SILLY SNAKE

Rationale:  Children need to be able to recognize phonemes and see that letters in the alphabet represents these sounds. Before learning to read one must be able to read and blend phonemes. My goal is to help students locate s=/s/ in the beginning, middle, and end of words. By the end of the lesson, my students should be able to recognize /s/ in spoken words, written words, and use it in writing.

Materials:  note card (for tongue twister), picture page (hand drawn with square, circle, snake, sun, moon, and six), primary paper/pencil, S-card

Procedure:
1. Introduce- “Boys and girls, we will discover what sounds Sam the silly snake says when slithering through the sand. Can you tell me what sound a snake makes? Very good!” Make the sound a few times and have them feel the way their mouth moves (teeth together and tongue hissing and the back of their teeth).
2. Let’s say a tongue twister together: “Sam said he was sorry he put salt in Sally’s sandwich.” Have the students repeat several times. “Now let’s pretend we are snakes and stretch out each /s/ sound.” (Repeat twister putting emphasis on S’s). Review: “What sound does s make?”
3. Give them a picture page with various words some containing the letter s. Have each student draw and S on the ones containing the s phoneme (square, circle, snake, sun, moon, six). Now listen for the /s/ sound in words I call out. If you hear /s/ then hold up your S-card (sit, stand, reach, star, finish, start, run, swim, win, loose). Great job you used the /s/ phoneme perfectly.
4. Write the letter S on primary paper, Model starting at just below the roof making a little c the sit on the fence. Then go down the sidewalk and make a curve in the opposite direction. Now have the student practice a line of S’s. Wonderful!
5. I will read them a paragraph and have the students hold up the S-card every time they hear a word with the letter s.
“ Six students went to school on Sunday morning. The class was empty. Silly kids forgot it was a day off, so they went swimming. The sun was out and Sally got a sunburn. So she went home.”
6. As an assessment have each student think of three words containing the letter S and share them with the class. Repeat the words as a group after the individual reads them.
Reference: Reading Genie website:www.auburn.edu/rdggenie
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