For my small group lesson, I chose to focus on four of my lower-level first graders (3 girls, 1 boy). I've noticed throughout the year that they struggle with not only reading, but also writing. From working one-on-one with them, I've attempted to help them spell words by telling them which letter comes next. All four of them have shown confusion as to which letter they were supposed to write. I chose to create a "game" that focused on letter-sound knowledge and phonemic awareness. Using a paper plate, I wrote all of the letters on the alphabet and create a spinner with a paper clip and pencil. One student spun and whichever letter the spinner landed on, each student had to think of word that started with that letter. We also practiced saying the sound the letter made. Whoever's turn it was then placed a sticker on this piece of the letter wheel so that we didn't repeat letters. One student, Emily*, was very unenthusiastic at first and disappointed to have to leave the nature walk early to come inside and do a letter game. However, afterwards, she was telling all the other students how fun it was. Another girl gave me a big hug after we finished working in the hallway and were heading back to the room. I knew that this girl, Angelina*, would likely struggle coming up with words since her letter-sound knowledge is so weak; therefore, I created a PowerPoint with a slide for each letter of the alphabet and then pictures/clip art images that started with that letter so that students could have an extra form of support. This came in very useful several times when students were stuck and alleviated some of their anxiety/reduced embarrassment.
We didn't make it through the whole alphabet during the time alloted; thus, one modification would be to either do it with a smaller group so that more letters can be covered in the same amount of time, or increase the alloted time. Another change I would make would be to refresh students' memory and practice saying the alphabet. Even though they are in first grade and were exposed to it last year, undoubtedly, after doing this activity, it is apparent that some of them are a little rusty with this skill. Although in my lesson plan, I had students writing out these words on white boards, I recognized that this would take too much time to complete. A potential follow-up lesson could be to incorporate the spelling aspect of words. Even if students didn't write all the words, the teacher could choose one to have all students write on the whiteboard, or the teacher could type the words the students volunteered onto the PowerPoint or write them on a whiteboard and have everyone practice reading the words together.
Overall, I was pretty pleased with how smoothly this activity went and that my students were enjoying and benefiiting from this extra practice at the same time.
Grade: 1st/2nd SIP Focus Students:(A, J, E, I)
ReplyDeleteMini-Lesson
Rationale (Why are you teaching this lesson?): Several of my 1st graders struggle with phonemic and phonological skills that impair their abilities to generate words when writing, as well as sound out words when reading.
Objective for this lesson: Students will be able to…
(Remember it must be student centered and observable!!!!!!!) Students will be able to name the graphic representation of the alphabetic letters, as well as verbally generate words that begin with that sound. They will then be able to copy down the correct spelling of the word with teacher’s assistance
Materials & supplies needed:
-Alphabet spinning wheel
-Individual whiteboards and markers
-stickers
-hint cards
Procedures and approximate time allocated for each event
• Introduction to the lesson (What will you say to help children understand the purpose of the lesson? How will you help them make connections to prior lessons or experiences? How will you motivate them to become engaged in the lesson?) (2 minutes)
-I know that all of you know the alphabet, but why is it so important that we know the letters? (We need to know them so that we can read and write). Today we are going to play a game to help us think about what sounds the letters make and words that start with that same sound.
• OUTLINE of key events during the lesson (Include specific details about how you will begin and end activities; what questions you will use; how you will help children understand behavior expectations during the lesson; when/how you will distribute supplies and materials) (15-20 minutes)
-Does everyone see this spinning wheel? We are going to take turns spinning it. When it lands on a letter, whoever’s turn it is will say the letter and what sound it makes. Then they’ll put a star on this space so that we know we’ve already used it. We’ll go around the circle and each of you will try to think of a word that starts with that sound. I’ll write it on my whiteboard and then you’ll copy it down. After we’ve all said a word for that letter, the next person will spin.
-Are there any questions before we get started? Since we’re working in the hallway, we’re going to need to use whisper voices and show everyone else who’s walking in the hallway what hard workers you are.
-If students are having a hard time thinking of words, I will have a hint card for each letter that has pictures of objects that students could name.
-I may also have to repeat the sound produced by the students and have them contrast it to the correct sound so that they can identify and note the differences.
• Closing summary for the lesson (How will you bring closure to the lesson and involve children in reflecting on their experiences? How will you involve them making connections to prior lessons or prepare for future experiences? What kind of feedback do you want from them at this time?) (3 minutes)
You guys did such a great job today. When you’re writing morning message and are having a hard time thinking of how to spell the word that’s in your head, think about we did today and which letter on the wheel you would need. What did you think of our game?
Assessment: (How will you know the students are progressing toward your identified objective? What will you observe for and/or take notes on to help you plan follow-up instruction?)
-I am going to audio record our small group session so that I can remember which words students suggested for the various letters and draw conclusions about each individual student’s progress and note any letters that caused issues for multiple students. This is information that I can share with my MT to benefit her instruction.
Erika,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading over your mini lesson. I thought that you did a great job working with your students and came up with an engaging and interactive lesson. This is a lesson that I think would work well in any school setting and I would like to implement it in my classroom one day. I think that your lesson objective was executed nicely through your lesson and your assessment. I also feel that your lesson is one that the students will remember and will think back to when they are struggling with phonemic awareness and phonological skills.