1. Rhyming Lesson
By: Alexandra Mendez-Zfass, Jessica Meador, Mary-Beth Neal, Lindsay Wicher, Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography: Thomas, Jan. (2009). Rhyming Dust Bunnies. New York:
Beach Lane Books.
The rhyming dust bunnies rhyme all the time, but poor Bob just cannot figure out
the right words to say. The other three dust bunnies Ed, Ned and Ted just keep on
rhyming until Bob’s wrong attempts at rhyming become warnings that a broom or
vacuum cleaner are coming their way. The dust bunnies then realize that Bob has
not been saying wrong rhymes but warnings the whole time.
Name of Activity: The Rhyming Circle
Materials: The book: Rhyming Dust Bunnies
One fuzzy ball
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Ask students what they thought Bob was doing the entire time throughout the
story?
4. Tell the students we are going to play a rhyming game and have them sit in a
circle.
5. Explain to students the rules of game, the teacher will be “Bob” and will pick the
word students are to rhyme with when they are holding the fuzzy ball or dust
bunny.
6. Toss the ball to a student and say the word, student says rhyming word and then
tosses ball to another student.
7. If a student gets stuck, or runs out of rhyming words they toss ball back to “Bob”
who picks a new word to rhyme with.

2. Rhyming Lesson
By: Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography: Thomas, Jan. (2009). Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust
Bunny! New York: Beach Lane Books.
The rhyming dust bunnies are rhyming again, only this time they have trouble. A big,
mean dust bunny starts playing the rhyming game with Ed, Ned and Ted. His
rhymes end in trouble for the four dust bunnies, while Bob again seems to be having
trouble with rhyming. Bob’s wrong rhymes become warnings again when a cat
comes and “splats” the big, mean dust bunny. When all four dust bunnies save him,
they all become friends.
Name of Activity: Splat down
Materials: The book: Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny!
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Tell students we will be playing a rhyming game.
4. Have students walk around in a large circle, students may only take a step when
the teacher says a rhyming word.
5. When the teacher says a word that does not rhyme all the students should sit
down where they stand.
6. The first two times use strings of rhyming words used in the book; thug, tug, hug,
or drat, cat, flat, splat.
7. Then continue using other strings of rhyming words the students may notice or
that are sight words.

3. Segmenting Lesson
By: Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography: Dunbar, Joyce. (1998). Baby Bird. Massachusetts:
Candlewick Press.
Baby Bird falls out of the nest and is wandering around on the ground. Baby
Bird meets lots of new animals like frog and bee. But must learn how to fly quickly
to avoid danger from other animals like cat and dog. Finally Baby Bird finds a way
back to the nest.
Name of Activity: Bingo Segmenting
Materials: The book: Baby Bird
Egg cartons cut in half (works best with clear so students can see
colored chips)
Multi-color plastic bingo chips
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Have students sit with a cut in half egg carton with six magnetic chips, one in each
hole of the egg carton.
4. Give students a word from the story with 1-6 phonemes in the word.
5. Have students pick up a chip while saying each sound of the word.
6. Make sure students are working left to right.
7. Repeat with more words from the story; Nest, bird, flop, frog, cat, dog, flap, bee

4. Segmenting Lesson
By: Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography:
Name of Activity: Lighting Words
Materials: The book:
Four touch night lights per student
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Work in small groups with students
4. Line up the night lights in a row; give the student a word from the story that is 1-4
phonemes long.
5. Have students say the sounds in the word as they turn on one light for each sound
working left to right.
6. Repeat this process with the same word, but have students turn the lights off this
time.
7. Repeat with more words from the story;

5. Segmenting Lesson
By: Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography:
Name of Activity: Tossing Words
Materials: The book:
One basket
Five bean bags
1 piece of paper with 3 columns for each student
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Work in small groups with students, have a blank piece of paper with three
columns.
4. Write words from the story with 1-5 phonemes on the left-hand side column on
paper.
5. Give students 1-5 bean bags depending on the number of sounds they heard in
each word.
6. Students throw a bean bag into a basket in front of them for each sound they hear
in the words. A point is received for each bean bag that makes it into the basket.
7. When finished throwing, have students count up their points and write the total
in the far right column.
7. Repeat with more words from the story;

6. Segmenting Lesson
By: Maggie Noctor
Annotated Bibliography: Kelly, Mij. (2006). One More Sheep. Georgia; Peachtree
Publishers.
Sam the farmer has ten sheep and on cold, rainy nights he brings them in to
keep them save from the wolf. However, Sam cannot stay awake long enough to
count all ten sheep since counting sheep puts him to sleep. The wolf dresses up one
night to trick Sam, luckily the sheep see right through the disguise. The sheep finally
get Sam to count all ten of them and save the house from the wolf.
Name of Activity: Jumping Phonemes
Materials: The book: One More Sheep
Directions:
1. Read the title, author, and illustrator of the story to the students.
2. Read and enjoy the story.
3. Have students stand in circle.
4. Give students a word from the story with 1-3 phonemes in the word.
5. Have students clap hands on each phoneme they hear, while one student hops
into the circle with each sound.
6. Make sure students are saying each phoneme as they clap and jump.
7. Repeat with more words from the story; bed, ten, sheep, boss, nod, one, three,
two, six
Little adventurers will step gingerly across this rushing river--if, that is, they recognize the letters
of the alphabet. Divide your children into two groups. Have the groups sit in parallel lines, facing
each other Explain that between the two lines is a deep and swirling river. Randomly place a
generous supply of alphabet cards, or "stepping-stones", in this space between the groups.
Designate one group to be the "callers" and one to be the "steppers." To play the game, a child
on one side of the river calls out stepping-stone letters as the child opposite him steps from letter
t
toletter. If a child steps onto a letter other than the one called, he "falls into the river" and must
begin again from his original position. When everyone has safely crossed the river, the steppers
return to their original places and become the callers so the callers can become the steppers.
Make an alphabet die for this game of luck. Cut two half-gallon milk cartons in half. Push one
carton bottom inside the other to form a large cube. Cover the cube with contact paper "before"
labeling each of its sides with a different letter of the alphabet. To use the cube, youngsters take
turns rolling the die and naming the letter.
Looking for a really unusual approach to letter review? Try this suggestion as a before or after
nap transition. With your room completely darkened, use a flashlight to "write" a letter on the

7. ceiling for your youngsters, to identify. Then give each youngster a turn to do the same. Letter
review is really looking up!
Take a giant step toward letter identification with this gross motor alternative. Each time a new
letter is introduced, use colorful masking tape or plastic tape to create a giant version of that letter
on your playroom floor or kitchen floor. Then instruct youngsters to "walk, hop, crawl, or otherwise
move" along the lines of the letter. While it's a few small steps for each child, it's one giant leap
for letter recognition.