Rationale: This lesson will help students recognize that a=/a/. Students need a lot of explicit instruction with it comes to learning to read. Students learning to read first need to learn that words are made up of sounds. The best way to start teaching sounds is to start with the short vowel sounds first. In this lesson, students will review the /a/ sound. They will also practice spelling and reading words containing /a/ in a letterbox lesson as well as reading a decodable book. 

 

Materials: primary paper and pencil; chart with “Andre asked Alice if Annie’s active animals were angry”; drawing paper and crayons; “A Cat Nap”; cover up critter; word cards with AT, MAP, PAL, SAT, MAD, SLAP, AND BACK; Letterbox; letters [a, t, m, p, l, s, & d]; assessment worksheet identifying words and pictures with a=/a/ (URL/ attachment below). 

 

Procedure:

1. Say: “In order to learn to read, we need to unlock the mystery that tells us how to pronounce words. Today we are going to learn the short vowel A and the sound that it makes! Each time that you see /a/ in a word you will throw your hands up and make the sound of someone getting scared. Now, lets practice. Everyone put your hands up and scream aaaaa! When I say /a/, think of someone getting scared (show image).”

 

2. Say: “Before we learn how to spell words with /a/, we need to listen to some words. When I hear words with /a/, I hear the scream of someone getting scared. My jaw drops and my tongue is flat on the back of my lower teeth. Keep in mind, my mouth opening looks like a line that goes sideways. There is a short a in the word TAG. Now, lets see if there is a short a sound in SIT. Hmm, I don’t hear the screaming scared person yelling aaaa! Now you try! If you hear the screaming scared person yelling aaaa! say, “YES!” and yell aaaa! If you don’t hear the screaming scared person, say “nope.” Is it in crash, bet, mat, lap, it, nod, pal? [Have students make their jaws drop and put their hands up when they feel /a/ say its name.]

 

3. Say: “Now we are going to spell some words that have aaaa! in them. Let me show you how it’s done. What if I were to spell the word HAM? “I put ham and cheese on my sandwich.” Ham is a type of meat in this sentence. To spell the word ham in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes are in the word so I stretch it out and count:            /h//a//m/. I need three boxes. I heard /a/ before the /m/ so I am going to put a in the second letter box. The word starts with /h/; that goes in the first box and then m goes in the third box. Now, I am going to show you how to read a tough word. [Display the poster with a picture of trash on top and model reading the word.] I am going to start with the part that says /a/. Now, I am going to put the beginning letters with it: t-r-a, /tra/. Now I’ll put that chunk together with the last sound, /tra-sh/. Oh, trash like, “Take out the trash”. 

 

4. Say: “Now I am going to have you spell some word in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with two  boxes for the word at. Like, “I was at McDonalds today.” What should go in the first box? {Respond to students answer}. What goes in the second box? I’ll check your spelling as you go along. {Observe Progress}. You’ll need three for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the firs box. Then listen for /a/. Here’s the word: map, I need a map to find my way; map. {Allow students to spell remaining words: pal sat, mad, slap, and back}.

 

5. Say: “Now I am going to let you read the words that you have spelled, but first I’ll show you how I would read a difficult word. [Display poster with flash on the top and model the reading word.] First I see that there is a sh on the end. Thats lets me know that I put those letters none box to make one sound. Then there is the vowel a. It must say a=/a/. I am going to use the cover-up critter to get the first part of the word. [Uncover and been sequently before the vowel, then blend with the vowel]. /f//l/=/fl/. Now I am going to blend that with /a/=/fla/. Now all I need is the end, /sh/=/flash/. Flash; Great Job! Now its your turn! Everyone read together. [Have small group read in unison. Afterwards call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has a turn.]

 

6. Say: “ You have done so well with our new vowel. Now will all of you please take the book A Cat Nap. Cat has an owner named Sam. Sam loves to play baseball and places his bat and glove in his bad. Well one day Sam had a big game and forgot to check his bag to make sure that his stuff was in there . When it was Sam’s turn to bat he went to his bag, but in order to see what he found we will have to read and find out. Get in groups of two and read the book aloud. Student can assess each others by grading each other on reading speed, expression, and knowing more words. Remember, you can use your cover-up critter if you are stuck on a word. 

 

7. To assess, I will listen to the groups read the decodable book. While listening I will make individual miscues for each student. While each student reads, I will have the other students complete an assessment worksheet. This will let me know who has a great understanding of a=/a/. They must turn the worksheet in to me that day. 

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Assessment Page: 

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Resources:

 https://sarahallaway3.wixsite.com/eldesign/beginning-reading-1

 

Phonics Readers: A Cat Nap