BEGINNING READING

Icky Iguana

Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the short vowel correspondence i = /i/. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling i. Children need to recognize phonemes before they can match them to phoneme spellings. Some of the more difficult correspondences for children to recognize and use effectively in language are the short-vowel sounds, such as i=/i/. Children will learn to recognize /i/ in spoken words by learning a meaningful representation and then practice finding /i/ in words. 

Materials: chart with "The icky iguana was ill inside the igloo."; Elkonin letterboxes; set of lowercase letters: i, d, g, b(2), t, p, m, l, k, f, w, n; Liz is Six by Shelia Cushman; chalk; 
chalkboard; primary paper; pencil 

Procedure:

1. Begin by explaining that we use letters to write down words, and these letters have different sounds. Explain that we must recognize these sounds to read and write. "Today we are going to learn about the short vowel i and the sound it makes." 
2. Ask students: "Have you ever seen a baby pig rolling around in the mud? That baby pig might make the /i/ sound while doing that. Let's say the word sick together, si-i -i -i-ick. In the middle of the word sick you heard the /i/ sound right? Good!" 
3. "Now let's try a tongue twister (on chart). "The icky iguana was ill with injuries inside the igloo." Everybody say it together. Now let's say it again, and this time we are going to stretch out the /i/ mouth move in the words it is in. "The iiicky iiiguana was iiill iiinside the iiigloo." Now this time I want you to try it for me. Good job." 
4. "Now ask the students to raise their hand when they hear the /i/ mouth 
move. Do you hear /i/ in pick or pack? Your right, we hear the /i/ mouth move in pick. Do 
you hear /i/ in lick or lack? Good, we hear /i/ in the word lick." 
5. Lay out the letters the child will need to spell the words in the letterbox lesson. When you finish the three phoneme words use the same steps to complete the four phoneme words. "Students I'm going to say some words that I want you to spell for me. I've given you some letters and letterboxes. We will start with words that have three mouth moves then move on to words with four mouth moves. For each mouth move you hear, put the spelling for it in one box. I'll do one for you first. I'm going to spell pig. Pig has three mouth moves. The first mouth move that I hear is /p/, so I'll put it in the first box. Next I hear /i/, so I'll put 
it in the second box. The last mouth move that I hear is /g/, so it goes in the last box. /p/ 
/i/ /g/. Now, let's get started." (words used will be dig, bib, tip, dim, milk, lift, wind) 
6. "Students this book is called Liz is Six. It is about Liz and a pig. They 
are playing a baseball game. Who will win? Each of you will be asked to read the book to me individually." 
7. For assessment I will have the students write down all of the words from the book with /i/, and have them read them back to me.

Resources:

Reading Genie: http://www.auburn.edu/%7Evdb0002/bierleybr.htm

Liz is Six Publisher: Educational Insights