Use photo picture cards in your Kindergarten, preschool, or home-school classroom as often as you can. They truly offer a multitude of beneficial learning opportunities!
*I create and sell photo picture cards & flashcards on TPT (see examples below).
I admit that I am obsessed with using "Real-Photo" Picture Cards as a way to introduce, review, and integrate vocabulary in Kindergarten. It is essential to help kinders build background knowledge and information, and with real photos, they can relate to (new) vocabulary even more. Ultimately, curiosity about the world leads to curiosity about reading - and with that curiosity, comes emergent readers! Real visual aides, such as photo picture cards, can be extremely beneficial for providing numerous speaking, reading, and writing learning strategies. These cards are always available in my classroom for student use in my reading, writing, and science learning centers. However, I literally use them throughout the entire day in a myriad of ways. Below are some suggestions:
Whole Group: Morning Meeting Q&A; Making Personal Connections; Morning Message & Oral Sentence Stems; Pocket Chart activities; Hula Hoop sorting; Think, Pair, Share; Silent Observation; Writing Prompts
Small Reading Group: Phonemic Awareness & Phonics activities (e.g. rhyming, syllables, beginning sounds, etc.) ; Vocabulary Connection & Discussion (with or without specific reading material.....e.g. give me a sentence for ____; tell us about a time ____); Connection to Sight Words
Learning Centers: Reading & Writing Prompts (e.g. Picture Card Baskets with Thematic Writing Story Paper or various writing materials); Thematic All About/Discovery trays; Matching & Sorting activities
About as much as I love using picture cards in the classroom, I love creating learning centers. I typically update and change out centers monthly and seasonally. I like to provide learning activities on Montessori-style trays, but also like to display materials in an open and inviting manner so that students can independently choose "how" they want to use the materials. For instance, they may take a basket of picture cards and decide to use them alongside thematic story writing paper, or combine the cards with chalk board writing, or use them with reading puppets. In this way, students have a choice in how they learn the vocabulary and how they use developing skills that match their strengths and interests. I did not always allow this much freedom during center time, but once I did, it changed my classroom dramatically. Without a doubt, giving students choice creates a dynamic learning environment! This is not to say students should not have some guidance and direction, but when you allow opportunities for independence, you allow for more growth.
Here are some examples of the photo picture cards I create and sell. Visit my TPT store.
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