Rationale:  For children to read words they must recognize the phonemes in each word.  Some phonemes can have two letters.  Digraphs can be hard for children to recognize because they are phonemes with two letters.  "Ck" is a digraph that is hard to recognize.  Children will learn the "ck" digraph by reading and spelling words that contain the "ck" digraph.  After this lesson children will be able to recognize that when the letters "c" and "k" are put together they are pronounced /k/.

Materials:  The book, Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Tongue Twister "Jack the duck hit the puck and said quack quack" written on the board.
Elkonin Boxes and letter manipulatives ("ck" (taped together), d, u , p, s, a, b, l, j) for each child.
Primary paper and pencil for each child
One card with a picture of a duck on it, and another with a picture of a cow on it ­ a pig and duck picture card for each child.

Procedure:
1.    "Okay class, we have a new skill to work on today.  Today we are going to practice reading and spelling the digraph /k/.  The letters "c" and "k" are put together to make one sound - the /k/ sound.  Can everyone practice making the /k/ sound?  Did you feel the way your tongue touched the back of our bottom teeth when we said /k/?
2.    "Now let’s see if you can say this tongue twister I have written on the board."  "Jack played a trick on the duck when he clicked his heels together and said Quack Quack"  Great job …. Now let’s say it again slowly so that we can hear the /k/ sound a lot?  Did you feel where your tongue was that time?
3.    Now I will hand out a card with a picture of a duck on it and a card with a picture of a cow on it to each child in the class.  "You are going to use these cards in out next activity.  I am going to say a word and if it has the /k/ sound in it, I want you to lift the card high that has the duck on it.  If it doesn’t, raise the card with a cow on it.  We are using the duck because it has the /k/ sound in it but cow does not.  Now does the word buck have the /k/ sound?  Jack?  Jig?  Luck?  Nest? Jump?  Quack? Trick?"
4.    "Now we are going to practice spelling words with the ck digraph."  Give each child a letterbox and letters.  Explain that the c and k are taped together because they make the /k/ sound.  "We are going to start with three boxes.  That means that there will be three sounds.  If I ask you to spell the word duck you would put the d in the first box, the u in the second box, and the ck in the last box.  Are you ready to start?"  Using the three boxes only, have the children spell the words:  pack, buck, luck, neck, sick.  “Good… Now I'm going to write some words on the board and I want you to read them."  The teacher will write the words that were just used in the letter box lesson.
5.    "Now using you paper and pencil, I want you to write at least one good sentence using words that have the /k/ sound.  If you need a little help, think about the words written on the board."
6.    Children read the book Make Way for Ducklings.  Have students look for the sound.  Then have the children call out words that had this sound in it for you to write on the board.
7.    For assessment, I will have the children choose from a list of words the ones that have the /k/ sound.  They are to write them on their primary paper.

Reference:  O’Brien Barclay.  http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/breakthroughs/obrienbr.html

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