Two Alphabet Resources - Animal Alphabet Book with Editable pages and Matching Printable Posters

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Animal-Crafts-Lets-Make-a-Book-3222241


Hello Friends,
Summer has arrived and I once again have some time to revise and create some of the resources that I used in my classroom this past school year.

One activity that I use every year is the creation of an alphabet book. I have tried many different styles and ways to make the books. There has always been something that made it difficult for my students to use as a resource. A few years ago, I learned how to create editable pages and I have been hooked ever since! Because students are not cookie cutter kids, it is important to me that the academic activities in which my students participate be written to their skill level. On the other hand, I also feel that my students are five years old and despite the fact that they might be super readers, they still need reinforcement and joy in letter identification. So, being able to edit an alphabet page with appropriate skill levels as well as work on the same craft as every student in the classroom has been a perfect solution to this dilemma.

Here you can see that we are working on the letter B. All kids are making the same alphabet animal on their page, but the words have been written in different skill levels. I can do that because the alphabet page is editable - I love it!



This packet has been in my TPT store for a couple of years. I recently revised it. The previous version had a craft for each letter, but they were not all animals. It has been changed to include animals only. The other change I made was to add a classroom set of alphabet posters that matched the crafts. Kids, of course, can hear that the B sound in bear sounds like the B sound in bus, but it is just simpler to have my classroom line match the alphabet crafts. Plus, the kids get a kick out of looking ahead and telling me what animal they will be making this week for their book.

Here are photos of the alphabet line.....





Another challenge that I worked out was how to organize the student book pages. My students keep their books at school until we have completed every letter of the alphabet. I have used a 3-ring binder for many years, but punching all those holes and then repairing the holes that tore out of the binder drove me nuts. Instead, I asked parents to provide a pack of sheet protectors for their child. I stored them in the classroom and when the kids finished their alphabet page, it was inserted inside the page protector. I taught my students how to open and close the rings in their binder, so they were able to handle this all by themselves.



For teacher organization, I, too use a 3-ring binder. I insert the animal craft inside a sheet protector. Behind the example,  I insert the templates needed to create that animal.


Of course, many teachers (me included) do not like to give templates to their students to create every craft. If this is you, then my suggestion would be to have your students look for shapes in each animal and draw them upon the desired paper color. Cut the shapes out, assemble, and glue upon the alphabet page. I suggest that you show them an example first, though.

I usually give my students templates because the goal of this activity is not to create art; rather to create a representation of a beginning letter sound. The MAIN objective of this activity (for me) is to have my students read the words on the page and associate it with their illustration.



Even with patterns, kids can still get creative!




So, that's it for now, my friends. I DID write about this packet awhile ago, but with not as much detail. Plus, this packet has been revised, so I thought that I would share the updates. You can find both the Animal Crafts and the Animal Alphabet Line in my TPT store.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Animal-Crafts-Lets-Make-a-Book-3222241

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Alphabet-Line-Classroom-Posters-Animal-themed-4639148
Until next time!

Blessings,