Icky, icky i
 

Beginning Reading

Rationale:

Letters represent many different sounds.  These sounds are called phonemes.  Children need to be able to recognize letters and their phonemes in order to become fluent readers. The purpose of this lesson is to teach children to recognize the letter i, and its phoneme, /i/.  Children will participate in a tongue twister, a letterbox lesson, correspondence games, and a shared reading to learn that i=/i/.

Materials:

• White Board
• Markers
• Cards with words: tip, car, igloo, ill, bed, iguana, red, hill
• Primary paper
• Pencils
• Elkonin boxes
• Letter manipulatives (i, t, n, h, d, l, p, d, g, z, k, r)
•  "Liz is Six" by Pay Millie
• "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss

Procedures:

1. For this lesson, the teacher will explain to students that just as we know that each letter has a particular mouth movement, we also know that we can use this specific letter and its mouth movement to help us learn to read.  Today, we are going to learn to spot the letter i in written text and be able to place the correct mouth move /i/ with the letter in print.  It can be tricky at times but we will get lots of practice today and you will all be experts at decoding the letter i by the end of the lesson. Let's get started!
2. How many of you have ever been stuck your hand into some sticky ice cream? I did once and I lifted my hands and said "iiiii" Well, that's the mouth move that we are going to learn to recognize and decode in written words today.  This sound stands for the letter i.  Can everyone say /i/ for me?  Great!  Now let's try stretching it out /i-i-i-i/.  When I say the "i" sound, I think about sticking my hands in sticky ice cream and the way I shake my sticky hands. Let me show you. (Make hand gesture). Show me that hand gesture. Great!
3. Next the teacher will read the tongue twister that is written on the white board and then ask the children to help her read it a second time, "The important Indian was ill with injuries inside the igloo." Now, let's read it again stretching out our /i/ every time we see letter i and using the hand gesture.  "The i-i-important i-i-indian was i-i-ill wi-i-ith i-i-injuries i-i-inside the i-i-igloo."  
4. Let's use what you just learned and play a game. I am going to show you a card, show me the hand gesture, if you hear the /i/ sound and thumbs down if you do not hear the /i/ sound. What about the word tip? I see lots of icky 'i's. Good. What about car?  Excellent!  It doesn't hear the /i/ sound.
5. Let's pull out the Elkonin boxes and letters. I am going to say a few words and using your letters and letterboxes, I want you to spell out each word.  Don't forget about icky, icky /i/.  I am going to show you how I spell "fix". Fix, f-iii-x, well I know the /i/ is in the middle so I place an i in the middle box. Then I think about the beginning letter, fff and the last letter xxx. Words for letterbox lesson: (2) it, in (3) hid, lip, dig, zip (4) pink, drink.  After using the Elkonin boxes, I will write the words on the white board and have the class read the words aloud.
6. Let's all read Liz is Six together. (The class will read together and the teacher will walk around and listen to each child.) Liz has a wonderful sixth birthday! Liz loves baseball and gets a baseball mitt for her birthday. Liz and her friend, Pig start an intense baseball game. Pig hits the ball and Liz catches it in her new mitt. Now it is Liz's turn to hit the ball. Liz hits the ball hard. Will Pig catch the ball? To find out, read Liz is Six.  Students will practice reading the i=/i/ sound in the text.
7. Students will write a short (one or two sentence) note on primary paper to another student about a favorite gift that they have received.
8. I will read Dr. Seuss' One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish aloud to students. Every time that they hear the i=/i/, then they will make the icky i hand gesture.
9. Assessment: I will read two words at a time aloud to students. If the word has i=/i/ sound, then students will write down the word. I will assess students on their ability to identify the /i/ sound in words. One on one, students will read a list of words aloud to me. Students will raise their hand if the word has an /i/ sound and raise no hand if there is no /i/ sound.

Reference:

Murray, Bruce. "Tongue Twisters"

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

Morris, Amy. "Icky Icky I"

http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/inroads/morrisbr.html

Murray, Bruce. "Letterbox Lesson"

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

Cushman, Sheila.  Liz is Six. (1990). Ed. Pat Millie.  Carson, CA: Educational Insights.