Lesson Plan #: AELP-RDG0029
Submitted by: Sandra J. Lango
Email: SLangoTCHR@aol.com
School/University/Affiliation: Saint Joseph College
Endorsed by: Dr. Regina Chatel, Ph.D, Saint Joseph College
Date: December 4, 1998

Grade Level(s): 1

Subject(s):

• Language Arts/Reading

Description: This is a language arts lesson which involves the enhancement of emergent literacy skills: Phonetic sounds of O. This lesson is designed for use with First Grade. First graders will have fun looking for a mouse while learning and differentiating between the short and long vowels sounds of O. This lesson has a variety of activities and is designed to work with both whole group instruction and small group instruction. It also includes a homework assignment which includes parent participation.

Objectives: By participating in this lesson, the students will discriminate long vowel sounds and short vowel sounds of the letter O.

Whole Group Instruction: During story time, the students will demonstrate active listening by exhibiting one or more of the following behaviors: verbal participation; eye contact with teacher/book. Given words in the story, the student will identify words which contain the vowel O.

Small Group Instruction: Given O word cards, the students will orally read words which contain O vowel sounds. Given O word cards and three baskets, the students will sort short O and long O vowel sounds. Given a blank mouse book, the students will record objects in their dwellings which contain O vowel sounds. The student participates appropriately within a small group.

Materials:

• Book: Waber, B. Do You See a Mouse?. 1995. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company
• Word Cards: Plain white index cards
• One marker
• Teacher made blank Mouse book: 4 white pieces of white construction paper folded in half and stapled at the top. Directions: Write on the cover the following: Me and Mouse’s O Book by:
• Six baskets: Baskets or empty boxes may be substituted
• Masking tape
• Six blank 3 x 5 index cards marked with marker as follows: 3, o, ?. Directions: Tape marked cards to the center of the basket/box.

Procedure:

Initiation: Show the cover of the book, Do You See a Mouse? Discuss the cover. Ask the students be detectives and to find the mouse. Ask the students how many letter O’s they see inside each word in the title of the story. Assess the students for understanding. Ask the students to use their detective skills to help their classmates find the mouse’s hiding place in the story.

Procedure – Whole Group Instruction: Read Do You See a Mouse?, by Bernard Waber. Demonstrate the long and short vowel sounds of the letter o for the students. Ask the students to use their detective ears to listen for the o sounds. While reading the story, articulate vowel o words with particular stress. Ask the students to nod when they hear the O vowel sound. Ask the children to repeat the story chorus: No, no, no, there is no mouse here. Do you see a mouse? I do not see a mouse. Ask the children to identify where the mouse is hiding and to make predictions about what they think is going to happen.

Procedure – Small Group Instruction: Divide the students into two heterogeneous groups.

Group One: Identifying letter O: Copy pages from the book. Give each student one page and ask him/her to circle the letter O in each word where they can find it.

Group Two: Discriminating Short and Long Vowel Sounds of O: Provide the students with O word cards. Place three baskets on the center of the table. Taped to the center of each basket are the following 3 symbols: 3, o, ?. Present the baskets with vowel sounds and enunciate the sounds for the children. Ask the students to do the same. Ask the students to take turn reading the word cards orally to each other. Instruct the listeners to use their detective ears to help them figure out if the listeners to use their detective ears to help them figure out if the O sound is long or short. Tell them to place long sounding o words in the basket marked o. Tell the students to place the short sounding o words in the basket marked 3. Instruct the students to place O words that they do not know inside the basket marked with a question mark. When they have finished, have the children bring the baskets
to the teacher.

Note: The teacher may wish to assign one group to a para and work with this group to facilitate reading words that students may have difficulty pronouncing.

When both groups have completed their work ask the groups to rotate so that Group One is now performing the task that Group Two just finished and vise versa. Provide 3 new baskets for the next group. Using the second half of the O word cards.

Return to Whole Group: Instruct the students to return to the whole group. Fold a large piece of chart paper in half lengthwise to form two columns. At the top of the left column write o, at the top of the right column write 3. Remove and discuss each of the O words from the basket marked o. Write each word in it’s corresponding column. Repeat this procedure with the other baskets.

Closure: Place a cut out drawing of a mouse near objects in the room that contain the o vowel sound. Ask the children to say the name of the word. Write it on chart paper. Ask the children if they think it is short or long. Ask the group of students to give a thumbs up if they agree with their classmates answer. Provide feedback.

Homework: Provide the students with a teacher made mouse book. Have them color the mouse on the cover. Ask them to take their mouse book home with them. Have the students be mouse detectives. Have them look around their house for words that contain the O vowel sound. Ask them to write down the word or draw a picture of it in their books. Tell the students that they may ask a parent to help. Ask the students to bring their books back to school when they are finished.