September Letter S Mixed Media Collage
A Preschool Early Literacy Alphabet and Season Themed Art Lesson
Aug 25, 2009
September letter S mixed media collages are a great way to integrate the visual arts into literacy based classroom curriculum. Engage the young student through cutting and gluing activities, while teaching a valuable letter and sound recognition lesson. This lesson can also be adapted into an environmental awareness exercise by choosing to reuse old paper products such as magazines, calendars, or newspapers.
September Letter S Collage Lesson Objectives
- Build letter (and sound) recognition skills.
- Explore the art process of collage.
- Build art vocabulary.
- Develop awareness for the months of the year (i.e., September).
- Increase fine motor skills.
- Think creatively.
- Explore line, color, and shape.
- Optional: Increase environmental awareness.
Grade/ Age Level
This lesson can be used with children ages three and up.
Materials Needed to Create the September Letter S Mixed Media Collage
- Cardboard or other sturdy paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Tempera paint
- Paint brushes
- The word September (this can be cut from magazines, newspapers, calendars, or printed on a computer using multiple colors and fonts)
- Scrap paper, felt, or fabric
- Optional: Glitter
Steps to Create the September Letter S Mixed Media Collage
Pre-planning
This activity requires that each student have multiple copies of the word September in a variety of fonts, colors, and sizes. These can be found in old newspapers, magazines, or calendars. If reusable paper sources are not available (or there are not enough September words to use), try typing September in different fonts, colors, and sizes. After this is done, print out multiple copies. There should be enough Septembers for each child to have at least ten copies.
Pre-activity Classroom Discussion
Before beginning this activity, discuss the letter S and the word September. Ask the children to make the sound, and then point out the letter in the September. Elaborate on this discussion by reading a book about September. Point out the letter S’s found in the print. Connect this to an alphabet or seasonal/calendar theme.
Process Steps
- Ask the children to cut out the word September multiple times. If the children are unable to do this completely by themselves, some adult guidance should be offered. Each child should end up with a pile of Septembers.
- Set out piles of scrap paper, felt, or fabric. Try to use a variety of colors and textures. Invite the children to collage (which means to glue) the Septembers and the scarp paper and fabrics to the cardboard. Explain that the papers can be overlapped. Many children will not know what the word overlap means. Thus, an example should be given.
- After the paper has been glued on, set the collage aside to dry.
- Once dry, have the children paint the letter S over top of the collage. This can be one large S or several small ones.
- Optional: Add glitter with glue over the S.
September Letter S Collage Lesson Wrap Up
After the children have finished this activity, conduct a lesson wrap up discussion. Ask questions about the letter S, the word September, and the art processes used. Discussion starters may include:
- What is a collage?
- What letter does September start with?
- What sound does the letter S make?
- What was used to write the S onto the collage?
- What art materials were used?
Early Literacy Enrichment Activities for the September Letter S Collage
- Reading the word September: Ask the children to have a word hunt, and find the word September.
- Other letter S words: Invite the class to give more words that begin with S such as snake, smile, or snack.
- Letter hunt: Go through the classroom looking for objects that begin with the letter S.
- Other letters: Try this activity with other words and letters.
The September letter S collage is a mixed media creation that will help young learners to build crucial early literacy skills. Tie this lesson into an alphabet, season, or art theme for a fun classroom activity. Use recycled paper materials or create unique printed words for the children to read and understand.
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