Miss Turner's Literacy

Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the short vowel correspondence o = /o/. 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 o. They will learn meaningful representation (a child opening their mouth wide while at the doctor’s office and saying “Ahh”), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson , and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence o = /o/.

 

Materials: Graphic image of child at the doctor’s office with their mouth open saying “ahhh”; 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 teachers: p, o, d, c, k, s, t, m, h, i, a, r; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: pop, tap (review), drop, stop, frog, moth, pick (review), log; decodable text: The Tot and the Pot; 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 other vowels, like short a (hat), and today we are going to learn about short o and “ah” that is used to make o say its name, /o/. When I say /o/ I think of going to the doctor and how they make you open your mouth wide and say “ah” as they look at your throat. [show graphic image].

2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /o/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /o/ in words, I hear o say its name /o/ and my lips make a big o shape like this [Make vocal gesture for /o/]. I’ll show you first: stop. I heard o say its name and I felt my lips make a big o [make a circle motion around open lips.] There is a short o in stop. Now I’m going to see if it’s in school. Hmm, I didn’t hear o say its name and my lips didn’t open like a big o. Now you try. If you hear /o/ say, “Ahh, that’s right!” If you don’t hear /o/ say, “Nope, that’s not it.” Is it in slope, rain, car, box, nose? [Have children make a circle motion around their open lips when they feel /o/ say its name.]

3. Say: Now let’s look at the spelling of /o/  that we’ll learn today. One way to spell /o/ is with the letter o. [Write o on the board.] What if I want to spell the word stomp? “When I want to kill a scary bug, I stomp on it.” Stomp means to step on in this sentence. To spell stomp in the letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word, so I stretch it out and count: /s//t//o//m//p/. I need 5 boxes. I heard that /o/ just before the /m/ in the 3rd box. The word starts with /s/, that’s easy; I need an s. Now it gets a little tricky so I’m going to say it slowly, /s//t//o//m//p/. I think I heard /t/ so I’ll put a t right after the s. Next is my short o = /o/, which I added at the beginning! Hmm, what comes next… /s//t//o//m//p/, I think I heard yummy /m/ so I need an m. I have one empty box now. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /s//t//o//m//p/.] The missing one is p = /p/. Now I’m going to model reading a tough word (vowel-first body-coda blending: show shock written on the board). When I see a tough word like this, I am going to find the vowel first (underline o). Here it is! Let’s rewrite it underneath. I know that this letter, o, says /o/. Now let’s add it together with the beginning sound of this word. I see the letters sh (rewrite sh in front of the o written below). I know that the letters sh together say /sh/. Let’s add it to our vowel now. /sh/ /o/; /sho/ (slowly), /sho/ (full speed). So we know the first half of our word says /sho/! Let’s add the letters at the end! This word is tricky because these two letters also work together to make one sound. I see the letters ck (write down underneath with the newly written word). I know that these letters say /k/. Now let’s add it to the rest of the word! /sh/ /o/ /k/; /shok/ (slowly); /shok/ (full speed). This word says shock! Shock is a word that can mean surprise or a jolt of electricity. Example sentences: Maddie was shocked when she walked into her surprise birthday party. Rachel felt a static shock when she rubbed her fuzzy jacket and then touched the metal door handle.

4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with two boxes for off. “Our teacher turned off the light when she wanted us to be quiet.” What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers.] What goes in the second box? Did you remember what is special about hearing /f/ at the end of a word? (double f). Did you remember to spell /f/ with ff? I’ll check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need three letterboxes for the next word. Listen to the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for /o/. Here’s the word: pot, I cooked spaghetti in a pot; pot. [Allow children to spell words.] Time to check your work. Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: p – o – t and see if you’ve spelled it the same way. Try another with three boxes: mop; I need a mop to clean up the mess on the floor. [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 /o/ in it before you spell it: zip; make sure you zip your jacket before you go outside. Did you need a short o? Why not? Right, we are reviewing our icky sticky short vowel i = /i/ from last week with this word, not using yawning short o = /o/. We spell it with our short vowel i. [Volunteer spells it on the front board.] Now let’s try 4 phonemes: slob; my slob of a brother leaves messes all over the house. One more then we’re done with spelling, and this time you need five boxes: stomp; If I stomp on a scary bug it will get squished! Remember to stretch it out to get this tough word.

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 stomp on the top and model reading the word.] First, I see there’s an o in the middle for the vowerl; that’s my signal that the vowel will yawn and say /o/. 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.] /s//t/ = /st/. Now I’m going to blend that with /o/ = /sto/. Now all I need is the end, /m/ + /p/ = /stomp/. Stomp; 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 spelling and reading words with our new spelling for o = /o/. Now we are going to read a book called The Tot and the Pot. This is a story about Tom who is sitting outside with his mom. Tom sees a pot he wants to play with. Will Tom be able to reach the pot? If so, what will he do with the pot? Let’s pair up and take turns reading The Tot and the Pot to find out if Tom can reach the pot. (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 The Tot and the Pot aloud together, and stops between page turns to discuss what is happening with the story.)

7. Say: That was a good story. Before we finish up with our lesson about a way to spell /o/ = o, I want to see how you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet, students will look at a few pictures and twelve words to determine if they hear the short o sound. Then, they will come up with words on their own that have a short o in them.

​References:

• Open Wide! https://chs0025.wixsite.com/lessondesigns/beginning-reading by Caroline Shea

• The Tot and the Pot by Lili Henderson: https://www.readinga-z.com/book/decodable.php?id=7

• Assessment worksheet: https://www.myteachingstation.com/short-o-sound-worksheet

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