Program 101-1, Day 1
From FreeReading
Contents |
Introduce /a/
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: K |
| Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 5 minutes |
Materials:
|
| Goal: Given a printed letter, the student can say its sound ( a -> /a/ ) |
| Items: a |
What to do
- Write the letter a on the board; make it at least a foot tall. Alternatively, use a letter card large enough for the whole group to see easily.
- The sound for this letter is /aaa/. (Say the /a/ sound as in hat, holding it for at least a second.) When you say /aaa/, your mouth is open: /aaa/ and your voice box is on: /aaa/. Touch your throat to make sure your voice box is on when you say it: /aaa/. What's the sound?
- Look for students who are not saying the sound. Ask them: What's the sound? Look for students who are making the wrong sound and model the sound for them until they have it right. Well done everyone.
- We use the /a/ sound to begin words like animal, answer, ask, apple, am. Can you tell me some other words that begin with /a/?
- Write 12 letters on the board: 4 of the letters should be a and they should be interspersed with 8 other letters dissimilar in appearance to a, such as x and l.
- When I point to the letter we just learned, say its sound. When I point to any other letter, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of letters and either say the sound or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
- Your turn. Ready? Point to letters randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
- If a student says the sound for one of the other letters (not a), point to a and say: You only need to make a sound for this letter. When I point to any other letter, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to a. Have those students try letters individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has it.
Related activities
Introduce writing a letter: a
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: K |
| Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 10 minutes |
| Materials: Lined paper and pencils for each student; Letter Formation Guide |
| Goal: Given a printed letter, the student writes it ( a -> |a| ) |
| Items: The letter whose sound students learned most recently |
What to do
(Note that this activity describes the steps for the letter a, but can be used to teach any letter.)
- Draw guide lines on the board; then, write the letter, preferably in a different color from the lines. Make the letter at least a foot tall.
- What's the name of this letter? Students say the name. And, what's the sound? Students say the sound.
- Good. Today, I'm going to show you how to write this letter.
- First, you need to get into your writing position: pull in your seat, put both feet on the floor, and put your hands on the desk. Wait until all students are in position. Okay, next, hold your pencil by pinching it between your thumb and pointing finger. (Note that, if students already know this, you can replace this step with: First, go ahead and get into your writing position.)
- Watch me as I write the letter a. I'm going to ask you to write a row of a's in a moment, so pay really close attention. Write the letter as shown in the Letter Formation Guide. As you do so, tell students what you are doing: I start on the top line, and draw a circle that touches the bottom line, etc. Then, write the letter again.
- Now you write the letter a on your paper. Start on the left and write a whole row of a's. Walk around the group and make sure everyone is writing the letter correctly. For students who make an error, write the letter for them on their papers, and ask them to do the same.
- Praise everyone when they have completed the row of letters.
Related activities
Introduce oral blending: Sam, mad, sit
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: K |
| Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 10 minutes |
| Materials: - |
| Goal: Given multiple letter sounds, the student can blend them into a word ( /a/ + /b/ + /c/ -> "abc" ) |
| Items: Sam, mad, sit |
What to do
- I’m going to pretend to be an alien from planet Paz. On Paz, people speak in a strange way—like we speak, but much more slowly. So instead of saying the word Sam, they say, Sssaaammm, and they touch their arm like this when they talk. Touch your shoulder as you make the first sound; your elbow as you make the second; and your hand as you make the third. Repeat, Sssaaammm. Hold each letter sound for about a second and don't pause between sounds. The idea is to mirror the way students will sound out words for themselves later on.
- See if you can tell what word I’m saying. Ready? Mmmaaad. Touch your shoulder, elbow, and hand as you say each sound.
- Praise the students who get the word. Repeat for the word sit. Watch for students who aren’t answering, and ask them to try on their own to recognize the first word, Sam, as you segment it again. Keep going until everyone can recognize all the words without errors.
- Great job. Now you pretend you’re from the planet Paz too. Say the word with me slowly, the way people on Paz say it, then say it fast. Ready? I’ll say the word first: Sssaaammm. You say it the same way: (Students) Sssaaammm. Now say it fast. What's the word? (Students) Sam.
- Continue with the other words: mmmaaad. Now you say it like they do on Paz. What's the word? Mad. Sssiiit. Now you say it like they do on Paz. What's the word? Sit. Remember to touch your arm.
- If a student leaves off a sound or says the wrong sound, model the correct sounds, and then ask the student to do the same. Then, return to the start of the word list with that student until he can blend all the words. Praise him or her strongly. If the student continues to have trouble, make a note in an Activity Log.
Related activities
Introduce listening vocabulary
Introduce listening vocabulary