Rationale
In order for children to read and spell words, they
must
first be able to identify each letter in the alphabet and the phoneme
it
represents. This lesson
will
help children recognize the letter F in print and the phoneme
/f/
in spoken words. This goal will be met by having children listen
for,
and repeat, the phoneme in spoken words, and by
allowing
children to create a meaningful representation using various objects
that
begin with the
letter
F.
Materials
Swimmy by Leo Lionni, alphabet chart,
letter
F precut from construction paper (1 for each student), glue,
feathers,
Froot Loops, small fish
cutouts, small flower cutouts, popsicle stick (1 for each student),
sample
of completed project, primary paper, pencil, Handi-wipes, fishing rod
(wooden dowel, fishing line, magnet at the end), construction paper
fish
with paper clips attached on the back (with a magazine picture on one
side, some of items with /f/ and some without-1 per student), fish
bowl,
chalk, chalkboard
Procedure
1. Begin by pointing
to
the letter Ff on the alphabet chart. Express /f/ as the
sound
of a fizzing soda. Have students make the fizzing sound
too. DO YOU HEAR /f/ IN BOAT OR FISH? FLOWER OR
PLANT? CAN YOU THINK OF ANY WORDS THAT SOUND LIKE THE
FIZZING
SODA? Be sure to emphasize the
/f/
in each of the words.
2. Now the students
will
practice writing the letter Ff on the primary paper. WE
CAN
USE THE LETTER F TO SPELL /f/. WATCH AS I
WRITE THE LETTER F. FOR UPPER CASE,
GO DOWN,
OVER FOR HIS HAT, AND OVER FOR HIS BELT; FOR LOWER CASE, START
WITH LITTLE C UP IN THE AIR, STRAIGHTEN IT OUT, GO DOWN, CROSS AT THE
FENCE.
Create the letters on the chalkboard as you
name the steps for each. LET'S ALL WRITE THE LETTER F NOW.
Name
the steps as the class writes the letters.
3. Now refer to the sample of the project
(letter
F covered with feather, flowers, Froot Loops, and fish).
WHAT
THINGS DO YOU SEE
GLUED TO MY LETTER F (feathers, etc.)?
DO
YOU HEAR /f/ IN FEATHER, FISH, ETC.? (stress the /f/
sound).
GOOD! NOW YOU ARE GOING TO
GLUE
ITEMS WITH THE /f/ SOUND ONTO YOUR LETTER F. WAIT FOR ALL THE
DIRECTIONS
BEFORE YOU BEGIN. Pass out
the
materials (letter F's, glue, feathers, small fish, flowers, and
Froot
Loops).
4. DIP YOUR FINGER IN THE GLUE AND TRACE
OVER
YOUR LETTER F. (Place handi-wipes at the students' desks
to
clean the glue
from
their fingers when they finish.)
5. NOW I WANT YOU TO STICK THE OBJECTS
ONTO
YOUR F. YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM F-F-FEATHERS, F-F-FISH, etc.
(stress
/f/). WHEN YOU ARE DONE,
PLACE
IT IN THE CORNER OF YOUR DESK AND WAIT FOR THE GLUE TO DRY. WHEN
YOUR
GLUE IS DRY, YOU CAN GLUE THE POPSICLE STICK TO THE
BOTTOM
OF THE F AND WAIT UNTIL EVERYONE IS DONE.
6. When all the students are finished,
read
Swimmy by Leo Lionni. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A F-F-FISH
NAMED
SWIMMY AND ALL OF HIS F-FRIENDS
IN
THE OCEAN. ONE DAY THE F-F-FISH ARE SWIMMING AND THEY GET
F-F-FRIGHTENED.
LET'S SEE WHAT
SCARED
SWIMMY AND HIS F-F-FRIENDS. WHILE I READ, I WANT YOU TO LISTEN
FOR
THE /f/ SOUND. EACH TIME YOU HEAR IT I
WANT YOU TO RAISE YOUR F UP IN THE AIR AND THEN PUT IT BACK DOWN AND
WAIT
FOR THE SOUND AGAIN.
Assessment
This will be done in the form of a fishing
game.
Lay out the construction paper fish on the floor, picture down.
The
students will take turns using the fishing rod to
"catch
a fish". Help the students identify the picture and if they hear
the
/f/ sound in the word, they will place the fish in
the
fishbowl. If they do not, they will hold the fish until everyone
has
had a turn. This is an individual effort and a check list can be
used
to
keep a record of each student's progress. Once each child has had
a
turn, this game can be placed in a center or used in a small group for
further assessment.
Reference
Holloway, Aretha. "Gorilla Girl Grows Green
with
the Letter G".
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/discov/hollowayel.html
Lionni, Leo. Swimmy. Knopf/Pantheon
Publishers,
c1963.
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