Icky, Sticky Glue
Beginning Reading Lesson
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Rationale:
This lesson teaches the short vowel correspondence i = /i/. In order for students to be able to read, they need to learn the tools and instructions to help them to decode words. Once students know how to decode words and pronounce phonemes, they have the appropriate tools to be able to read. The goal of this lesson is for students to understand the phoneme i = /i/, as well as learn a physical representation of that phoneme that will help them to remember. In this lesson, students will learn by a Letter Box Lesson how to spell words with the phoneme i = /i/. In the LBL, the teacher will model for the students and explain how to decode words with this phoneme. Then the students can try to decode on their own. The student will also read a decodable book that focuses on the i=/i/. The goal of learning this phoneme is to decode words and add those decoded words to the reader’s sight vocabulary.
Materials:
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Picture of hand pulling away from sticky glue.
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A cover-up critter
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Letterboxes for the students
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Letter manipulatives p, i, g, t, w, k, d, n
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A list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: pig, it, wig, kid, pink.
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A decodable text: My Short i Book (linked below in references)
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An assessment worksheet (linked in "References" at the bottom of page)
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Procedures:
1. Say: “In order to become expert readers we need to learn the code that tells us how to pronounce certain words. Today we are going to learn the short i sound and how to say /i/. When I say /i/ I think of someone touching sticky glue and saying ‘iiiii gross!” (show graphic)
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2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /i/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /i/ in words, I hear i say its short vowel name /i/. I will show you first: fit. The first letter makes a /f/ sound. So, we have /f//f/f/. Next, we have the /i/ sound so now we have /fi/. Last, we have the /t/ sound. /t/t/t/. Which makes /fit/. I heard i say its short vowel name. There is a short i in fit. Now I am going to see if it is in bed. Hmm, I did not hear i say its short vowel name. Now you try. If you hear /i/ say, “iiii gross!” If you do not hear /i/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in dog, kid, boat, tin, shoe?
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3. Say: “Now, we need to learn to spell words with short i sounds. We will use a practice word and our letterboxes to practice. Our practice word will be pig. “The pink pig ran around the farm” To spell pig in letterboxes, I first need to know how many phonemes are in the word, so I stretch it out and count: /p/ /i/ /g/. I need 3 boxes. I heard the short i sound in the middle, so I will put the i in the second letterbox. I also heard /p/ at the beginning so I will put a p in the first letterbox. I need to sound it out again for the last phoneme: /p/ /i/ /g/. There is a hard g sound for the last letterbox. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /p/ /i/ /g/.]
| P | | i | | g |
4. Say: Now I am going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You will start out easy with two boxes for it. “I am looking for it.” What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? I will check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You will need three letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for /i/ and our icky sticky glue. Here is the word: wig. That man is wearing a wig, wig. [Allow children to spell words.] Time to check your work. Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: w – i – g and see if you have spelled it the same way. Try another with three boxes: kid. A kid is a baby goat, kid. [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 /i/ in it before you spell it: set. “I set my paper down.” Did you hear our icky sticky glue? Why not? Right, because we do not hear /i/ say its short vowel name. We spell set with our short vowel e. [volunteer spells it on the front board.] Now let us try four phonemes: pink. There is a pink flower outside. That was the last word to spell!
5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you have spelled, but first I will show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with stink on the top and model reading the word.] First, I see i in the word and I know it will make the short i sound. I am going to use a cover-up to get the first part. [Uncover and blend sequentially before the vowel, then blend with the vowel.] /S/ is the first sound in the word stink. The next sound is /t/. I am going to blend those two sounds together to get /st/. Next, I will add my short I sound onto that /st/ sound. That makes /sti/. Then, we have a /n/ sound, which makes /stin/ All that is left on the end is /k/. Stink: that is, it. Now it is your turn, everyone together. [Have children read words in unison. Afterward, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]
6. Say: You have done a great job and reading words with our new spelling for /i/ = i. Now we are going to read a book called My Short i Book. This story is about a pig named Jim. He is a big pig. He also has a friend named Tim. Tim gets sick and Jim helps him. To find out if Jim helps Tim get better we will have to read My Short i Book. [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 Pen Pals aloud together and stops between page turns to discuss the plot.]
7.Say: That was a fun story. Did Jim help Tim get better? That is right! He did! Before we finish up with our lesson about one way to spell /i/ = i, I want to see if you have mastered the icky sticky i. On this worksheet, you will read the words in the first box of each row and circle the ending that they all share. Then take a look at the picture clue and write one more word that has the same short vowel sound ending. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]
References:
Erin Stringfellow Icky Sticky, i: https://erinstringfellow18.wixsite.com/erindesign/beginning-reading
Decodable book My short i Book: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Short-I-Decodable-Book-Freebie-3045410
Assessment Worksheet: https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/meet-word-family-short-i/
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