CHALKBOARDS
For Chalkboard Work:
– Set of green chalkboards 32cm x 50cm each.
- The first board is blank on one side and ruled to guide the placement of letters on the other side.
- The second board has one side ruled in squares and the other ruled in horizontal lines.
– Tray with chalk in a holder, an eraser, a dust cloth, and a hand cloth.
– Sandpaper letters and numerals.
- This work is done parallel to work with the Sorting Letters.
Once he is comfortable with using the stylus and writes a few of the letters in the sand, he is ready to begin with the Chalkboard work.
Presentation 1: Blank Board
- Invite one child to come and work with you.
- Tell him that you will be using something to help us to write.
- Introduce the child to the chalkboard and have him carry it to the table.
- Then have him bring the box with the eraser, etc. and place it in the middle of the chalkboard.
- Then have the child choose a sandpaper letter.
- Then have the child sit to your left.
- Take out all of the material and place it above the chalkboard.
- Then place the tray also above the chalkboard.
- Trace the sandpaper letter a few times.
- Use the chalk and write the sandpaper letter multiple times on the board in a straight, horizontal line.
- Erase the letters written in an up to down, left to right manner.
- Use the dust cloth (hold as in Practical Life) and wipe board.
- Replace it.
- Take the terry cloth and clean your hands. Replace it.
- Move everything over so the child can write the same sandpaper letter.
- Suggest to the child that they may keep writing this letter.
- If the child seems very comfortable writing this letter, you may show them another letter. If not, wait for a future time.
- Once done, show the child how to put away the material.
- If the clothes are dirty, you will need to change them.
- Encourage the child to continue practicing from time to time.
This game is to be done in a group. The directress would have the children sit in a circle around a mat. She would then hand out the material (for example one cube of the Pink Tower to each child). The children hold the cube behind their backs and feel them. The directress would then ask for the largest cube to be placed on the mat. By feeling their cube, the children are being asked to feel for the recognition of the sizes of the cubes. Continue asking for certain cubes working your way from the biggest cube to the smallest cube, until all the cubes have been placed on the mat.
Presentation 2: Sqare Board
- Following the same procedure, show the child how to write a single letter or numeral in a square.
- The same letter will be repeated across the row.
- The child may choose to make the same letter over the entire board. Or she may choose to have a different letter for each row.
- Some children will find doing the whole board too much, so the child can build up to it as they are ready.
Presentation 3: Double Guide Lines Board
- As before
- Show the child how to place the body of a letter between the two lines and show how the stem goes above the line and the tail goes below.
- On the first set of lines, do a letter with only a main body. On the second line, make a letter with a stem, and on the third line, make a letter with a tail.
Presentation 4: Single Line Board