Uh!
A Beginning Reading Lesson
By:
Jennifer Stuart
Rationale:
This lesson teaches the children about the short vowel
correspondence
u = /u/.
In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that
map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell,
and read words containing the spelling u.
They will learn a meaningful representation (someone who doesn’t know how to
answer a question) they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a
Letterbox lesson, and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence
u = /u/.
Materials:
Graphic image of someone who does not know how to answer a
question; cover-up critter; whiteboard or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling
and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each
child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher u, z, f, h, t, g, m, d, p,
list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: buzz, fuzz, fuss, bus,
hut, huff, tug, mud, puff; decodable text: Fuzz and the Buzz, and
assessment worksheet.
Procedures:
1.
Say: In order to become expert readers, we need
to learn the code that tells us how to pronounce words. Today, we are going to
learn about short u. When I say /u/
I think of someone who does not know how to answer a question saying “uh” [show
graphic image]. Now let’s look at the spelling of /u/
that we’ll learn today. There is only one way to spell /u/,
and that is the u.
2.
Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /u/,
we need to listen for it in some words. Listen to the short /u/ in this tounge
tickler. “Urban undershirts aren’t ugly.” Now you try. When I listen for /u/
in words, I hear it say “uh,” and my jaw drops like this. [Make vocal gesture
for /u/.] I’ll show you first:
yum. I felt my jaw drop [drop jaw
like a fish out of water]. There is a short
u in
yum. Now I’m going to see if it’s in
bug. Hmm, whenever I say the word bug my jaw drops, so there must be a short
u in it. Now you try. If you hear /u/
say, “uh, I dunno.” If you don’t hear /u/ say, “Uh, that’s not it.” Do you hear
short /u/ is run, ran, same, sun, rose, rust? [Have children make a jaw
drop motion when they hear /u/ words].
3.
What if I want to spell the word
struck? “The lightning
struck down the tree.”
Struck means good brought the tree to
the ground in this sentence. To spell struck in letterboxes, first I need to
know how many phonemes I have in the word so I stretch it out and count:
/s/t/r/u/ck/. I need 5 boxes. I heard the /u/. Now I’ll show you how I would
read a tough word. [Display poster with crunk on the top and model reading the
word.] I’m going to start with the u; that part says /u/. Now, I’m going to put
the beginning letters with it: c/r/. Next I’ll put that chunk together with the
last sound, u/nk/. Oh, crunk, like
“That song made me feel crunk.”
4.
Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words
in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with three boxes for
cub. A cub is a baby bear. “The cub
was too scared to leave his mother’s side.” What should go in the first box?
[Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? I’ll check your
spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress]. You’ll need four
letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the
first box. Then listen for /u/. Here’s the word:
rust. The iron chair is starting to
rust; rust. [Allow children to spell remaining words: must, runt, bunk].
5.
Say: Now I am going to let you read the words
you’ve spelled. [Have children read words in unison. Afterwards, call on
individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn].
6.
Say: You’ve done a great job and reading words
with our new spelling for /u/ =
u. Now we are going to read a book
called Fuzz and the Buzz. This is a
story about a cub named Fuzz who runs from his hut to find some food. Fuzz gets
into some trouble when he tries to get some honey from a bees nest. The bugs
don’t like Fuzz, so they buzz at him until he runs home. Let’s continue to read
and see what happens to Fuzz. [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate
pages each while the teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After
individual paired reading, the class rereads Fuzz and the Buzz aloud together,
and stops between page turns to discuss the plot].
7.
Say: Before we finish up with our lesson about
the way we spell /u/ = u. I want you to color the images that start with the u
sound. It is your job to color and trace the u words. Try reading all of the
words. I will walk around and make sure that each of the students is staying on
task. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress].
Resources:
Fuzz and the Buzz. Carson. Educational
Insights, 1990. P.1-9.
http://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/learning-letters/u.htm
Smith, Brittany. Let’s say AHHHHHHHH!!!
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/doorways/smithbr.htm
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