The Sneaky Reading Team
Begining Reading
Megan Murphy
Rationale:
In order for children to read and spell words they have to be aware of the alphabetic principle, spellings map out phonemes in spoken words.  They also need to realize that letters or groups of letters represent a phoneme.   In order for students to read and spell words they have to begin with correspondences.  A correspondence is made up of a grapheme and a phoneme.  This lesson focuses on the correspondence ea=/E/.  By the end of this lesson, the students will be able identify and read written words which contain this correspondence.

Materials:
Elkonin letter boxes and laminated letterbox letters (e, a l, k, m, n, r, t, t, s) for each child in the group, a picture of wheat (or another word with the ea=/E/ correspondence) glued to a Popsicle stick for each child, enlarged letterboxes (made from poster board) with enlarged letters, white board for each child with dry erase marker, primary paper and pencil, cards with different pictures from Microsoft Clipart that represent a word (some with long E, some without)

Procedure:
1. The lesson will begin by going over the long E sound and revisiting the correspondence e=/E/.  Discuss the times when the long E sound is possible such as the ee=/E/ correspondence.  Student will be asked to provide the teacher with long E words that she will write on the board.  Hopefully within these words there will be different correspondences that make the long E sound.
2. The teacher will look at the list of student provided words on the board (add some words if necessary), and talk about how there is more then one way to get the long E sound in a word.  Point out the words that have the ea=/E/ correspondence and ask the students to find other words on the board that also use ea=/E/.  Explain to the students that ea makes the long E sound in certain words.  Invite the students one at a time to come up to the board and underline the ea that makes the long E sound in each of the words.
3. "Class, I am going to share with you a silly sentence.  When I say this sentence I want you to listen for the long E sound.  The screaming team sneaks and creaks and speaks.  I want to hear you guys say it back to me. (the class repeats) Raise your hand if you hear the long E sound in that crazy sentence."
4. "Now I want you to say each word of the sentence slowly, so that I can write it on the board.  When you say each word, I want you to drag out the long E sound like this, the scrEEEEEEEming etc·.  (The class says the sentence while teacher writes on board)   Now I am going to read the silly sentence again, and every time you hear the long E sound I want you to hold up your wheat."
5. Teacher will hang up her enlarged size letter boxes on the board and invite the students to take out their letterboxes and letters.  The teacher will use these enlarged versions to model the letterbox lesson for the students.  "Class, I have a problem.  I can't remember if I should put ea into one box or two separate boxes.  What do you guys think?  Two?  Why two?  Oh yeah I forgot that each box can only have one sound in it, and ea makes one sound, the long E sound.  You guys are so smart!  Now let's practice with some words.  My first word I need to spell is cream.  (4 boxes are displayed)  Well I know that the long E sound in cream comes from the ea.  So I am going to put ea in this box for now (second box).  Now what comes before the E sound in cream?  /k/ is the first sound in this word, so I am going to put a c in the first box.  Hmmm if I leave the ea in the second box that would make the word ceam, and that's not what I want to spell.  I think I am going to move the ea over to box three.  What sound comes after /k/?  The /r/ sound.  I am going to put an r in the second box.  Now I have /k/ /r/ /E/.  What is left?  The end sound! The end sound in cream is /m/.  The /m/ sound is from the letter m.  I will put the m in the last box, and now I have spelled cream!"
6. "Now I want to see you guys practice some words.  Take out the letters (e, a l, k, m, n, r, t, t, s) I am going to call out one word at a time, and I am going to walk around and see what great spellers you are!"  The words called out: 3 boxes- leak, meal, near; 4 boxes- treat, steal, sneak; 5 boxes- stream.  (As teacher walks around, she will be making sure students know when to add boxes)  After the students have spelled out all the words in the boxes, the teacher post the spellings of the words on the board and have the class read them aloud together.
7. "Now I want you to read the book Lee and the Team.  Every time you see a long E word in the book I want you to write it on your white board.  If it is a long E word with the ea correspondence, then I want you to underline the ea in the word."

Assessment:
For assessment I will have the children in groups.  Each group will receive a stack of cards with a picture that represents different words on them.  The students will be asked to categorize the cards into words with the long E sound and words without the long E sound.  An example of a card with the long E sound would be a picture of a seal.  A card without the E sound may be a bat.  After the students find all the cards with the long E sound, they will use the picture to write the word on their primary paper.  The teacher will then call out a variety of ea=/E/ words for the students to spell.

References:
 "Meet Lee, the Sleepy Bee" by: Lyndsay York
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/openings/yorkbr.html  (reading genie website)
"Beat the Heat" by: Melinda McDonald
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/openings/mcdonaldbr.html (reading genie website)
Murray, B.A., & Lesniak, T. (1999). The letterbox lesson: A hands-on approach for teaching decoding. The Reading Teacher, 52, p. 644-650.

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