Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence i=/i/. 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 with the letter “I” and makes the short /i/ sound. They will learn a meaningful representation (icky I says /i/), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence i=/i/. 

 

Materials: Graphic containing slime in hands to represent being “icky”; cover-up critter; whiteboard or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each child: k, i, d, b, g, h, m, s, n, x, t, e, l, l; list of spelling words on a poster or whiteboard to read: kid, big, him, skin, mix; text: Liz is Six; 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 words with a and e, like map and bed, and today we are going to learn short I and that it makes an icky sound. When I say /i/ I think of someone carrying slime and saying, “this slime is icky, sticky!” Just like icky sticky short I! (show graphic) 

 

2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /i/, we need to listen for it in some words. I’ll show you first: Gift. I heard i say its name and I heard the icky short I in the middle. There is a short I in gift. Now I’m going to see if it’s in den. Hmmm, I didn’t hear icky I in the word den. Now you try. If you hear /i/ say, “icky, sticky i.” If you don’t hear /i/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in lie, sit, dog, mom, hat, pig. (have students do the icky motions with their hands when hearing the short I sounds.)

 

3. Say: Now Im going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with three boxes for kid and provide a sentence for them (The poor kid is sick.) What should go in the first box? [Respond to their answers]. What goes in the second box? [Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Here’s the word: big (He has a big foot.) Check the kids’ work. Say: watch how I spell it in my letterboxes: b-i-g and see if you’ve spelled it the same way. Try another word: him (I sat next to him.) [Repeat this step for each word.] (skin, mix, text). 

 

4. Say: Now I’m going to let you read the words you’ve just spelled. First, let me show you how I would read a tough word. First, I’m going to look for my icky /i/. Now that I know my word has the icky /i/ in it, I’m going to cover up my word and uncover my word little by little. /g/ + /r/= gr. Now I add y /i/ and get my gri. Finally, I add my ending letter /p/. grip; that’s it. Now its your turn, everyone together. [Have students read words in unison, and then call on individual students to read one of the students to read one of the words on the list, continue this until every student has read a word.] 

 

5. Say: You’ve done a great job reading words with our new spelling for /i/=i. Now we are going to read a book called Liz is Six. Liz is turning six and gets a big mitt for a present. The pig goes up to bat and Liz catches the ball in her mitt. When Liz goes up to bat the pig tries to catch it. Will the pig catch it or drop the ball? Let’s read to find out. 

 

6. Say: You all did a wonderful job reading Liz is Six! Before we finish this lesson, we are going to practice what we learned by doing a worksheet. 

 

Reference:

 

Worksheet: https://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/vowels/i-begins1.htm

 

Book: Liz is Six https://auburn.instructure.com/files/147523559

 

Beginning Reading Design by John David Phillips:  Icky I says /i/ https://johndavid2332.wixsite.com/jdp0058/beginning-reading

​