A, A, A. Don’t Take the Cookie!
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A Beginning Reading Lesson
By Charleigh Bailey
Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence a_e = /A/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling a_e. They will learn a meaningful representation (a little boy getting a cookie and his mother saying, A, A, A.), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence a_e = /A/.
Materials: Graphic image of a little boy getting a cookie; cover-up critter; whiteboard or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher: a, p, e, c, s, t, r, c, k, l, f; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: ape, case, tape, back, plate, frame; decodable text: James and the Good Day, and assessment worksheet.
Procedures:
1. Say: In order to become expert readers, we need to learn the code that tells us how to pronounce words. We have already learned to read short vowel words with a, like map, and today we are going to learn about long A and the silent e signal that is used to make A say its name, /A/. When I say /A/ I think of a little boy reaching for a cookie and his mother saying “A, A, A. Don’t take the cookie!” [show graphic image].
2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /A/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /A/ in words, I hear a say its name /A/ and my mouth opens wider like this. [Make vocal gesture for /A/.] I’ll show you first: same. I heard a say its name my mouth made an a. [with both index fingers, point to both of your cheeks while saying a]. There is a long A in same. Now I’m going to see if it’s in flat. Hmm, I didn’t hear a say its name and my mouth didn’t make the big a. Now you try. If you hear /A/ say, “A, A, A. Don’t take the cookie!” If you don’t hear /A/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in fake, snow, stop, pain, case, lips? [Have children point to both of their cheeks when they feel /A/ say its name.]
3. Say: Now let’s look at the spelling of /A/ that we’ll learn today. One way to spell /A/ is with the letter a and a signal e at the end of the word to tell me to say A’s name. [Write a_e on the board.] This blank line here means there is a consonant after a, and at the end of the word there is a little silent e signal. What if I want to spell the word frame? “If I frame the picture, you can hang it on your wall.” Frame means something that a picture goes in in this sentence. To spell frame in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word, so I stretch it out and count: /f//r//a//m/. I need 4 boxes. I heard that /A/ just before the /m/ so I’m going to put an a in the 3rd box and the silent e signal outside the last box. The word starts with /f/, that’s easy; I need an f. Now it gets a little tricky so I’m going to say it slowly, /f//r//A//m/. I think I heard /f/ so I’ll put a r right after the f. I have one empty box now. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /f//r//A//m/.] The missing one is /m/ = m.
f r a m e
4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with two boxes for ape. An ape is an animal, “Our teacher read us a book about an ape in the jungle.” What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? What about silent e, did you remember to put it outside the boxes? I’ll check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need three letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for /A/ and don’t forget to put the signal silent e at the end, outside the boxes. Here’s the word: case, I have a black brief case; case. [Allow children to spell words.] Time to check your work. Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: c – a – s – e and see if you’ve spelled it the same way. Try another with three boxes: tape; I need tape to wrap his present. [Have volunteer spell it in the letterbox on the front board for children to check their work. Repeat this step for each new word.] Next word. Listen to see if this word has /A/ in it before you spell it: back; I always sit in the back of the classroom. Did you need a silent e? Why not? Right, because we don’t hear a say its name. We spell it with our short vowel a. [volunteer spells it on the front board.] Did you remember to spell /k/ with a ck? Now let’s try 4 phonemes: plate; the plate held chips and cheese. One more then we’re done with spelling, and this time you need four boxes: frame; Place the picture in the frame.
5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you’ve spelled, but first I’ll show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with frame on the top and model reading the word.] First, I see there’s a silent e on the end; that’s my signal that the vowel will say its name. There’s the vowel a. It must say /A/. I’m going to use a cover-up to get the first part. [Uncover and blend sequentially before the vowel, then blend with the vowel.] /f/ + /r/ = /fr/. Now I’m going to blend that with /A/ = /frA/. Now all I need is the end, /m/ = /frAm/. frame; that’s it. Now it’s your turn, everyone together. [Have children read words in unison. Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]
6. Say: You’ve done a great job and reading words with our new spelling for /A/: a_e. Now we are going to read a book called James and the Good Day. This is a story of a boy named James who wants to have a good day. James goes to the bathroom to start water for his bath and leaves the tub running while he goes to play with his toys. Let’s pair up and take turns reading James and the Good Day to see what happens to James and the tub water. [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the class rereads James and the Good Day aloud together and stops between page turns to discuss the plot.]
7. Say: That was a fun story. Did James have a good day? Right, he did not have a good day. What happened to the bath water? Right, the water made a mess and James had to clean it up! Before we finish up with our lesson about one way to spell /A/ = a_e, I want to see how you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet, we have some words that are complete and some words that are incomplete. Your job is to look at the words and decide if the words need an e on the end to make a_e words. Look at the pictures and decide if an e should be put on the ends of the words. Check yes or no and then write the word for the picture below the picture. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]
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Resources:
James and The Good Day:
http://www.paperbackswap.com/James-Good-Day-Phonics-Long/book/0886798639/
Talley, Amanda. Beginning Reading Lesson. “Wh-aaaaa-l-e of an A!”
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/invitations/talleybr.htm
Hummer, Melanie. Melanie Hummer’s Phoneme Chants:
http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/materials/chants/
Assessment worksheet:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/1st-Grade-Math-and-Literacy-Printables-October-2767559
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Cookie jar image:
https://www.amazon.com/Home-Basics-Capacity-Cookie-Decorative/dp/B006H32O76
