Bubbly B’s and Dull D’s
      Emergent Literacy

Rationale: Some children struggle with the difference between B and D. In this lesson the child will learn to recognize B’s and D’s in stories on worksheets, etc. One of the best ways children can learn the difference is practice of writing each letter.

Materials: Elkonin boxes; the letters d, a, b, t, e; primary writing paper; chalkboard (or overhead projector); chalk (or transparencies and overhead projector markers); Bud the Sub Phonics Readers © 1990 Educational Insights.

Procedures: 1. [Explain to students what you are going to do.] Introduce the letters B and D. Learning the difference between B and D can sometimes be hard, but with a little practice it will be a piece of cake.

  2. [Tell the students to look and listen so they will know what to do.] First get out
      your primary writing paper and a pencil. We are going to practice our b’s first.
      Before you do anything watch me practice my b’s. Start at the rooftop, go down to
      the sidewalk and bounce around. [Students will try.] Is anyone having trouble?
      Raise your hand if you need help. [I will go around and check each student’s
      letters individually. We will repeat this whole idea, but with the letter d.  I will say first
      little c, then little d.]

  3.  After we have practiced writing them several times we will now use our Elkonin
       boxes.  [I will pass out 3-cell Elkonin boxes.  And the letters that will be used.]
       Okay, lets use our letterboxes and letters to spell some words.  Our first word will be Ed,
       after all the children have gotten it correct [I will go around and check.] I
       will ask one student to spell it out loud for the entire class to hear. As they
        are spelling it I will write it on the board. We will then repeat the whole
        process, but we will use the word bab. If time allows we will use various
        other words such as: dad, bed, bat, etc.

   4. After we have finished spelling several words I will then read Bud the Sub. As I read
      aloud I will stop and ask each individual student if the letter is a d or b.
 
 

Reference: Lensniak, T. and Murray, B. (1998). The Letterbox Lesson. Auburn

University: The Reading Teacher (pp 3-5).

Beth Windham

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