Red Fish-Blue Fish Make a Wish
Beginning Reading
Lindsee Hansard

Rationale:
Reading and pronouncing words correctly is an important part of reading and writing as well as in the educational process as a whole. Students need to understand that letters stand for phonemes so that spellings map out the phoneme sequence in spoken words.  Students must be able to attach sounds to appropriate letters.  Some sounds require two letters, which are called digraphs.

Materials:
Elkonin boxes; letter manipulatives of letters a, e, f, h, I, l, s, u, fish shaped cards with /sh/ on them, pictures of objects-labeled underneath-some with the /sh/ sound and some without the /sh/ sound( e.g.,fish, ship, ball, table, shell, hat, share, shoe, bat, chair, shop), primary writing paper; materials for fishing game (blue paper, fish shaped pieces of paper with the same words on them as the posters, glue); book-Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Seuss.

Procedure:
1. Introduce the lesson by asking the children if they know how to make the /sh/ sound.  Model by placing your finger over your mouth as if you were asking them to quiet down. Then, ask them if they know the two letters that make the /sh/ sound.  Review the letter.

2. Today we are going to learn the sounds the /s/ and /h/ make when they are put together.  It is called /sh/ and we usually use this sound when we want someone to be quiet.  Let's practice saying the /sh/ sound.  Let's say it three times together, shhhh, shhhh, shhh.  Great!  Notice how your mouth moves; it looks like you are puckering your lips.  Now say this silly sentence with me, "Fish never shop for shoes".

3. Pass out fish shaped cards with /sh/ on them.  Also, have pictures of objects ready.  Now, I want you to listen carefully to these words.  When you hear the /sh/ sound, hold your /sh/ fish card in the air; shell or sock, fish or top, call or cash, boat or ship?

4. Take out your letterboxes and letters.  Only three boxes should be showing.  Now let's practice by spelling the words together.  Super JOB!  Please remember that digraphs go in the same letterbox, so s and h go in the same box.  Draw letter boxes on the chalkboard so all students can see you demonstrate how you spell ship using three boxes.

5. Have students spell she (2), shoe (3), fish (3), shell (3), slush (4), flash (4) using their letterboxes.  Okay, let's review these words on the board.  Now, let's read these words together.

6. Have students read the book Red Fish, Blue Fish (then if you have time read aloud to them afterwards).  Discuss with them and emphasize while reading, the /sh/ sounding words. Ask kids to raise their hand when they hear /sh/.   Write some on board and ask a volunteer to put them into letterboxes.  Next, call on individuals to read book aloud with help.   Have each child draw a fish and write a message about it using invented spelling.  Display work around the room.

7. For assessment, hold up objects.  Ask each child to come up to the teacher's desk (individually).  Read the following words to each student: shall, fish, ring, show, wish, much, clash, wash, church.  Ask the student to tell the teacher if he/she hears the /sh/ sound.

Reference:
Murray, Bruce and Lesniak, T. (1999).  The Letterbox Lesson:  A Hands-on Approach to Teaching Decoding.
    The Reading Teacher, 52, 644-650.

Click here to return to Discoveries