Dge, dge, dge, just do it!

Dge, dge, dge, just do it!

Beginning Reading Design

Rationale: Students need to recognize and understand the value of digraphs to be able to apply them to their reading. The automaticity of a digraph such as dge allows for steady and fluent reading. This lesson covers dge=/j/ by familiarizing students with the digraph, giving them practice pronouncing the digraph, providing reading words that use the digraphs, having students identify the sound the digraph makes (/j/) by listening to a story, and finding the sound /j/ in sentences.

Materials: notebook paper, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback (The Penguin Group, c1999), Just Do It! Worksheet with sentences on it: Jerry was the judge for the long jump. Midge wore the badge while she jumped rope. Jessica brought the gadget to the bridge. Stand at the edge of the hedge for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Procedures:
1. Introduce the lesson and explain the importance of being able to recognize groups of letters (digraphs) that make a certain sound. Explain that this lesson focuses on the digraph dge and the sound /j/.

2. How many of you have ever seen a NIKE commercial? Every commercial has a slogan or a phrase that makes the product or company easy to remember. Can anyone tell me what it says on NIKE commercials? (wait for student response) That’s right, “just do it.” That /j/ in the word just is the sound that we will be using today. Can you make that sound? /j/, /j/, /j/. The group of letters, d-g-e, says /j/, just like our friend the letter j, when we read it. So every time we see the group of letters d-g-e, we will know that they say /j/, and every time we read these letters, we will say /j/. To remember this, when we see d-g-e, we will say /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it!

3. We are going to try out our new slogan /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! with a new tongue-twister, so repeat after me: Jerry took his badge to eat fudge and juice. Now let’s all repeat that three times so we can remember it. (Everyone repeats three times) Now, let’s say it again, but every time we hear the /j/ sound made with the letter j or the letters d-g-e, we will say our slogan! Here, I’ll show you what I mean. Jerry /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! took his badge /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! Now let’s all read the sentence with our slogan. Jerry /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! took his badge /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! to eat fudge /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! and juice /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it! Now, let’s try it one more time without our slogan and say /j/ really talking really loudly, but not yelling, in each word. /j/erry took his ba/j/ to eat fu/j/ and /j/uice. One more time (repeat). Excellent.

4. Now let’s try to read some words using d-g-e. I’ll model the word judge. I know that my u says /u/, and I know that j says /j/, so I have /j/-/u/, /ju/. Now I have d-g-e, and what does d-g-e say? That’s right, /j/. So I have /j/-/u/-/j/, /ju/-/j/, /juj/. And there we have it: /juj/! Now I would like you all to try to read this word silently to yourselves. (teacher writes the word hedge on the board) Okay go. (teacher waits for all to finish) Now let’s sound it out together: what is our vowel? e. What does a short e say? /e/. Now what does our h say? /h/. Put those together: /h/-/e/, /he/. Now we have d-g-e left. What does d-g-e say? /j/. Now let’s sound out the entire word: /h/-/e/-/j/, /he/-/j/, /hej/, /hej/! Excellent!

5. I need each of you to get out a pencil and one piece of notebook paper. Now I am going to read Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. Joseph has an overcoat that he just loves, and as it starts to wear out, he reuses it to avoid throwing it away. First, he trimmed it into a jacket. Then he trimmed it into a vest. Can he use it for anything smaller? We’ll have to read to find out. As I read Joseph had a Little Overcoat, I would like each of you to identify the /j/ sounds in our story. Anytime you hear a /j/ I want you to draw a NIKE swoosh on your lined notebook paper just like this! (teacher demonstrates) When I read the title, Joseph had a Little Overcoat, I will put one swoosh (a checkmark) on my paper. We will count the /j/s in the book when we are finished and see if you found them all. /j/, /j/, /j/, just do it!

6. Assessment: Teacher will pass out a Just Do It! worksheet. I would like you to read the sentences, and as you do, circle the letters that make the /j/ sound. Above each /j/ sound, draw your Nike swoosh. The sentences can have multiple /j/ sounds. Turn in your sheet when you finish.

Reference:
Roddam, Melissa. Ch, Ch, Chocolate. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/guides/roddambr.html

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