Silly Sissy
Snake
Brittany Roberts
Rationale: In
order to be able to read and spell works, children need to understand
the
alphabetic principle, that is that letters represent phonemes and can
be
combined to create the words that make up our language.
Consonants are the first letters children
typically learn. This lesson will help
children identify /s/. They will learn
to recognize /s/ in spoken words by learning a meaningful
representation and a
letter symbol, and then practice finding /s/ in words.
Materials: Primary
paper and pencil, chart with "Silly Sissy Snake slides silently through
some spaghetti", drawing paper with crayons, Doc in the Fog,
picture page with soccer ball, gum ball machine, kids,
sun, shoes, hat, spider, snake,
rug, mug, crayons, bug
Procedures:
1. Introduce the lesson by explaining that our
written language is a secret code. The
difficult part is learning what letters stand for, that is the way our
mouth
moves as we say the letters. Today, we
are going to work on finding the way our mouth moves when we say /s/. At first it might be hard to find the /s/
sounds, but as you look for it and listen for it, you will be able to
find it
in all kinds of words!
2. Ask students:
"Have you ever heard the sound a snake makes?
That is the sound that we will be looking for
today. Everyone pretend you are a snake
and say /s/. [Put hands together, palms
facing each other and move hands side-to-side in an "s" motion]. Snakes make this sound to let other animals
know to be careful. Let each other know
that there are snakes around! Say /s/."
3. Now we are going to say a tongue twister with
the sound /s/. "Silly Sissy Snake
slides silently through some spaghetti."
Everyone say it three times together.
Now say it again and stretch the /s/ sound every time you say it. "SSSSilly Ssssissssy Ssssnake
sssslidessss ssssilently through ssssome sssspaghetti."
This time we when say it, break of the /s/
sound at the beginning of the words. "/S/
illy /s/ issy /s/ nake /s/ lides /s/ilently through /s/ ome /s/
paghetti." Great job!
4. [Students take out their primary paper and
pencil.] There is a letter that we use
to spell /s/. Let's write it.
Start at the fence. Make a little
c, then swing back, touching
the sidewalk. I want to see everyone's s.
After I put a check on it, I want you to make s nine more times. If
you see s all by itself that lets you know to say /s/.
5. Let me show you how to find /s/ in the word walks.
I am going to stretch walks
out in slow motion and listen for the snake.
W-w-w-wa-a-a-l-l-lk-s.
Wa-wa-l-lk-lks-s-s. There it
is! I hear the snake in the word walks.
6. Call on students to answer and tell how they
knew. Do you hear /s/ in runs
or talk? Glass
or cup? Sneaky
or calm? Solo
or one? [Pass out a card
to each student] Tell
students: Now we are going to see if we
can spot the mouth move /s/. Silly,
Sissy, Snake, silently, slides,
through, some, spaghetti.
7. Say: "Doc is a wizard. He
begins to play with a doll and then
changes it into a top. Doc keeps
changing the object until it becomes fog.
Will the fog make Doc disappear?"
Read Doc in the Fog and talk
about the story. Then read it again,
having students make their snake motion when they hear the /s/. List the words on the board.
Ask students to draw a picture about one of
the /s/ words and write a message about it using invented spelling. Display their work.
8. For assessment, distribute a page of pictures
and ask students to name each picture.
Then have students circle the pictures that names contain /s/.
Reference:
Bennett, Desiree. (2003).
Slithering Silly Snake. http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/insp/bennettel.html