Autmn B. Sims
Beginning Reading Rationale: For children to become fluent readers they must learn to break down the alphabetic code.  Children need to recognize phonemes before they can match them to phoneme spellings.  Some of the more difficult correspondences for children to recognize and use effectively in language are the
short-vowel sounds, such as i=/i/.  Children will learn to recognize /i/ in spoken words by
learning a meaningful representation and then practice finding /i/ in words.

Materials: chart with “The important Indian was ill with injuries inside the igloo.”;  Elkonin letterboxes; set of lowercase letters: i, d, g, b(2), t, p, m, l, k, f, w, n; Liz is Six by Shelia Cushman; chalk;
chalkboard; primary paper; pencil

Procedure: 1. Begin by explaining that we use letters to write down words, and these letters have different sounds.  Explain that we must recognize these sounds to read and write.  "Today we are going to learn about the short vowel i and the sound it makes."
2. Ask students: "Have you ever seen a baby pig rolling around in the mud?  That baby pig might make the /i/ sound while doing that.   Let’s say the word pig together, pi-i -i -i-ig.  In the middle of the word pig you heard the /i/ sound right?  Good!"
3. "Now let’s try a tongue twister (on chart).  "The important Indian was ill with injuries inside the igloo."  Everybody say it together.  Now let’s say it again, and this time we are going to stretch out the /i/ mouth move in the words it is in.  "The iiimportant Iiindian was iiill wiiith iiinjuries iiinside the iiigloo."  Now this time I want you to try it for me.  Good job."
4. "Now ask the students to raise their hand when they hear the /i/ mouth
move.  Do you hear /i/ in big or bag?  Your right, we hear the /i/ mouth move in big.  Do
you hear /i/ in tin or ton?  Good, we hear /i/ in the word tin."
5. Lay out the letters the child will need to spell the words in the letterbox lesson.  Use three letterboxes so the child can spell the three phoneme words you give him/her.  When you finish the three
phoneme words use the same steps to complete the four phoneme words.  "Boys and girls
I’m going to say some words that I want you to spell for me.  I’ve given you some letters
and letterboxes.  We will start with words that have three mouth moves then move on to
words with four mouth moves.  For each mouth move you hear, put the spelling for it in
one box.  I’ll do one for you first. I’m going to spell pig.  Pig has three mouth moves.  The
first mouth move that I hear is /p/, so I’ll put it in the first box.  Next I hear /i/, so I’ll put
it in the second box.  The last mouth move that I hear is /g/, so it goes in the last box. /p/
/i/ /g/.  Now, let’s get started.” (words used will be dig, bib, tip, dim, milk, lift, wind)
6. When you are finished, put the letterboxes away and spell the words for the child asking
him/her to read the words used in the letterbox lesson.  "Now let’s put the letterboxes
away and I am going to spell the words on the chalkboard and I want you to read them to
me."
7. "Now boys and girls this book is called Liz is Six.  It is about Liz and a pig.  They
are playing a baseball game.  Who will win?  Each of you will come up to my desk and
read the book to me individually."
8. For assessment I will have the students write down all of the words from the book with /i/, and have them read them back to me.

References:
Cushman, Shelia. (1990). Liz is Six. Educational Insights: Carson, CA.

Murray B. A. and Lesinak, T. (1999). “The Letterbox Lesson: A Hands-on Approach for
Teaching Decoding.” The Reading Teacher, 644-650

www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/illum/haylet/html (Tina Hayles) "Tweet, Tweet"

www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/illum/virull/html (Lisa Viruleg) "Icky Sticky Inchworm"
 

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