Baking Beautiful Brownies

Emergent Literacy

Rationale: Understanding phonemic awareness is the foundation for reading and writing words. Beginning readers should be able to identify the sounds in words which will help them when they are learning how to read. The goal for this lesson is for children to identify the letter b in written and spoken words. Activities to help teach this include a tongue tickler, and writing the letter b on primary paper.

Materials:

- basketball

- poster with the words to the tongue tickler

- primary paper for each student

- pencil for each student

- Big Brown Bear's Up and Down Day by David McPhail

Procedure:

1. Today we are going to learn about the letter b. Does anyone know what sound the letter b makes? Buh-buh, is right! When we say the /b/ sound our lips start together and when they open a puff of air comes out. Everyone try it with me, buh-buh. Sounds great!

2. Who can tell me something that makes the /b/ sound? I know something that everyone should be familiar with. It goes up and down when a person dribbles it. That's right a basketball! Using basketball demonstrate the dribbling motion, saying the /b/ sound every time it hits the ground. Now everyone pretend like they are dribbling their own basketball, buh-buh.

3. I have a tongue tickler for you to try. Showing poster and pointing to words as you say them say "Bossy Bobby brings baby baked brownies." Everyone repeat it after me now. Now try saying it three times in a row. This time I want everyone to say it together, but say the buh-buh like a dribbling basketball when the b is at the beginning of a word and make the dribbling motion at the same time. Now let's break the /b/ sound off of each word, repeat after me. "/B/ossy /B/obby /b/rings /b/aby /b/aked /b/rownies. Great job!

4. Now everyone grab your primary paper and your pencil. We are going to practice writing the letter b. I will demonstrate on the board as I describe what I am doing. Start at the rooftop and drop all the way to the sidewalk. Now curve around like a circle up to the fence and close the circle back around to the sidewalk. Everyone try writing nine more on your own. This is the letter b that makes the /b/ sound.

5. Now let's try listening for the /b/ sound in words. Watch my mouth and listen for the dribbling basketball sound when I say "bunny". "Buh-buh-bunny". Did you hear the sound?

6. When I point to you I am going to ask you if you a question. Pick out students randomly to answer the questions: Do you hear /b/ in bike or swim? Bounce or jump? Apple or banana? Bear or tiger?

7. I will read Big Brown Bear's Up and Down Day and ask the students to make the dribbling basketball movement every time they hear the /b/ sound. Can everyone show me their best dribbling basketball? Looks great, now when I'm reading and you hear the /b/ sound, I want you to dribble that basketball.

8. For the assessment I will give each child a "Where is the Sound" worksheet with a list of pictures with two words to choose from for each picture. The students must choose which word the picture is of and then write the word on the line next to it. For example, a picture of a bed has the option for bat or cab. The student must circle the word bat for the picture and then write the word bat on the line.

References:

Shankles, Amanda.
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/voyages/shanklesel.html

http://www.tampareads.com/phonics/whereis/b-cons/b-sheet.htm

Big Brown Bear's Up and Down Day by David McPhail

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