Introduction

Choose any letter of the alphabet to focus on in this lesson. Using Ari and the activity sheet, your students will first practice handwriting the uppercase version of the letter on handwriting lines. Next they will practice handwriting the lowercase version of the letter on handwriting lines and decide if it’s a tall, small, or fall letter. Last they will draw 3 items that begin with the letter of focus.

App Setup

Assist students with turning on Ari. Then find the Letter Lab app. Within that app, you will find the Tall, Small, and Fall Letters lesson with the giraffe emoji. All students should have this lesson opened at the beginning of the activity.

Explain

To carry out this lesson, begin by introducing students to the concepts of uppercase and lowercase letters while reviewing how to write them on handwriting lines. Ari will display both the uppercase and lowercase versions and students will write them on their activity sheet, reinforcing their understanding and muscle memory for letter formation.

Before the activity begins, emphasize the three categories of lowercase letters: tall, small, and fall letters. Use Activity Sheet 2 to compare all the letters of the alphabet.

• Tall letters, such as b, d, f, h, k, l, and t, reach the top of the handwriting lines, and you can encourage students to visualize a tall animal like a giraffe to remember this.
• Small letters, including a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, and z, reach the middle handwriting line, which can be associated with a smaller animal, like a turtle.
• Fall letters, such as g, j, p, q, and y, have tails that extend below the bottom line; students can imagine a monkey’s tail hanging far below its body.

This creative approach not only helps students differentiate between the types of letters but also makes the lesson engaging and memorable!

Coding

Students will color in the 3 missing Color Codes on their activity sheet. Explain to students that each Color Code prompts Ari to show something different on the screen. It is very important that we fill in the 3 Color Codes correctly.

1. First, we will color the missing Color Code on line 1 green. This will prompt Ari to show the uppercase letter. Ari will also say the letter out loud.
2. Next, we will color the missing Color Code on line 2 blue. This will prompt Ari to show the lowercase letter. Ari will also say the letter out loud. Then Ari will show an image of either a giraffe, turtle, or monkey, to show if it’s a tall, small, or fall letter.
3. Last, we will color the missing Color Code on line 3 red. This will prompt Ari to show a series of 3 pictures that start with the letter. Students will copy those images down on their activity sheet in the 3 empty boxes.

Note: Since the letter X is not common at the beginning of words, we’ve included an image that ends with the letter X (fox).

Running and Troubleshooting

Once the Color Codes are filled in, students can run their program! First open the app and select which letter you want to focus on.

Line 1 - Uppercase

1. Place Ari on line 1.
2. Observe Ari move along the track and read the Color Code.
3. Ari will make a right turn to face students and display the uppercase letter.
4. Students will copy down the letter on their handwriting lines 6-7 times.

Line 2 - Lowercase

1. Place Ari on line 2.
2. Observe Ari move along the track and read the Color Code.
3. Ari will make a right turn to face students and display the lowercase letter.
4. Students will determine if the letter is a tall, small, or fall letter. Then they will circle the option above the handwriting lines.
5. Swipe Ari’s screen to show if it’s a tall (giraffe), small (turtle), or fall (monkey) letter.
6. Students will copy down the letter on their handwriting lines 6-7 times.

Line 3 - Draw

1. Place Ari on line 3.
2. Observe Ari move along the track and read the Color Code.
3. Ari will make a right turn to face students and display the first image.
4. Students will draw the first image in the first box below.
5. Swipe Ari’s screen to show the second and third image, and draw the image in the boxes below.

Lesson Wrap Up

Ask students to help you come up with a silly sentence on the board using as many words that start with the letter of focus. For example, if you focused on the letter “G” you could come up with a silly sentence such as “The goofy gorilla gave the giraffe grapes and gave the grasshopper a gift!”