To begin this class, there were four student teachers in the kindergarten classroom. We engaged with students at their morning stations, assisting them as they explored different activities and ensuring they were ready for the day ahead. After some time, we helped them clean up and transition to the carpet, where they followed their usual morning routine. While the students sat on the carpet, preparing for the day by checking the weather and singing the “Months of the Year” and “Days of the Week” songs, the student teachers ensured our stations were ready to go.
My station was Unicorns vs. Dragons an interactive letter recognition game designed to help students identify and match letters while having fun. Within this game, students would draw a card if the card had a unicorn, they would pop the corresponding letters on their letter board. If the card drawn was a dragon, they would un-pop those bubbles. I designed it like bingo, where the first round required one completed line, and the challenge increased from there.
Students quickly grasped the concept and soon began winning multiple rounds! They soon became fully engaged, eagerly drawing cards and popping the letters with excitement. Before long, students were winning multiple rounds and celebrating their successes. However, I had to establish ground rules for the boards, as students were eager to pop all the bubbleseven if they didn’t have the corresponding letters. I set a rule allowing them to pop as many as they liked after we finished the game this small adjustment helped maintain their focus while also giving them the freedom to enjoy the tactile aspect of the activity once we had finished. Beyond just being a fun game, Unicorns vs. Dragons turned out to be an effective learning tool. It allowed students to visually and physically engage with the alphabet, reinforcing their letter recognition skills in an interactive way.
What curricular competencies and content did I connect and witness throughout this learning experience within this kindergarten classroom:
Curricular Competencies:
- Use sources of information and prior knowledge to make meaning
- Explore foundational concepts of print, oral, and visual texts
- Use developmentally appropriate reading, listening, and viewing strategies to make meaning
Content:
- Language features, structures, and conventions
- concepts of print
- letter knowledge
- Strategies and processes
- reading strategies
Although this was a simple game, it helped students visually identify letter placements on the alphabet board. This experience reinforced the importance of hands-on learning and interactive play in early childhood education. By incorporating movement, color association, and an element of friendly competition, the students were able to practice essential literacy skills in a way that felt engaging rather than overwhelming.Some initially struggled, but once they sang the alphabet song and traced their steps, they easily found the correct letters. Additionally, the letters on the cards corresponded to the colours on the board, and once some students recognized this pattern, they felt like they had mastered the game you could see it in their eyes!