Materials:
- Paper (construction paper, plain paper)
- Crayons, markers, or pencils
- Optional: A bowl or container (for a pretend cauldron)
- Optional: Letter tiles or magnetic letters
- Optional: Child-safe scissors and glue stick
- Optional: A simple notebook or folded paper for a "Spell Book"
Lesson Activities:
Introduction: Magical Words! (5 mins)
"BOO! Just like the Sanderson Sisters might pop out in Hocus Pocus! Today, we're going to practice our magical writing skills, just like writing in a spell book. Do you remember the black cat in Hocus Pocus? His name was Binx. 'Binx' starts with the /b/ sound. Can you make the /b/ sound? What letter makes that sound? (B)"
Activity 1: Sanderson Sisters' Syllables & Sounds (10 mins)
"Let's think about the witches: Winifred, Sarah, and Mary. Can you clap the parts, or syllables, in their names? Win-i-fred (3 claps), Sa-rah (2 claps), Ma-ry (2 claps). Great! Now, let's focus on the *first* sound. Sarah starts with /s/ like sss-snake. Mary starts with /m/ like mmm-monkey. Winifred starts with /w/ like wuh-water. Can you find the letters S, M, and W if we have letter tiles? Can you try drawing a big S, M, and W in the air with your magic finger?"
Activity 2: Potion Ingredient Letters (15 mins)
"Every good witch needs a spell book! Let's make our own simple one. Fold some paper in half. On the front, let's write 'My Spells'. Now, let's pretend we are writing down ingredients for a potion. Maybe 'cat hair' (starts with C!), 'bat wing' (starts with B!), or 'spider web' (starts with S!). Let's practice writing the first letter of each ingredient in our spell book. Can you write a C? A B? An S? Try writing the whole word if you feel like a super powerful writer! We can sound out C-A-T together: /k/ /a/ /t/. What letters make those sounds?"
Activity 3: Write Your Witchy Name (10 mins)
"The most important spell is knowing your own name! Let's practice writing your name in your spell book or on a separate piece of paper. We can sound out the letters together. What's the first letter? What sound does it make? Let's write it down. Now the next! Wonderful! You could even decorate your name to look spooky or magical!"
Wrap-up: Spell Book Review (5 mins)
"Look at all the amazing letters and words you wrote in your spell book today! You practiced B, S, C, W, M, and even your own name! You're becoming a fantastic writer, just like casting a reading spell! What was your favorite letter sound we made today?"