Let's Go Fly a Kite!

 

A Beginning Reading Design
By Katie Freeman

Rationale: This lesson focuses on the process of beginning to read.  In order to be effective readers and spellers, students must understand that correspondences appear differently in different words. This lesson will review i = /i/ and i=/I/ and introduce i_e=/I/ by spelling various words using letterboxes and later reading them.  The students will also read pseudowords that reinforce the i_e=/I/ correspondence as an assessment strategy.

Materials:

1. It is important to introduce the lesson to the students by reviewing the short i correspondence i = /i/  ''Who can tell me what this word says?'' Hold up a card that says bit and call on a child to answer. /t/ /i/ /p/. ''Right that word is tip, like if something is about to fall over. Can anybody read these words for me?'' Hold up a card with kit, and one with lick on it. Have students read the words aloud. ''Good. You guys really understand that i says /i/. Today we are going to learn one way to make i say its name /I/.''

2. Hold up the card that says kite. ''What do you think this word is?'' Write i_e on the board. ''When you see a word that has a letter sandwiched between i and e that i is going to say his name. This word is kite. T is sitting between i and e. The e is silent, and is only there to remind i to say his name! We just read this word as kit (hold up card), but if we added an e to the end (hold up card). The t is sitting between the i and e, and we know the e is there to remind a to say his name. This word must be /k/ /I/ /t/ (point to each phoneme as pronounced, but point to i and e at the same time).''

3. Next, display the sentence strip with the tongue twister on the board. ''Let's try to read some long I words in this tongue twister. I'll read it first, and then you can read it with me. Ike likes to bike to the park to fly kites '' Point to each word as it is read. Have the students read it with you twice. ''This time let's stretch out the long I sound. IIIIIIIke liiiiikes to riiiiiiiide biiiiiiiikes to fly kiiiiiiites. Great job! We could really hear I say his name!''

4. ''Let' try to spell words with long Is with our letterboxes.  I know we have done this before and you know how to place the phonemes in the boxes.  Remember how we place the silent e outside the last box instead of inside its own box?  Poor little guy has to be left out!''

5. Use the dry erase board and draw three boxes.  ''Let me show you an example of using the letterboxes to spell long I.  I'm going to spell ride, like how you ride in the car or on the bus to school.  What sounds do I hear? /r/ /I/ /d/. First, I hear /r/. So, I'll put the letter r in my first box.'' (Write in the letter r in the first box on the board) ''/r/ /I/ - I hear that long I sound next, so I will put the letter I in the second box. /r/ /I/ /d/ - the last sound I hear is /d/, so I will put a d in the last box.'' (Write the letters in the boxes as each letter is sounded out). ''Well, am I missing something? r-I-d says rid and I wanted to spell ride. Oh yeah! I need my e to remind I to say his name!'' (Write the letter e outside the boxes.)

6. ''This time I want you to try to spell some words. Listen carefully because I may throw in some we have already talked about!'' The teacher should say each word and have the children spell them using their letters and Elkonin boxes.

Phoneme Count:

2: ice   (''Give yourself another box to make three.'')
3: hike, dime, babe, nine   (''Give yourself another box to make four.'')
4: train, suds, slide, drive, mind (''Give yourself another box to make five!'') 
5: stride

7. ''Since you have spelled the words, let's try reading them.''  Pull out the cards with the words already printed on them, starting with ice.  ''I'll go first.  When I look at this word I see the e on the end, and that tells me that it's going to remind i to say his name. /i/ /c/, we'll try saying c like an s.  Now I want you all to help me read these words.'' Hold up each card that has a word used in the letterbox lesson. Begin by asking the entire class to respond, then call on a couple of students to answer individually when they raise their hands.

8.  Students will be sitting next to a partner. ''Now with your buddy it's time to read Nate's Bike Ride.''  Provide a short booktalk: ''Tim has a lazy friend, Nate.  Nate doesn't want to go outside and play or hike so Tim has hikes with his sister Jan.  Will Jan and Tim come up with a plan so that Nate will learn to enjoy the outdoors instead of being a couch potato?'' 

9. As an assessment strategy, pass out worksheets after all groups have finished reading. The worksheet should have clip art pictures of ice, a playground slide, a dime, nine small objects together, a person driving a car, a brain (mind), and a person walking to take a stride, below the words that relate to the picture listed below in a scrambled order.  Read the names of the pictures at the bottom of the worksheet with the students. ''I want you to read each word and find the picture it goes with. Make sure that you are reading the entire word, not just looking at the first letter. Then draw a line from the picture to its name.''

-While students are completing the worksheet, call one child at a time to work at the desk.  To assess the student's knowledge of the correspondence i_e = /I/ have them read the following pseudowords from small flashcards: FIDE, SKIP, WICE, SWIM, NIME, TINE. (check to make sure they use silent e to distinguish between short and long vowels.

10. If time allows, have students use primary paper and pencil to write a short message (two to three sentences) about something fun they like to do outside, then perhaps sharing with the class.

References:

Stephan, Erin.  Let's Skate With Abe and Kate!

          http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/encounters/stephanbr.html

Johnson, Leighton.  IIII---L-IIII-ke---IIII-ke-and-M-IIII-ke

          http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/innov.html

Decodable Text from Reading Genie

          http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/Geniebooks/BikeRide.ppt

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