Hush Lil' Baby
Beginnning Reading
Amberlyn Francis

        Rationale:  This lessons goal is to help children learn to become better readers. They will learn how to use a
        common correspondence, sh=/sh/, by adding this new correspondence to their knowledge base the children will
        begin to feel confident reading new words and writing new words.

        Materials:  Letterboxes, letters (a,d,f,h,h,i,m,p,r,s,t,u), chart paper, overhead projector, paper, pencil, "Shoe Man" by Alice K. Kunka

        Procedure:
        1.    Start by asking students if they have ever seen a baby.  Then ask them if they have ever heard a crying
        baby.  When all the children answer yes ask them what is the first thing that people do when they hear a crying
        baby?  They make a sound like "shhhhh". Then ask the class what letters make the /sh/ sound.
        2.    In class today we will be learning more about the /sh/ sound. Listen and watch me as I make this sound.
        Now let's say this together.: "Fish wish they had shiny shoes ."  Let's look at this chart.  Help me decide what
        words have the /sh/ sound.  When you hear the /sh/ sound raise your hand and I will call on someone to come
        here and circle the /sh/ in the word.

        On the chart: bird fish shoe show hush toe shell snake

        3.    Begin a letterbox lesson with the class. Before starting be sure that every student has the right letters in
        front of him/her. First lets use 3 boxes Let's spell: shut, hush, fish, ship, dish.  Everyone is doing a wonderful
        job!  Now let's make it a little more difficult.  Please open so that you have four boxes.   Now spell: trash.
        Great!  Now let's spell a tough one, lets spell: shrimp.  Class you all did a wonderful job!
        4.    Now I am going to write the words on the overhead now you red them to as I write them.
        5.    Now let the child partner up and read the "Shoe Man".  Have the children count the number of words that
        have the /sh/ sound.  While the children are reading go from group to group and observe their reading and their
        acknowledgment of /sh/.

      Assessment:
      Note the children's participation as they conduct the letterbox lessons.  Also, watch the
      children while they are partner reading.  This type of assessment be anecdotal or you can actually create a
      rubric.

        References:
        http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/inroads/anspaughbr.html   "Shhh!"  Written by: Cara Anspaugh Spring 2002
        Eldredge, J. Lloyd. Teaching decoding in holistic classrooms. Merrill, Englewood Cliffs: NJ. 1995. pg.86
 

Click here to return to Discoveries.