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BEGINNGING READING LESSON DESIGN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ay = /A/

The dancers are swaaayyying!

By Jadyn Owens

 

Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence ay = /A/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that map word pronunciations. Children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling ay with this lesson. We will kick off the lesson with a meaningful representation (two dancers swaying). Students will then spell and read words containing this spelling in a letterbox lesson, and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence ay = /A/.

 

Materials: Graphic image of the dancers swaying; cover-up critter; whiteboard, letter boxes for modeling (students need letter boxes to follow along); letter manipulatives for each child and letters for teacher, A list of spelling words for students to see is also needed. say, tip, gray, play, drag, tray, stab, stray, spray pseudoword: vray assessment worksheet and decodable text: James and the Good Day [links below]

 

Procedure

1. Say: In order to become fluent readers, students we need to learn the cues that tells us how to pronounce certain words. You have already mastered short vowel words with a like dad, and today we are going to learn about long A and the silent y signal that is used to make A say its name, /A/. When I say /A/ I think of two dancers swaaaaaying back and forth saying swaaaay[show graphic image]. Now let’s look at the spelling of some words with the sound /A/ that we’ll learn today. One way to make the letter a say /A/ is with a y right next to it as A’s buddy. This tells me A’s name. [Write ay on the board.]

 

2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of words with the sound /A/, we are going to start by listening for our long A in some words. When I listen for /A/ in words, I hear a say its name /A/ and my mouth opens wide with my tongue behind my teeth, and I let out a long ayyy sound. I’ll show you first: May. I heard a say its name and I felt my tongue stay behind my teeth and my throat say the ayyy sound [make the mouth gesture]. There is a long A in May. Now I’m going to see if it’s in grab. Hmm, I didn’t hear a say its name. Now you try. If you hear /A/ say, “ayyyyy like you’re doing swaying back and forth, that’s our cue! If you don’t hear /A/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in bay, trip, coat, lay?

 

3. What if I want to spell the word gray? To spell spray in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word so I stretch it out and count: //g/r/Ay/. I need 3 boxes because ay are always buddies and are going to stay in a box together. So let’s put /ay/ together in the 3rd box. The word starts with /g/, that’s easy; I need a g. Now it gets a little tricky so I’m going to say it slowly, /g//r//Ay/. I think I heard /r/ so I’ll put a r right after the g. /g/r//ay/.] Now I’ll show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with gray on the top and model reading the word.] I’m going to start with the ay; that part says /A/. Now I’m going to put the beginning letters with it: g-r, /gr/. Now I’ll put that chunk together with the last sound, /gr-Ay/. Oh, gray, like “I saw a gray dog.”

 

4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. Lets start out with two boxes and spell the word say. “I have so much to say to you.” What about silent y, did you remember to put it in the same box with its buddy a? I’ll check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] Lets add a box for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the first box. Then listen for /A/ and don’t forget to put the silent y at the end, inside the box with its buddy a. Here’s the word: play, I love to play with my dog; play. [Allow children to spell remaining words, giving sentences for each word: tip, drag, tray, stab, stray, spray

 

5. Say: Now we are going to practice reading the words we just spelled. I will show you how to read them first. Let’s practice together on the word play. [show board with play written and model reading the word] First, I see that A is with its buddy Y so I know it makes the nay nay sound. I am going to use a cover-up to sound out the word. [uncover and blend sequentially before the vowel and then blend in the long vowel] p-l =/p//l/ then add /ay/=/A/: play, that’s it! Now its your turn to try some words to read! [Show the words way, lip, clay, flag, tray, crab, stray, spray and the pseudoword splay. 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 at mastering words with our new spelling for /A/: ay. Now we are going to read a book called James and the good day. This is a story of a boy named James. He wakes up one morning excited to have the best day ever! As he searches for the best things around his house, he runs into a problem. To find out how his day goes you will have to read James and the Good day.

 

Assessment 1. Say: We are going to wrap up our lesson on /A/ = ay with a fun worksheet! On this worksheet, we have some pictures of many different things. I want you to look at the pictures and spell with the correct spelling of the word that goes with the picture. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]

 

References: Harrell, Rebecca. Do the nay nay, ayyyy https://rlh0039.wixsite.com/mysite/beginning-reading-design

Book: Cushman, Sheila, et al. James and the good day. Educational Insights, 1990. Assessment worksheet: https://www.myteachingstation.com/picture-word-find-ar-words

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