Word Building: Sample Lesson - Speech-to-Print Phonics Sample Lesson
The sample lesson assumes that students can name most of the letters of the alphabet and know at least ten beginning consonant sounds. The purpose of the lesson is to teach students the -am pattern. Patterns are built by building a rime, adding the onset to the rime, and then adding the rime to the onset. The rime is the rhyming part of the word. The rime begins with a vowel (-at, -ain, -ent). The onset is the consonant or consonant cluster that comes before the vowel (h-at, r-ain, s-ent)
Step 1. Phonemic Awareness and Building the Rime
Read a selection, such as Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (1988) or a rhyme in which there are a number of -am words. Call student's attention to the pattern words from the selection: ham, am, Sam. Stressing the rhyming element as you say each word, ask students to tell what is the same about the words. Lead students to see that they all have an /am/ sound as in ham. Ask students to listen carefully so they can tell how many sounds the word am has. Articulate it slowly, stretching out the sounds as you do so: aaamm. Tell the students to say the word am and stretch out the sounds as they do so. Discuss how many sounds the word am has. Then tell students that you are going to spell the word am. Ask students to tell what letter would be used to spell the sound /a/ in am. Write a, commenting as you do so that it makes an /a/ sound. Have students tell what sound they hear at the end of am. Ask them what letter would be needed to spell /m/. Add m, saying /m/ as you do so. Explain that now you have the word am. Run your hand under each letter as you say its sound. Have several students read am.
Step 2. Adding the Onset
Explain to students that you can use am to make other words. (Write a second am under the first one.) Ask students: "What do I need to add to am to make the word hhhham?" As you add h to am, carefully enunciate the h and the am and then the whole word. Have several students read the word. Then have students read am and ham. Then write am underneath ham. Ask students, "What do I need to add to am to make the name SSSSam?" As you add S to am, carefully enunciate the S and the am and then the whole word. Have several students read the word. Then have students read am, ham, and Sam. Have Pam and jam formed in this same way and have all the -am words read. Lead students to see what is the same about the words -that they all end in -am. Ask students if they know of any other words that rhyme with ham. If so, write these on the board and discuss them.
Step 3: Adding the Rime
To make sure that students have a thorough grasp of both key parts of the word --the onset and the rime-- present the onset or initial consonant and have students supply the rime or vowel-consonant element. Writing h on the board, have students tell what sound it stands for. Then ask them to tell what you would add to /h/ to make the word ham. After adding -am to h, say the word in parts /h/-- /a/ -- /m/ and then as a whole. Pointing to h, say /h/, pointing to a , say /a/, pointing to m, say /m/. Running your hand under the whole word, say "hhhaaammm--ham." Have Sam, Pam, and jam formed in this way. After all words have been formed, have students read them.
Step 4: Providing Mixed Practice
Realizing that they are learning words that all end in the same way, students may focus on the initial letter and fail to take careful note of the rest of the word, the rime. After presenting a pattern, mix in words from previously presented patterns and have these read. For instance, after presenting the -at pattern, present a list of mixed -at and -am words: hat, ham, sat, Sam, jam, cat, Pam, pat. Besides being a good review, this trains students to use all the word's letters in their decoding processes. Otherwise, students might say the first word in a series of pattern words and then just use the initial consonant to say the rest. If students fail to use all the letters when reading on their own, they may misread Pam for Pat and ham for hat, etc. Reading mixed patterns also reviews previously presented patterns.
Step 5: Introducing the Model Word
Choose one of the pattern words to be a model word. Select a word that has a high frequency, is easy, and--if possible--which can be depicted. For the -am pattern, you might choose ham, which is easily illustrated. After a pattern has been introduced, add its model word to a model words chart. If students forget the pattern, they can refer to the model words chart. Point out the model word ham and explain that it has a picture that shows the word. Tell students that if they forget how to say the model word, the picture will help them. If students encounter difficulty with am words, help them to look for a part of the word they can say (am) and, if that doesn't work, use the model word ham as an analogy word to help them decipher the unknown word. Also encourage the use of context. Students should use context to assist in the use of the pronounceable word part or other sounding-out strategies and especially when sounding-out strategies don't work. Context should also be used to make sure that the word decoded is a real word and fits the sense of the selection.
Step 6: Guided Practice
Step 7: Application
Have students apply their knowledge of the -am pattern by reading selections that contain am words. If possible, share read Green Eggs and Ham with students.
Step 8: Spelling: am, jam
Learning to spell new pattern words is excellent reinforcement. Choose words that students will most likely use in their writing. To introduce the words, give a pretest. Dictate the words and have students attempt to spell them. Say each word, use the word in a sentence, and then say each word: "am. I am a teacher. am." "jam. I like jam on my toast. jam" Have students say the word, enunciating it carefully before writing it. This will help them focus on the word's sounds. After the pretest, write the correct spellings on the board, and have students check their attempts, making any corrections necessary. They should focus their studying on words that were difficult for them.
Step 9: Writing:
Students compose an illustrated "I am" piece telling about themselves. They might write a piece similar to the following: "I am Sam. I am a boy. I am 7." Encourage the use of invented spelling. However, students are expected to spell pattern words correctly.
Adapted from Gunning, T. (2000). Phonological awareness and primary phonics.
Boston:Allyn & Bacon.
For nursery rhymes and illustrations that might be used to reinforce -am and other patterns, go to Webbing into Literacy at http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/wil/home.html
Click on Resources for rhymes, books, games, and other activities that might be used to reinforce patterns. Click on Placing Students to find out how to determine students’ starting points.
Step 1: Introducing the Correspondence
Present the correspondence m = /m/. First emphasize the sound of /m/.
Stress the way that the lips are pressed together to form the sound /m/.
Explain that man, moon, mouse, monkey, mirror, and mop begin with
/m/. Have students say the words. Write the words man and moon
on the board. Stress the sounds as you write the letters that represent them.
Explain that the letter m stands for the sound /m/ heard at the
beginning of mmman and mmmoon. If any of your students' names
begin with /m/, write their names on the board, too: Maria, Martin, Marisol,
again emphasizing the beginning sound as you do so.
Step 2: Guided Practice
Assuming that the correspondences s = /s/ and f = /f/ have been
introduced, present groups of word cards similar to the following.
Ask: Which word says man? man sun fish (These are printed on word cards.)
After each correct response; ask questions similar to the following: How do
you know this word says man? If the student says because it begins with
the letter m, ask, "What sound does m stand for?" If
the student says he chose the word because it begins with an /m/ sound,
ask, "What letter stands for /m/." In that way students will
make connections between the letters and the sounds they represent. If the student
has given an incorrect response, read the word that was mistakenly pointed to
and then point to the correct word and read it: "No, this word is sun.
It begins with the letter s. S makes an /s/ sound. This is the
word man. It begins with the letter m. M makes the /m/
sound that you hear at the beginning of man. Proceed to additional word
groups.
Which word says sun? man sun fish
Which word says fish ? man sun fish
Which word says me ? me see five
Which word says five ? me see five
Which word says see ? me see five
Which word says mat ? mat sat fat
Which word says fat ? mat sat fat
Which word says sat ? mat sat fat
Which word says mat? mat sat fat
Which word says mad? mad sad fad
Which word says sad? mad sad fad
Go through the words in groups of three several times or until students seem to have some fluency with the words.
Step 3: Guided Spelling
In guided spelling, the teacher carefully articulates the words and the student
spells them with a set of plastic letters. Initially, the student might simply
select from three plastic letters the one that spells the beginning sound. Later,
as the student learns to spell whole words, he might be asked to spell two-
or three-letter words and would be given the letters in mixed-up order.
Step 4: Reading Real World Words
Also use real-world materials. Holding up a milk carton, have students point
to the word milk. Holding up a tub of margarine, have students point
to the word margarine.
Step 1: Introducing the Correspondence
Present the correspondence m = /m/. Emphasize the sound of final /m/.
Explain that am, ham, Sam, and Pam all end with the sound of /m/.
Have students say the words. Write the words am, ham, Sam, and Pam
on the board. Stress the sounds as you write the letters that represent them.
Explain that the letter m stands for the sound /m/ heard at the end of
hammmm and Sammm. Write the words ham and Sam on
the board.
Step 2: Guided Practice
Assuming that the final correspondences d = /d/ and t = /t/ have been
introduced, present groups of word cards similar to the following.
Which word says Sam? Sad Sam Sat (These are printed on word cards.)
After each correct response, ask questions similar to the following: "How
do you know this word says Samm?"
If the student says because it ends with an m, ask, "What sound
does m stand for?" If the student says he chose the word because
it ends with an /m/ sound, ask, "What letter stands for /m/.
In that way students will make connections between the letters and the sounds
they represent. If the student has given an incorrect response, read the word
that was mistakenly pointed to and point to the correct word: "No, this
word is sat. It ends with a t. T makes a /t/ sound. This
is the word Sam. It ends with an m. M makes the /m/ sound
that you hear at the end of Sam. Proceed to additional word groups.
Which word says ham? had ham hat
Which word says had? had ham hat
Which word says hat? had ham hat
Which word says Sam? Sad Sam Sat
Which word says sat? Sad Sam Sat
Which word says sad? Sad Sam Sat
Which word says Pam? Pad Pam Pat
Which word says pad? Pad Pam Pat
Which word says pat? Pad Pam Pat
Which word says had? had ham hat
Which word says ham? had ham hat
Which word says hat? had ham hat
Go through the words in groups of three several times or until students seem to have some fluency with the words.
Step 3: Guided Spelling
In guided spelling, the teacher carefully articulates the words and the
student spells it with a set of plastic letters. Initially, the student might
simply select from three plastic letters the one that spelled the beginning
sound. Later, as the student learns to spell whole words, he might be asked
to spell two- or three-letter words and would be given the letters in mixed-up
order.
Vowels
After students have mastered initial and final consonants, introduce vowels.
At this point, consider switching to the Word Building approach. If students
have done well with initial and final consonants, they should do well with the
Word Building approach to learning vowel patterns. After students have learned
the a and i patterns, you might conduct activities such as those
listed below to contrast a and i patterns and later a, i,
and e, patterns and eventually all the short- vowel patterns. Suggested
sequence of introduction is to present a, i, e, o, and u patterns
in that order. If students have difficulty with Word Building, go back to Speech
to Print. Speech to Print is easier because the students are only required to
identify the word that you have spoken.
Which word says pan? pan pin
Which word says tin? tan tin
Which word says pin? pan pin
Which word says had? had hid
Which word says wag? wag wig
Which word says tan? tan tin
Which word says big? bag big
Which word says bat? bat bit
Which word says hid? had hid
Which word says bag? bag big
Which word says bit? bat bit
Which word says pan? pan pin pen
Which word says pin? pan pin pen
Which word says tan ? tan tin ten
Which word says bad? bad bed bid
Which word says big? bag beg big
Which word says tin? tan tin ten
Which word says pat? pat pet pit
Which word says ten ? tan tin ten
Which word says him? ham him hem
Which word says bag? bag beg big
Which word says bed? bad bed bid
Which word says ham? ham him hem
Adapted from: Vandervelden, M. C. & Siegel, L. S. (1997). Teaching phonological
processing skills in early literacy: A developmental approach. Learning Disability
Quarterly, 20, 63-81
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