write a sentence with missing capital letters. If you r software has arrow graphics, have students drag the arrows underneath the letters where a capital letter should go. If no arrow graphics exist, students could circle or underline the letter or change the letter with an on-screen keyboard to correct the mistakes.
For teaching the differences between ending punctuation marks and when to use them, place a few simple sentences on the board and use color and grouping/ordering to provide a hid-and-reveal effect. Make the background color of the board white. Write the sentences in black text. The punctuation at the end should be written int he same color as the background (white, in this case), making it appear invisible. If your software allows it, group the elements and order the graphic to have it under the writing. The writing should be on top. Use a color-filled circle or graphic, such as a magnifying glass with a color center, to reveal the punctuation by moving it under the punctuation mark. Have students guess the punctuation mark prior to the reveal of the correct answer.
An electronic work-wall "dictionary" can be created on one whiteboard page for younger grades or on 26 linked pages for older students. On the page for younger learners, words can be added next to the appropriate letters to create a mini dictionary. In the case of the 26 linked pages, students would add words themselves to the corresponding pages. this interactive word wall, which mimics a dictionary, could be opened and available during writing times. The teacher can help by adding words to it. the entire page or file can be posted electronically and printed to be displayed.

Writing - Text Types and Purposes
W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. 

Some students have difficulty organizing and writing paragraphs. Using the interactive whiteboard and graphics to visually organize the sentences can help students form coherent paragraphs. For example, you could have a sandwich graphic on the board large enough to allow students to represent the different sentences in a paragraph, with the top half of the bun being the introductory sentence, the bottom half being the conclusion, and the meat, cheese, and tomato in the middle being the supporting sentences. The same can be done with a large hand print graphic, writing on each of the five fingers.