SHELLS ON SHORE

Rationale:
To learn to read and spell words children must learn phonemes and letter correspondences. Sometimes a phoneme is represented by two letters that go together to make one sound such as /sh/. This is called a diagraph and is very common in the English language. The following lesson will help children practice learning the /sh/ sound when they see s and h together in print.

Materials:
Elkin Letterboxes, letters: s, h, o, p, i, f, d, c, r, b, u, p, s, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Suess, picture page

Procedures:
1. Introduce the lesson by explaining how some letters are placed together to make one sound. To read we must be able to tell when a sound is being made by two letters such as /sh/.
2. How many children have been told by their parents. "SSSSHHH! You are being too loud!" Me too. Now lets be the parents and make the /sh/ sound together by pushing air out our mouth with our teeth together.
3. We will practice with a tongue twister: Shelly showed Shane shells she found on the shore.  Say it with me this time. Wonderful! Now say it one more time stretching out the /sh/ sound. SSSHHHelly ssshhhowed SSSHHHane ssshhhells ssshhhe found on the ssshhhore.
4. Letterbox lesson: Pass out the letters and have the students turn the letters to lower case side. Take tape and connect the s and h to make /sh/. Review and ask, "Does anyone remember what sound this makes?" ( /sh/ Excellent!) Now I will demonstrate with the word ship (sh 1st box, i 2nd box, p 3rd box)
5. Have students spell out shop, fish, and dish. Open another box for crash and brush, and as a final challenge open one more for splash.
6. On the board spell out words and have the students read aloud .
7. In groups read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Suess. Have them go back and point out all /sh/ words.
8. For assessment have students circle and write the name of pictures containing /sh/ from a picture sheet. The worksheet will be corrected aloud when everyone is finished.

Reference: Reading Genie www.auburn.edu/rdggenie  www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/illum/jonesbr.html
Murray, B.A. & Lesniak, T (1999). The Letterbox Lesson. The Reading Teacher, 53,644-650.
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