Cute Mute Mules for /U/
Beginning Reader Design
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Rationale: This lesson will help children learn about the long vowel correspondence u_e= /U/. This is a building block to help beginner readers to understand the sound and look of long vowels. This lesson will be used to help students recognize, spell and read words containing the long vowel u_e= /U/. To go along with this, they will learn the facial expression, I am looking at U. They will spell and read words by Letterboxes and will read a decodable book about Jude being sad which focuses on u_e= /U/.
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Materials:
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Primary paper and pencil
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Cover-up critter
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Elkonin boxes
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Whiteboard
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The letters u, s, e, d, n, p, t, x, c, s, v, o, l, m and r
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Spelling words: use, dune, puke, sure, excuse, reuse and
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Assessment worksheet and decodable text Sad Jude (URL’s below)
Procedures:
1. Say: To be expert readers we need to learn how to pronounce words. We learned to read short vowel words with u, like cup, so today we will learn long U with the ending of silent e. When I say /U/ I think of a mute mule!
2. Say: Before we start spelling words that have /U/, we need to listen to it in words. When I hear /U/ in words I hear u say its same /U/ and my lips make an oval like I’m slurping. (make sound of /U/). I’ll go first: duke. I heard u say its name and my lips made a little oval. (show oval movement with hand). In duke I heard a long U. Let’s see if its in punt. (say punt). I didn’t hear u say its name and lips didn’t make a slurping motion. Now it’s your turn. If you hear /U/, look at me and say, “I am looking at you!” If you don’t hear /U/, hide your face and say, “I don’t see you!” Let’s try some words! Do you hear /U/ in pole, huge, tune, soul, mute, sent? (when they feel the /U/ have them make an oval around their mouth).
3. Say: Let’s look at the spelling of /U/. A way to spell /U/ is with the letter u and an e at the end of the word to say the word U. (write u_e on the whiteboard). The blank line means there is a consonant after the u but before the e. What if I spell the word excuse? “I am walking and say excuse me to pass someone.” Excuse means forgive me in this context. How many phonemes are in this word? Let me count it /e//x//c//U//s/. It looks like I need 5 boxes. I heard the /U/ before the /s/ in the 4th box. I know the e is the 5th but doesn’t need a box. The word starts with an /e/ so I will put /e/ first. Let’s sound it out to see what goes next, /e//x//c//U//s/. I heard an /x/ then a /c/ before the /U/. Now I have an empty box after the /U/. Let me sound out the word one more time, /e//x//c//U//s/. I now hear the /s/. The last missing letter was /s/=s.
4. Say: Now you are going to spell words in letterboxes. Let me give you an easy word with just two boxes for the word use. Use is to make something serve one’s purpose, “Let me use your pencil for this assignment.” What letter should go in the first letterbox? (let children answer). What about the second letterbox? Where should you put the silent e? I will walk around the room and see how everyone is doing. (walk around). For the next word you will need three letterboxes. Make sure to listen for first letter and for the /U/. The word is glue, I glue this sheet of paper, glue. (give them time to figure it out). Let’s see how you did. In my letterboxes I will spell glue, g – l – u – e. Did you do it correctly? Let’s keep going and try another one. This will take three letterboxes again, puke, I am sick and could puke, puke. (have someone do it in front of the class, if student gets it wrong let them ask for help from classmates, keep doing so with future words). Next word is sure, you can for sure borrow my book, sure. Do you hear the letter /U/? We don’t hear /U/ at all. It is used with the short vowel u. (let someone spell it on the board). Let’s try a four phoneme word, reuse, I will reduce, reuse and recycle, reuse. Let’s try a last one, excuse. This one is five letterboxes, let me excuse myself to go to the bathroom, excuse. Don’t rush yourself and go slowly through the letters.
5. Say: Now it’s your time to read words that we have spelled. Let me give you an example. (show the word excuse and model reading word). I see a silent e at the end and that triggers me to say the letter /U/. There is my u. It says /U/. Let me cover it up with my critter. (uncover slowly for blending purposes). /v//o/= /vo/ + /l/ = /vol/. Let’s add the /U/ = /volU/. All I need is to add my /m/ = /volUm/. Volume! Now your turn. (have whole class read and go around so everyone has a turn to read the words on the list).
6. Say: You all have done so well today learning to read and spell words with u_e = /U/. Now it is time to read a little passage about Jude being sad. Jude loves to swim and went to the beach. He however did not listen to the no running rule. What made Jude sad? (have the students pair up and read to each other).
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7. Say: Poor Jude! He just wanted to have a good time! Why was Jude sad? That’s right! He just wanted to go in the water! Before we finish for the day, let’s do a worksheet. You write down the 15 /U/ words. Do you think you can find them all? I will give you all time to work on this right now. Make sure to re-check work and take it slow. (at end of class collect all worksheets and make sure the students understand u_e).
Assessment worksheet: Teacherspayteachers, Long U Phonics/ Word Work Activities https://www.pinterest.com/pin/315111305152094411/
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Alphabet song: McGraw-Hill, Decodable Passage- Sad Jude (pg.33) https://www.hoodriver.k12.or.us/cms/lib06/OR01000849/Centricity/Domain/1043/Teachers%20Resource%20Book.pdf
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Reference: Hannah Hardin, Reading Lesson Design https://hanhardin1020.wixsite.com/readinglessondesigns/beginning-reader-design
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