The Cat in the Hat
Emily Tyler
Rationale:
Reading is a skillful process in which decoding and reading comprehension are indirectly related. In order for students to learn to read they need to have knowledge of letter recognition. The best place to start with emergent readers is introducing those letters as symbols and teaching the sound/sounds that associates with them. Today students will learn the letter a and the sound it makes. The goal of this lesson is for students to be able to write a capital and a lowercase a, to recognize the connection between the written or spoken letter and its sound, and finally to recognize words or objects that begin with the letter a.
Materials:
á pencil
á paper
á chart with ãAllow me to act angry if anyone asksä
á drawing paper and crayons
á The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess
á picture cards with picture and words with the short a sound: cat, hat, sat, rat, act, bag, rag, sag, tab, lab, cab, cut
Procedures:
1. Start by telling the students that they will be learning about the letter a and that they will get to know big a, little a and the sound a makes very well. Donât worry I will teach you how to move your mouth to make the a sound and what it looks like so it will be easy to find it in words.
2. ãHave you ever been frightened by your friends or at a haunted house? I know that when I am frightened I might yell out ãaaaä. Can everyone saw that to me, ãaaaä. Okay, now turn to you neighbor and try to scare him, but not too scary, gosh doesnât that make you want to say ãaaaaä.
3. ãNow I am going to say a fun tongue twister for you all; allow me to act angry if anyone asks. Now you try it with me twice. Good, now letâs say it and every time we hear the sounds ãaä, we are going to stretch the ãaä sound like we have just been frightened, ready (repeat tongue twister as many times as needed). Great job, now we will try to say the tongue twister and separate the ãaä sound from the words we are sayingä.
4. Have students take out pencil and paper. Tell them that the letter ãaä can be used to spell the sound ãaä. Direct the students in the maneuvers to write the letter ãaä. Now I want all of you to write this letter ãaä nine times on your own. And remember, when you see this letter ãaä, that tells you to make the scared ãaaaä sound.
5. Now I am going to show you how to find the letter ãaä in the word ãcraftä; I am going to stretch out the word with my mouth (demonstrate). Did everyone hear it, letâs say it together.
6. Ask the class if they hear the ãaä sound in cut or cat, bat or bug, after or before, active or lazy? (show poster with tongue twister) Have students say it with you and exaggerate ãaä sound.
7. Introduce The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess by saying that Sally and her brother are sitting in the house wishing they could go outside and play. Their mother is not home and they are all alone. But all of a sudden, in walks the cat in the hat.....what in the world do you think he is there for? Read story. After reading talk about what the students liked and/or didnât like about the story. Then read it again while having students raise their hand when they hear the ãaä sound and list the words on the board. Then have each student write a message (using inventive spelling if necessary) about what they would do with the cat in the hat, have them illustrate the picture as well.
8. Assessment: Distribute picture cards and have each student name the pictures. Ask them to circle the pictures with the sound ãaä.
References:
Graves, Lindsay. Four Funny Fish. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/constr/gravesel.html
Lowery, Megan. Maggie's Merry Milkshakes. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/constr/loweryel.html
Murray, Bruce. Wallach and Wallachâs Tongue Twisters. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/twisters.html
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