“Boom,
Chicka, Boom!”
Beginning to
Read
This
lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence
oo
= /U/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the
spellings that map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to
recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling
oo.
They will learn a meaningful representation (Boom, chicka, Boom!), they will
spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson, and read a
decodable book that focuses on the correspondence
oo
= /U/.
Materials:
Graphic image of bomb; cover-up critter; whiteboard or smartboard; Elkonin boxes
for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives
for each child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher: b, o, c, a, t, l,
u, d, s, e; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: cool, boot,
coat, tool, cloud, loose, boo; decodable text:
Chicka Chicka Boom
Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. & John Archambault,
and assessment worksheet.
1. Say:
In order to become expert readers we need to learn the code that tells us how to
pronounce words. We have already learned to read short vowel words with
o,
like top,
and today we are going to learn what sound oo makes. Both
o's make the same sound. But, guess what?! When we put those o's
together, they say /U/!
When I
say /U/ I think of one of my favorite songs, “Boom, chicka, Boom!” [show graphic
image/sing song]. Now let’s look at the spelling of /U/ that we’ll learn today.
Most words that have the sound /U/ in them are spelled with the letters
oo.
2. Say:
Before we learn about the spelling of /oo/, we need to listen for it in some
words. When I listen for /U/ in words, my lips make a little
o
shape like this. [Make vocal gesture for /U/.] I’ll show you first:
Cool.
I heard /U/
and my lips made a
little
o
[make a
circle motion around pursed lips]. Now I’m going to see if I hear /U/ in: snow.
Hmm, I didn’t hear
it! Now
you try.
If you hear /U/ say, “Boom, Chicka, Boom!” If you don’t hear /U/ say, “That’s
not it.” Is it in coat, tool, cloud, mop, loose.
3. What
if I want to spell the word
boot?
“I
need to put my boots on before I go outside.” Boot is a type of shoe in this
sentence. To spell boot in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I
have in the word so I stretch it out and count: /b//oo//t/. I need three boxes.
The word starts with a /b/, so I need a b. Lets say it really slow to hear for
the next letter /b//oo//t/. I think I heard a /t/ at the end so it will go in
the last box. Now for the middle we have to remember that /oo/ makes the /U/
sound. Just like in “Boom, Chicka, Boom!” So we will put the /oo/ together in
one box. Lets sound it all out now- /b//oo//t/. Boot! Good job!
4. Say:
Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy
with two boxes for
boo.
Sometimes people say “boo!” when they try to scare us. What should go in the
first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? What
about /oo/, did you remember to put them together in one box? I’ll check your
spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need three
letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the
first box. Then listen for /OO/ and don’t forget to put the /oo/ together in one
box. Here’s the word:
pool,
I can wait to jump into the pool;
pool.
[Allow children to spell remaining words:
moon, tool, room,
spoon, noon]
Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you’ve spelled. [Have
children read words in unison. Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word
on the list until everyone has had a turn.]
5. Say:
You’ve done a great job and reading words with our new spelling for /U/: /oo/.
Now we are going to read a book called
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
The
starts with A telling B and B telling C to meet "at the top of the coconut
tree." The letters, in alphabetical order, begin to climb the tree. They are
having a wonderful time, but as more and more letters climb up the coconut tree,
the tree begins to bend over more and more until "Chicka chicka… BOOM! BOOM!,"
the letters all fall off. With a partner read and find out what happens after
all the letters fall off!
[Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher
walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the
class rereads
Chicka Chicka Boom
Boom
aloud together, and stops between page turns to discuss /oo/.]
6. Say:
Before we finish up with our lesson about one way to spell /U/ = oo, I want to
see how you can solve a reading problem. On this
worksheet, we have some words missing. Your job is to look in the box of
word choices, and decide which oo word matches the picture. First try reading
all the words in the box, then choose the word that fits best in the space.
Reread your answers to see if they make sense. After you have matched the
picture, you can try and locate them in the word search [Collect worksheets to
evaluate individual child progress.]
Resources:
Melissa
Jackson, What
Does a Cow Say?
:
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/breakthroughs/jacksonbr.html
Assessment worksheet:
http://bogglesworldesl.com/voweldigraphs.htm
Martin, Bill, John Archambault, and Louis Ehlert. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1989. 24.