Ch, Ch, Ch, Charlie

By: Lori Hunter

Beginning Reader

Rationale: For children to understand how to read and write they have to understand that a phoneme can represent more than one letter. Children also have to learn and understand what a diagraph is and this lesson will help children become more aware. A diagraph is two letters that come together to make one sound. An easy digraph for children to learn and understand is ch=/ch/. It is important to learn the diagraph and when they come together in words to make one sound. Children will learn words and read words in this lesson with the /ch/. They will understand that when c and h come together to be friends that they make the sound /ch/.

 
Materials:

• overhead projector, projector sheets
• 2 different color markers
• four squares taped together to create letterboxes for each child
• lower case letters for each child
• Bragg, Mabel C. The little Engine that Could.  Platt & Munk Inc. 1976. New York: NY.
• Martin, Bill Jr. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.  Simon & Schuster Inc. 1989. New York: NY.
• Worksheet with /ch/ word for each child, and pencils.

Letter Box Lesson: Make sure that the teacher tells the children that one sound goes into one box.
Question that the teacher might ask- Does /ch/ go in one box or separate box? Does c go in one and then h in another? If a child answer’s they go in one box, then ask how did you know that and why do they go in one box? The child should respond that it is because /ch/ is one sound. If the child says separate boxes then review that one sound goes in one box.

 
Words:

Chip     (3)                    chug (3)

Chop    (3)                    champ  (4)                   

Chat     (3)                    catch (3)

Each     (3)                    witch (4)

 
Tongue Twister:
Have the children repeat several times! When doing this stop and let the children feel the placement of their tongues as they are saying the diagraph /ch/. Notice children that as you are saying the /ch/ sound that your tongue starts at the roof of your mouth and then moves down behind your teeth. Everyone lets try!

“Charlie Chuckles at each Chick Chicka Chicken on the choo, choo, train!”

Procedure:

1. Write on the board a “c”.  Ask the children what sound does the letter c make?  Then wait on a response.  Then ask the children to come up with four words that start with c (cat, cook, curb, cake, etc.) Write them on the board or overhead projector.  Then write the letter h.  Ask what sound the letter h makes.  Wait on a response.  After the response, let the children tell you four words that start with h (happy, hat, hot, hook, etc.) and then write them on the board.  Then write a c and an h next to each other, but far enough apart that they are not touching.  Ask the children if they know what sound c and h might make if they become best friends.  Then place them together right next to each other.  Have them walking to the park together.  Tell the children that every time they do stuff together, they make the ch=/ch/ sound.  Then have the children say ch, ch, ch,…several times.  Ask them again what two letters become best friends and when they go places together what sounds do they make.
2. I will write words on the board that have /ch/ in them.  Some words might be “chuck,” “chicken,” “choo choo,” etc.  I will read the words to the students.  I will have them read with me.  I will let the children who have been sitting quietly and participating come up to the board and circle the /ch/ sound.  Then each time a child circles the ch, we have to say /ch/.
3. Next, I will write the tongue twister above on the board.  We will say it 3 or 4 times so that the children get the feel of how to say the /ch/ correctly.
4. Next, I will perform the letterbox lesson above.  I will do this on the over head projector.  BEFORE DOING THIS, I will send each child back to their desk to get out their lesson box material.  It is easier to have everyone back at their desk to perform it on the projector.
5. For the reading purpose of this s lesson, I will pass out copies of the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. or The Little Engine that Could by Mabel C. Bragg.  Then we will read as a class the book or books letting the children follow along.  I will ask the children every time they see a ch to say the sound with me.
6. Then I will pass out the worksheet as an assessment.  Have the studens do it with me as a class.  If I see that hey are struggling then we will go back to the start of the lesson as soon as possible.

References:

Chuga Chuga Choo Choo. By Chandler Chauvin
http://www.auburn.edu/rdggenie/begin/chauvinbr.html

Worksheet for the Digraph /ch/

Directions:  Have the students circle the /ch/ in each word below with a red crayon.

1. Chip

2. Cheese

3. Chuck

4. Champ

5. Reach

6. Choo, Choo

7. Chug

8. Charlie
    

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