top of page

 

 

Show me your teeth, say “Ahh!”

​

Madeline Langley

​

Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the short vowel correspondence o = /o/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that map out word pronunciations. In this lesson, children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling o. They will learn a meaningful representation (saying “ahh” at the dentist), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson, and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence o = /o/.

Materials: Graphic image of a person in a dentist’s office chair with mouth opened; coverup critter; whiteboard or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher: a, c (2), d, e, f, g, h, i, k, l, m (2), o, p, r, s, t, x; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: ox, at, hop, pig, mom, stop, spit, clock, help, frog; decodable text: In the Big Top, 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 vowel words with a, like pal, and toady we are going to learn about short o. When I say /o/ I think about being at the dentist and having to say “ahh.” [Show graphic image]

  2. Say: Before we learn the spelling of /o/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /o/ in words, I hear the same sound I would make if I was opening my mouth for the dentist to look at my teeth. [Make vocal gesture for /o/.] I’ll show you first: doll. I heard o say its name and I felt my mouth open very wide [make mouth open wide]. There is a short o in doll. Now I am going to see if it’s in tooth. Hmm, I didn’t hear “ahh” and my mouth didn’t open wide. Now you try! If you hear /o/ say, “Do I have a cavity, doctor? Ahh.” If you don’t hear /o/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in clock, tap, hop, crawl, strong, weak? [Have children to open their mouths wide to say /o/.]

  3. Say: What if I want to spell the word mop? “I need a mop to clean up this mess.” A mop is a tool you can use to wipe something in this sentence. To spell mop in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word so I stretch it out and count: /m//o//p/. I need three boxes. I heard the /o/ just before the /p/ so I am going to put an o in the 2nd box. The word starts with /m/, that’s easy; I need a m. I have an empty box now. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /m//o//p/.] The missing one is /p/. Let’s look at another word. This word has a digraph in it which means two of the letters will go in a box together.  The word is clock. I use a clock to help me keep track of time. Let’s count the phonemes: /c//l//o//k/. That’s four phonemes! I know to put my o before the last letterbox because I heard it before /k/. So my digraph “ck” must go in my last letterbox. That leaves two more letterboxes. Let’s say that word again: c-l-o-ck. Oh! C and L must be the first two letters!

  4. Say: Now I am going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with two boxes for ox. An ox is a big animal that is very similar to a cow. “We saw an ox running through the woods.” What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers.] What goes in the second box? I’ll check your spellings while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need three letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for the /o/. Here’s the word: hop, I see the bunny hop across the meadow; hop. [Allow children to spell words.] Time to check your work. Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: h-o-p and see if you spelled it the same way. Let’s try one with four letterboxes: stop; Please stop talking in class. [Have volunteer spell it in the letterbox on the front of the board for children to check their work. Repeat this step for each new word until all words have been spelled through the LBL.]

  5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words that you have spelled. First, let me model how to use your coverup critter in case you get stuck on a word. Let’s read the word frog. [Uncover and blend sequentially before the vowel, then blend with the vowel.] /f//r/ = /fr/ Now I am going to blend that with /o/ = /fro/. Now all we need is the end, /g/ = /frog/. Frog; that’s it! Now it’s your turn, everyone read together. [Display poster with spelling words and have children read them in unison. Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]

  6. Say: You all have done a great job reading words with our new spelling for /o/: o. Now we are going to read a book called In the Big Top. This is a story about a family who works with the circus. In order for them to make it to their big performance, they are all going to have to ride together in the same car. Do you think that they are all going to fit into this small car? Let’s read to find out! Let’s pair up to take turns reading In the Big Top to see if they all make it. [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the class rereads In the Big Top aloud together, and stops between pages to take turns to discuss the plot.]

  7. Say: That was a fun story! Who were some of the people trying to fit into the car? Exactly! Did everyone fit into the small car? Right, they did! Before we finish up with our lesson, I want to see how you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet, you are given a picture with four word choices. I want you to look at the pictures and use the words that are given to decide which word goes with the picture. Reread your answers to make sure they make sense! [Take up the worksheet and assess for individual understanding.]

 

Resources:

Cushman, Sheila. In the Big Top. Educational Insights, 1990.

Morgan Grace Deason, Open Up Wide, Ah!: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/awakenings/deasonmgbr.htm

Assessment worksheet: https://www.edhelper.com/phonics/Vowels9_4.htm

​

​

Return to Horizons Website

bottom of page