Reading Bugs
Beginning Reading Design
Susan
Schaum
Rationale:
Blending is the ability skillful readers
possess which enables them to link
known phonemes together to produce a functioning word. If a child
understands
the idea of blending, they will be able to read any word in existence.
As a
teacher, it is important to utilize activities that introduce and
reinforce
this concept of attaching sounds to form words. In this lesson,
students will
be introduced to the idea of blending and receive guided practice in a
skill
they will need to use in all of their early literacy training.
Materials:
- An
easily decodable book (for example, Cat and Mouse by Bobby Lynn
Maslen)
- Chalk and chalkboard (or dry erase board and
marker)
(For
each child)
- 1ft sq. piece of poster board with three
pieces
of evenly spaced Velcro backing placed in a horizontal line in the
middle
- Bean-shaped, laminated, construction
paper bug
pieces with Velcro backing bearing the letters:
- Heads: c, h, n, r, s
- Bodies: a, i
- Tails: n, p, t, s
Procedure
- Introduce the lesson by
reviewing the phonemic sounds of the alphabet. On the board, write
each letter of the alphabet, beginning with the consonants. Ask the
children what sound each letter makes. When you have finished with the
consonants, begin using the vowels. Remind the children that vowels are
special because “they each have a sound they make and
at certain times they might say their own name!” Review this difference
between consonants and vowels with special emphasis on short vowel
sounds of a and i.
- Introduce the concept of
blending. “I’m so glad that we know the different sounds that
letters make. Now that we know this, we can take different sounds and
use them to make words! We do this by doing something we call
‘blending.’ Have any of you ever helped your moms or dads bake a cake?
When you make a cake, you have to take different ingredients and mix
them together so that they make one cake. Words are the same way. You
have to mix different sounds together to make words.”
- Model the activity for the
students. Explain to the students, “Today we are going to build
some bugs. However, these aren’t just any old type of bug. These are
word bugs. Each part of this bug has a different sound. When the bug is
complete, he says one word. How do we build them? Look, each one of the
pieces has a letter on it. When we stick different sounds together in a
special way, they form words. It is the same way we are going to build
our bugs. First, I am going to start by picking out a good head for my
bug. I’m thinking of a letter that starts with the / k / sound. Can
anyone tell me the letter that makes this sound? Very Good! You are
correct! It’s the letter C. I see that one of the bug heads has a C on
it. I’m now going to put the head on the first spot on my board. Ok,
now, I’m going to pick a middle sound for my word. Since my first
letter was a consonant, I think I’m going to pick a vowel this time. I
know! I think I want to use the / a / sound. What letter makes this
sound? You’re right; the A does make this sound. Do we see an A on any
of my body pieces? Here’s one. I’m going to put this on the next space
on my board. The final letter in my word makes a fun sound. This sound
is the / t / sound. Can anyone tell me which letter makes that sound?
Good Job! T does make the / t / sound. Now I’m going to put the tail
with the T on it in its correct place. You see, now I’ve created a
whole bug. What happens when we say all these sounds together? / k / /
a / / t /. Can anyone tell me what word that is? Cat! Good Job!”
- Instruct the students on
how to repeat the activity individually. “Okay, now it is your turn
to make a bug. Make sure that your boards are clear. Now I’m going to
give you the sounds in another word and I want you to try and pick out
the sounds.” Repeat your instructions in the same way manner you used
when modeling, only this time modifying it for the student’s portion of
the activity.
- Allow the students to pick
out the sounds on their own with the words: can, sit, nip, his, sat,
and ran. After the students are finished with each word, allow them
to share their answers with one another.
Assessment:
Slowly read the story Cat
and
Mouse (or another beginner text of your choosing) aloud. Have the
children
raise their hands whenever they hear one of the words they built using
their
bugs. When you call on a child, ask them to pick either the first,
middle, last
or all three sounds found in the word. If they get stuck, they may
reference
their bugs for help, but have them try to figure it out without looking
first. Another
potential assessment would be to have them use individual copies of the
book
and have them locate these words independently.
References:
Click here to return to Guidelines
