Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the short vowel correspondence u=/u/. In order to be able to read, children need to recognize that the spelling of the word maps pronunciations, as the letters represent vocal gestures or phonemes. In this lesson,

 

Materials:

1. Image of kid holding stomach

2. Cover-up critter

3. Projector

4. Letterboxes                           

5. Pill boxes with letter tiles for each student

6. Words written on a poster to read [bun, rug, club, stung, blob, trunk, and skunk, along with extra words trump and fluff, along with pseudoword kust]

7. Decodable text Fuzz and the Buzz

8. Flashcards with short u and review words [it, spud, bump, plot, flush, plunk, crust, and brunk]

 

1. Say: In order to become expert readers we need to learn how to pronounce words by looking at their spellings. This is sometimes tricky, especially for short vowels, as many letters signal sounds that are very similar. We have already learned that a says /a/, like a crying baby, and e says /e/, like a creaking door. Today we are going to learn what the short vowel u says. Short U sounds like “uhhh”, so like the noise you make when your tummy hurts from eating too much candy. [show students the image of the student holding his stomach and act out rubbing your tummy and saying “uhhh”]

 

2. Say: We are going to learn the spelling of /u/, but first we are going to try and hear it in some words. When I listen for /u/ in words,  I try to hear the “uhhh” sound, like my tummy hurts. My lips are open and my tongue lays flat. [model saying “uhh” with lips parted] I will show you first how to listen for short U in the word plunge. I heard “uhhh” and felt my lips part while my tongue stayed flat. There is a short U in plunge. Now I’m going to see if it is in hot. When making this word, I didn’t hear the “uhh” sound and my mouth was open like a yawn. This must mean there is no short U in hot. Now let’s all try as a class, remembering to listen for “uhhh” in each word. If you hear the “uhh” sound say “Uhhh my tummy”. If you don’t hear /u/, say “That’s not it.” Is it in club, flop, rude, truck, slept, rust? [Have children rub their tummies when they hear “uhh”]

 

3. Say: Now that we have gone over how to recognize /u/ in spoken words, we are going to look at how to spell words with /u/. I am going to take out my letterboxes and show you how I do it. [put letterboxes under the projector so that all the students can see] Okay, I’ll spell jump. Now we hear /j/ /u/ /m/ /p/, which is four phonemes, so we know we will need four letter boxes. To start off I hear the /j/ sound, so I know the word starts with a j. I am going to put the j in the first box. Next, I hear the “uhhh” sound like when my tummy hurts, so I know that the next box needs a u. To figure out the next letter, I repeat the word really slowly and stretch it out- jj-uuu-mmmmm-p. I hear the /m/ sound, so I put an m in the next letter box. I hear the /p/ sound at the end of jump so the last letterbox gets the letter p. Now we’ve spelled jump, like “the cow jumped over the moon.”

 

4. Say: Now, everyone is going to get the chance to spell some letterboxes. Our first word is bun, like how a ballerina wears her hair. We only need three boxes for this one. I am going to walk around the room to make sure everyone spelled it correctly, and let me know if you have any questions. [Correct any errors as you walk around].  You will need three letterboxes for the next word too. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the first box, then listen for our /u/ or “uhh” sound in the middle, with another sound on the end. Here’s the word: rug, I sit on the comfy rug; rug. [Allow students to spell each of the following words, giving sentences to accompany each word: club, stung, blob, trunk, and skunk.]

 

5. Say: Now we are going to read some words that are written on this poster. You may recognize them as the words we just spelled in our letterboxes. I will first show you my thinking when I read a word. [Model reading by decoding with a cover up critter on the poster with the first word, decode and then blend the sounds together.] Okay, now lets try it all together. Remember, when we see the u, it makes the “uhhh” sound and we rub our tummies. [Point to each word on the poster and have the students read them out loud, then call on individual students to try reading individual words]

 

6. Say: I think everyone has the hang of reading words with our new short vowel, U. We are all going to read a book called Fuzz and the Buzz. This book talks about a bear named Fuzz. Fuzz is a curious bear, and runs away from home on an adventure. While he is out playing, he comes across some bees. Are the bees going to sting Fuzz? Will he get home safely? Let’s read and find out. Everyone get into pairs and take turns reading each page. [Children pair up and alternate reading pages while the teacher floats and monitors progress.] Alright, now that everyone has finished, let’s read it all together as a class. [Ask questions after each page about the plot]

 

7. Say: Now I want everyone to draw a scene from the book Fuzz and the Buzz. [As all of the students work on this, the teacher will call them up one by one to her desk and have each one read flashcards with the following words to check for understanding; it, spud, bump, plot, flush, plunk, crust, and brunk]

 

Resources:

Belle Brennan, Grunt Like a Caveman with U: http://isabellebrennan.wixsite.com/keylessonsinreading/beginning-reading

 

Fuzz and the Buzz. Educational Insights, 1990. Phonics Readers, Short U Book 9. 

http://www.amazon.com/Fuzz-Buzz-Phonics-Readers-Vowels/dp/0886798590