Teaching Tips: Hop ‘Til You Drop

• Try doing Leona’s spelling cheer along with your students for some physical and letter-naming exercise. Then try the following extensions:
  • S . . . i . . . t, sit. S . . . i . . . t, sit. S . . . i . . . t, sit just a bit to be fit.
    (The motion here is a half-squat to a sitting position.)
  • R . . . u . . . n, run. R . . . u . . . n, run. R . . . u . . . n, ya gotta run for some fun.
    
    Note: The above activity will be most effective if the words are visible. Print the words "hop," "sit," and "run" in large letters on a sign. Choose one student to point to the letters (using a pointer) as they are chanted.
• Try cheer-spelling the names of students in your class. Hold up Sam’s name printed legibly on a strip of paper, and point to each letter as you chant:
  • Gimme an S. S! Gimme an A. A! Gimme an M. M!
  • Whaddaya got? Sam! Pompoms and megaphones are welcome to make this activity more fun.
• Extend the “-op" word family. See if students can think of other words that rhyme with “hop," “stop," and “drop." Ask them to tell or show you what these rhyming words mean.
• For more fun with word families, read the Dr. Seuss books Hop on Pop or Fox in Socks.