Hungry, Hungry Harry

Emergent Literacy

Ginny Bell

 

Rationale

            Children need to be able to identify each letter in the alphabet and the phoneme that it represents so that they are able to read and spell words. Through this lesson children will learn to recognize the letter H in print and the phoneme /h/ in spoken words. I will meet this goal by having the students listen for the phoneme, repeat it, and by giving them a meaningful representation of the letter through combinations of hands-on activities.

 

Materials

            Large H cut out, primary paper, pencil, crayons, drawing paper, glue, chalk, chalkboard, Hungry Harry by Joanne Partis, letter wands (made with a wooden dowel and a star or other object they create to go on the top), and Hh worksheet

 

Procedure

  1. Locate the letter Hh on the large letter cut outs. Describe /h/ as the sound you make when you breathe into a cupped hand. Have the students practice making the /h/ sound into their hands.
    1. DO YOU HEAR /h/ IN BOOK OR HEAD? BAG OR HOT? (Emphasize /h/ in each word) WHAT OTHER WORDS MIGHT HAVE THE /h/ SOUND IN IT?
  2. Explain how the letter h spells /h/. I will then create the letter h on the board as I go through the steps to make an h. The students will then get to practice making the letter Hh on primary paper.
    1. THE LETTER H IS USED TO SPELL /h/. WATCH ME AS I WRITE THE LETTER H ON THE BOARD. FOR THE UPPER CASE H, GO DOWN FOR A WALL, DOWN FOR A WALL, AND THEN CROSS AT THE FENCE. TO MAKE A LOWER CASE H, START AT THE ROOFTOP, COME DOWN, AND HUMP OVER. NOW EVERYONE PRACTICE MAKING UPPER AND LOWER CASE H’S ON THEIR PAPER.
  3. Now each child in the class will think of a word that has the /h/ sound in it and draw it on a piece of paper.
    1. EVERYONE THINK OF DIFFERENT WORDS THAT HAVE THE SOUND /h/ IN IT. (After the children have time to think) ASK THEM TO RAISE THEIR HANDS ONCE THEY THINK OF ONE. (Allow for a few suggestions) NOW PICK ONE OF THESE WORDS OR ANOTHER ONE YOU CAN THINK OF AND DRAW A PICTURE OF IT. ONCE YOU ARE DONE COME SITE BACK ON THE FLOOR.
  4. Once everyone finishes we will get together and present their picture. Then we will place the pictures on a large pre-made cut out of the letter H.
    1. ONE AT A TIME WE ARE GOING TO PRESENT OUR PICTURES TO THE CLASS. WHEN YOU SHOW THE CLASS YOUR PICTURE, SAY THE WORD. AFTER YOU SAY IT, TELL THE CLASS WHERE YOU HEAR THE /h/ SOUND. THEN STICK IT UP ON OUR H CUT OUT. e.g. DO YOU HEAR THE SOUND /h/ IN TIMMY’S PICTURE OF A HAT?
  5. Once everone has placed their picture onto the H we will read the story Hungry Harry by Joanne Partis.
    1. THIS BOOK IS CALLED HUNGRY HARRY. IT IS ABOUT A FROG NAMED H-H-HARRY WHO IS REALLY H-H-HUNGRY. ONE DAY HE ASKED HIS MOM WHAT WAS FOR DINNER AND SHE TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS OLD ENOUGH TO FIND HIS OWN DINNER NOW. LET’S READ AND SEE IF H-H-HARRY FINDS ANY FOOD. WHEN I AM READING LISTEN FOR WORDS THAT MAKE THE /h/ SOUND. WHEN YOU HEAR ONE RAISE YOUR LETTER WANT QUIETLY AND THEN PUT IT DOWN. LISTEN CAREFULLY SO YOU CAN BE A GOOD DETECTIVE.

 

Assessment

            To assess the children’s knowledge of the letter Hh I will pass out a worksheet to every student. The worksheet asks them to place a H and a h next to each picture that makes the /h/ sound. As the students go through the worksheet they are to say the words softly to see if the word makes the /h/ sound.

 

Reference

Allen, Margaret. Dr. Maggie’s Phonics Learning Centers. Creative Teaching Press, Inc. California: 1999.

 

Partis, Joanne. Hungry Harry. Scholastic Inc. New York: 2000.


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