Emergent Literacy Design  
 F is for Fish      

                                                                                                   Carrie Sanders

 

             

 

Rationale:  “One of the best two predictors of students’ success in reading is their ability to recognize and name the letters of the alphabet” (Adams).  It is very important for students to learn each letter of the alphabet.  The goal of this lesson is to introduce the students to the letter F.  In this lesson, they will learn hoe to write the letter in lowercase and uppercase.  The students will have hopefully, by the end of the lesson, learned to recognize the letter and its sound.

 

Materials:  primary paper, pencils, tongue twister written on chart paper, picture activities, book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, by Dr. Suess.

Tongue twister- Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.

 

Procedure: 

1.      Introduce the letter f.  Discuss how each letter in the alphabet makes a different sound.  Model the sound f for them first and then have them all sound out the letter f together.  Have them say /f/, /f/, /f/. “WE ARE GOING TO LEARN THE LETTER F TODAY. THE LETTER F MAKES THE SOUND /F/.  /F/, /F/, /F/.  NOW YOU SAY IT.

2.      Say certain words to the class, such as FEEL and DRANK.  Ask them as a whole to raise their hands on which one begins with the “fuh” sound.  Continue with this, giving them several more words to distinguish between. (ex: FISH or CAT, BLACK or FRIEND, JELLO or FRIDAY) DOES FEEL OR DRANK HAVE THE SOUND /F/ IN THEM?  WHAT OTHER WORDS CAN YOU THINK OF THAT MAKE THE /F/ SOUND?

3.      Then have them think of their own words that have a /f/ sound anywhere within them.  Have them raise their hands to tell you.  Write each word on the board so that the class will have an “F” word list.

4.      Then explain to the students that they will learn how to write a lowercase f and an uppercase F.  First model a lowercase b on the blackboard for them.  Explain it by saying:  START TO MAKE A LITTLE C UP IN THE AIR, THEN STRAIGHTEN IT OUT, GO DOWN, AND CROSS AT THE FENCE. I WILL NOW WALK AROUND AND CHECK YOUR F’S. Then have them practice lowercase f’s on their primary paper.  Next, model an uppercase F for them.  Explain it by saying:  GO DOWN, OVER FOR HIS HAT, OVER FOR HIS BELT (BUT NO SHOES).  Then have them practice their uppercase F’s.

5.      Next, show the chart paper with the tongue twister written on it.  Read it to them first.  FRIENDLY FRANK FLIPS FINE FLAPJACKS.  Next, have them repeat it with you several times.  Then have them repeat it themselves without your help.  REPEAT THE TONGUE TWISTER AFTER ME- FRIENDLY FRANK FLIPS FLAPJACKS.  Ask them if they can point out the /f/ sounds.

6.      Read the book, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to the class.  Have them pick out and tell you words that have a /f/ sound.

 

Assessment:  Have the students practice writing the letter F in their primary pads.  Also, you could have activity sheets with pictures (some with the “fuh” sound, and some not), where they would circle the pictures that they recognized had the /f/ sound.

 

 

References:

Adams, Marilyn-Jager. (1990) Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning
 About Print.  Center for the study off Reading and the Reading
 Research and Education Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-
 Champagne-12.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/8136/tonguetwisters.html

Trageser, Jan-Marie.  Buh, Buh, Buh, B!.  http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/openings/trageserel.html.

Patterson, Leann.  Ribbit, Ribbit!  http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/openings.pattersonel.html

http://www.enchantedlearning/com/letters/big/Rr.shtml

Dickinson, Sue. Spell, Read and Write. How to Print Letters (handout given in class)

 

                     

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