Episode 13: Phonics Lesson Part 2
We know that small group time is so important. We have a group of students who have a need, and we want to be the ones to meet it! Take a look at Part 2 of our phonics lesson to learn how.
Explicitly Teaching a Skill:
During the actual lesson, we must teach things explicitly and directly. Below is a sample of what this might look like.
Example: Digraph sh
Follow the I Do, We Do, You Do model and be sure to model activities for them!
Teacher: “Today, we’re going to learn a new sound! This sound is brand new because it takes the letter s and the letter h and makes a new sound. The new sound is shhhhh.”
Show pictures of images containing the sh sound at the beginning and end of words, emphasizing the sh sound in each picture.
Teacher: “This is an image of a shhhhip. Do you hear the new sound?”
Students: Thumbs up or thumbs down based upon whether or not they hear it
Write words with the sh sound on the white board, underlining the sh in each word and repeating its sound /sh/.
Explicit Activities
Word chaining, phoneme grapheme-mapping, reading words in isolation, and Elkonin boxes are amazing activities that help students connect sound to symbol.
Sight/Heart Words
When teaching a specific skill, take a look at some sight or heart words that would fit into this specific phonics skill.
Example: If you’re studying short a and your students have not learned the difference between s and z at the end of a word, has would be a great one to teach.
Example: If you’re studying the wh digraph, sight words where, when, why, etc. would fit perfectly into your lesson.
Application of Skills:
During this portion of the lesson, students are applying the skills they’ve learned to reading and writing.
We must give our students ample time to practice the skills they’ve learned in context.
Reading: Begin with these activities and graduate to decodable texts. Ensure that all activities contain the phonics skill focus:
words in context → sentence pyramids → decodable passages → decodable books
Writing: Give students plenty of time to apply their phonics knowledge to writing
This can be done through dictation (sound, word, or sentence)
Ensure that this is done with words that have previously been taught and that have followed a scope and sequence.
Have students write down the sounds, words, or sentences you say.
Helpful Phonics Resources:
Phonics Reading Roadmap: phonics instruction with science of reading in mind. Learn how to teach systematic and explicit phonics instruction.
Kindergarten Roadmap: focus on letter sounds and phonemic awareness, be equipped with tools you’ll use in your small group lessons that will encourage phonics and decoding
Phonics Lessons & Activities MEGA Bundle: includes a scope and sequence, blank templates, phonemic awareness warm ups, drill cards, sentence pyramids, and so, so much more.
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