Emergent Literacy Design by Chase Morrin

Rationale:

The goal of this lesson is for students to identify the phoneme /t/ represented by the grapheme T. Throughout this lesson, students will be able to recognize /t/ in words spoken by learning a sound analogy (the ticking clock), practicing their knowledge by finding /t/ in spoken words, and applying phoneme awareness with /t/ in phonetic cue reading by distinguishing rhyming words from beginning letters.

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Materials:

• Video of ticking clock

• Primary paper and pencil

• Poster with tongue tickler “Tony the Tiger Tries Tasty Tuna”

• The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Suess

• Word cards with TOP, TUG, TIP, FOOL, TIME, and MAKE

• Assessment worksheet recognizing pictures with /t/

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Procedures:

1. Say: We are going to learn about the letter T and what sound T makes. Can you practice saying /t/? We spell the sound /t/ with the letter T. /t/, /t/, /t/ sounds like the ticking of a clock. 

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2. (Show video of a ticking clock) Say: Let's watch this clock. Can you see it ticking? Each time we hear the clock tick, let's practice saying /t/. Notice how the tip of our tongue is right behind your top front teeth and we blow air to make the /t/ sound. 

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3. Now we are going to find /t/ in the word hat. I am going to say the word hat slowly and want  you to listen and tell me when you hear the tick sound that /t/ makes. Hhh-a-a-a-ttt. It is at the end of the word  where I can feel the tip of my tongue behind the top of my front teeth!

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4. Now we are going to say a tongue tickler. A tongue tickler is like a tongue twister where each word starts with the same first letter. (Point to poster with picture of Tony the Tiger and the tongue ticker). This is Tony the tiger. He is a tiger who does not like trying new foods but he tries tuna and thinks it is very tasty! Our tongue tickler is “Tony the Tiger Tries Tasty Tuna.” I want everyone to say it out loud together two times. Do you hear the /t/? Let's say each word slower and drag out the /t/. 

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5. Show an animation of the letter T being written in uppercase and lowercase. Say: Let's practice writing the letter T to spell words with /t/ in them (have students use primary paper and pencil). An uppercase T starts at the rooftop and goes straight down to the side walk. You should have a straight line from the rooftop to the sidewalk. Now make a horizontal line (a line that goes side-to-side, right-to-left) and draw a line on the rooftop.  To draw a lowercase t you do the same thing and draw a straight line from the rooftop to the sidewalk but then you draw the horizontal line on the fence. After I check your work practice writing the letter T nine more times and each time you write a letter practice making the /t/ sound.

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6. Say: Now we are going to play a little game. I am going to say two words and I want you to raise your hand and I will call on you to tell me what word you hear the ticking /t/ in. Do you hear /t/ in dog or cat? Finger or toe? Toothbrush or floss? Now let's point to the clock if you hear /t/ in time, fun, butterfly, biscuit, recess, lunch, markers, flat.

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7. Say: Now we are going to read a story called The Cat In The Hat, by Dr. Suess. In this story two children Sally and Sam who are home alone when suddenly a talking cat comes in who loves to make messes! Sally and Sam's mom will be very upset if she comes back to a messy house. What do you think will happen? Will they be able to clean a mess? While I read, I want you to listen and every time you hear /t/ quietly practice saying it under your breath.

 

8. Display word card TOP to students and explain how to decide if the word is top or mop: The ticking of the /t/ tells me that my tongue should be on the top of my mouth behind my front teeth so tttt-op, top is the word. Now you try some: TUG: tug or mug? TIP: tip or lip? FOOL: tool or fool? TIME: time or dime? MAKE: take or make?

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9. To assess students' understanding of the lesson, have them complete the worksheet attached that has them practice writing the letter T and then coloring pictures that begin with T. 

 

References:

Murry, Bruce. Brush Your Teeth with F. https://murraba.wixsite.com/lessondesigns2018/emergent-literacy

Murry, Bruce. The Reading Genie. http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/

Assessment worksheet: https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/phonics-beginningsounds/letter-t_WFNTM.pdf

Book: The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Suess, Random House Publishers 1957

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