HHHH, I’m
getting sleepy!
Emergent Literacy
Rationale: In order for
children to learn to spell words, they need the alphabetic insight that
letters stand for phonemes and spellings map out the phonemes in spoken
words. But before children can match letters to phonemes, they
have to recognize phonemes. In this lesson, children will learn the /h/
phoneme. By learning a meaningful representation, children will
recognize /h/ in spoken words.
Materials:
Pencils
Primary Paper
Chart with “Happy Hank Hears
Hooray for Hearing H”
Horton Hears a Who, by Dr.
Seuss
6 cards with the pictures of
a: horse, hand, house, hair, hat, heart, rat, baby, sack, phone
An assessment worksheet with
pictures of H words and not H words
Procedures:
1. Explain
that all letters stand for a mouth movement of sound, which is a
phoneme. Today we are going to learn that the letter h makes the
/h/ sound. When we yawn we make the sound haaaaa. Pretend you are
yawning, and hold your hand in front of your mouth. Can you hear the
/h/ sound? Can you feel the air blowing out of your mouth?
2. Now I am
going to read a fun tongue twister (on the chart). Listen while I
read. "Happy Hank Hears Hooray for Hearing H." Did you hear the
/h/ sound in any of those words? Now let's all try saying this
tongue twister together and listen for the /h/ sound, and if you hear
the /h/ hold your hand in front of your mouth like you are yawning.
Very good.
3. Now let’s
try and stretch out the /h/ sound at the beginning of the words, and
again hold your hand in front of your mouth like you are yawning.
"Hhhhappy Hhhhank Hhhhhears Hhhhhooray for Hhhhheaing H".
4. Now we
are going to try and write the letter h. Everyone take out your
primary writing paper and a pencil, but place your pencil flat on your
desk. First I would like for you to watch me demonstrate how to
write the letter h and then you may try. We are going to start
and the very top of the road and draw and line straight down to the
bottom of the road. Then we are going to curve up to the middle
of the road (the dotted line) and then come back down to the bottom
again. Now you may try. Let's try and make at least one row of
h's. If you need help just raise your hand. Remember that
when you see the letter h in a word it makes the /h/ sound.
5. Now I’m
going to show you some pictures some start with the /h/ sound, and some
don’t. If you hear the sound /h/, put your hand in front of your mouth
like you are yawning. Begin showing the pictures to the students.
6. Next I am going to read "Horton Hears a Who" and have the
students put there hand to there mouth everytime they hear
the /h/ sound when you read.
Assessment: Pass out the
worksheet with the pictures beginning with the sound /h/, and the ones
without and have them circle the pictures that begin with /h/.
References:
Dr. Seuss. Horton Hears a
Who. Random House Books for Young Readers. 1954.
York, Lyndsay. Harry, the
Hungry, Hungry Hippo. Spring 2003. www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/openings/yorkel
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