Words Rule | EL Education Curriculum

You are here:

Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the vowel spellings in a word to help me determine how many syllables are in the word and use that information to decode it. (RF.1.3, RF.2.3)
    • I can decode a word with a vowel team (two vowels that make a long vowel sound) in the middle.
    • I can identify vowel sounds in the spelling of multisyllabic (more than one syllable) words and identify how many syllables are in the word.
    • I can decode (regularly spelled) two-syllable words with long vowels.
  • Work Time A: I can read, identify the syllable type, and spell words with the spelling patterns “ee,” “ea,” and “y.” (RF.1.3, RF.2.3, L.2.2)
    • I can identify the sounds made by vowel teams “ee” and “ea.”
    • I can decode two-syllable words with vowel pattern “y” as /ē/.
    • I can apply generalizations for decoding words with common vowel teams.
    • I can decode a two-syllable word with a vowel team (two vowels that make a long vowel sound) in the middle.
    • I can decode (regularly spelled) two-syllable words with long vowels.
    • I can identify spelling patterns based on syllable type.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Opening A.
    • Determine whether they can identify the number of syllables by identifying the vowel sounds in the word.
    • Also determine whether they can divide the word and identify the syllable types in order to decode it.
  • Observe students during Work Time A.
    • Determine whether they can identify syllable types of /ē/ words spelled with “ee,” “ea,” and “y.”
    • Also determine whether they can apply spelling patterns in writing words on whiteboards.
  • Exit ticket (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher)

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3–5 minutes)

A. Syllable Sleuth: Two-Syllable Words: “sea-son,” “be-tween,” “con-crete,” “emp-ty,” “la-dy,” “hun-gry,” “dea-bud,” “praff-y”

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Words Rule: /ē/ Words Spelled with “ee,” “ea,” and “y”

3. Closing and Assessment (3–5 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Copy the Syllable Sleuth Word List (one per pair).
  • Copy and cut apart Words Rule Word Cards for Work Time A (one set for teacher display; one set per pair).
  • Pre-determine partners for Work Time A.
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • syllable, similar, patterns (L)

Materials

  • Syllable Sleuth Word List in a transparent sleeve (one per pair)
  • Whiteboard markers (one per student)
  • Whiteboard erasers (or tissues, socks, etc.; one per student)
  • Clipboards (optional; one per student if not sitting at a desk)
  • Words Rule Word Cards (one set for teacher display; one set per pair)
  • Whiteboards (one per student if not working at a desk)
  • Cycle 3 Assessment (Optional)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Syllable Sleuth: Two-Syllable Words: “sea-son,” “be-tween,” “con-crete,” “emp-ty,” “la-dy,” “hun-gry,” “dea-bud,” “praff-y”

  • Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad”:

“We’ve been workin’ on some long words, sound by sound by sound. We’ve been workin’ on some long words, so we can read more words aloud. We take a word like ‘maybe’ and break it into parts. ‘May’ plus ‘be’ makes ‘maybe,’ and now it’s time to start!”

  • Begin the Words Rule instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “It’s time to be Syllable Sleuths. We are going to find some clues to help us figure out how to break longer words into parts so we can read them. Let’s start with a new word.”

2. Teacher displays the word on the board: “season.”

3. Teacher models the Syllable Sleuth practice aloud:

      • Look for the vowels, and put a dot below each.
      • Look for the consonants between the vowels.
      • Divide the word (in this case before the 's").

4. Teacher draws a swoop under the first syllable and asks:

“What vowel sound do we hear in this first syllable?” (ē)

“What letters are spelling that vowel sound?” (“e” and “a”)

“How do you know that ‘ea’ is spelling the /ē/ sound in this syllable?” (because it is a vowel team; we hear the name of the first vowel in a vowel team)

“So how do we pronounce this first syllable?” (“sea”)

5. Teacher draws a swoop under the second syllable and asks:

“What is this second syllable?”  (“son”)

“How do we know that it isn’t ‘sōn’?” (because it is a closed syllable, so the vowel is short)

“What else do you notice about the way this syllable is pronounced when we put the word together?” (The ‘o’ sounds like /u/.)

6. Teacher says: “That’s right. Sometimes the sound of short vowels changes slightly in a multisyllabic word like this one. But we know this word because we have heard it many times. When we know how words sound, it helps us to pronounce each word correctly.”

7. Teacher says: “Remember, a sleuth is a detective. When you’re a syllable sleuth, your job is to search for the clues that let you know you have found a syllable. As a syllable sleuth, you will look for vowel sounds to see how to divide the words into syllables to read them.”

8. Teacher distributes Syllable Sleuth Word List in a transparent sleeve, whiteboard markers, whiteboard erasers, and a clipboard (if students are not sitting at a desk).

9. Teacher reminds students (if needed) of the steps in the Syllable Sleuth instructional practice that were just modeled:

      • Locate the vowels, and put a dot below each one.
      • Look for the consonants between the vowels.
      • Divide the word into syllables.
      • Pronounce each syllable according to the spelling pattern (i.e., closed, open, magic “e,” r-controlled, and vowel team).

10. Students work individually or with a partner to segment each word into syllables and decode the word

  • When working with words such as "season," where two vowels are used to indicate one sound, continue to remind students that every syllable has one vowel sound (as opposed to one vowel letter).
  • Consider annotating the letters in a vowel team by placing a dot under each and drawing a straight line between the dots. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the fact that while there are two vowels, they make just one sound.
  • Consider annotating the magic "e" by drawing an arrow from below the magic "e" back to the vowel it gives its voice to. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the role of the magic "e" and the fact that even though there are two vowel letters in that syllable, there is just one vowel sound.
  • Step 10 can be done in a variety of ways, including:
    • Students apply Syllable Sleuth steps to one word at a time. After each word, the teacher models the division and decoding, and students check their work.
    • Students work through the list independently or in pairs. After a set period of time, the teacher models the division and decoding of each word while students check their work.
  • See Syllabication Guidance document as needed (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual). Here is the syllable division for words used in Opening A: "sea-son," "be-tween," "con-crete," "emp-ty," "la-dy," "hun-gry," "dea-bud," "praff-y."

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Words Rule: /ē/ Words Spelled with “ee,” “ea,” and “y”: “need,” “squeeze,” “peach,” “dream,” “party,” “happy”

  • Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The Muffin Man”:

Teacher: “Can you take a closer look, a closer look, a closer look? Can you take a closer look at these words today?"

Students: “Yes, we’ll take a closer look, a closer look, a closer look. Yes, we’ll take a closer look to group the words today.”

  • Introduce the Word Rules instructional practice:

1. Teacher displays Words Rule Word Cards on the board and reads aloud “ee,” “ea,” and “y” /ē/ words in random order: “need,” “squeeze,” “peach,” “dream,” “party,” “happy.”

2. Teacher says: “Think about what you notice when we read these words. You will share your thinking with a partner in a moment. After you notice, think about how you could group these words together in ways that they are alike.”

3. Students read words silently and notice similar patterns, and decide how they would group words together.

4. Teacher says: “Now I would like you to share with your elbow partner what you noticed and how you could group words that are similar.”

5. Students share with an elbow partner what they noticed and how they can group similar words.

6. Teacher asks: “Who would like to share what they noticed about these words?” (They all have the /ē/ sound.)

7. Teacher says: “So all our words have the /ē/ sound.”

8. Teacher asks:

“How did you group these words together?” (in three groups: “ee,” “ea,” and “y” spellings)

“What do you notice about where the /ē/ sound is in these words?” (in “ee” and “ea” words, the vowel sound is in the middle of the syllable and followed by a consonant sound; in “y” words, it is at the end of a two-syllable word.)

9. Teacher says: “Right! So we can say that ‘ee’ and ‘ea’ are spelling the /ē/ sound in the middle of a syllable, followed by a consonant sound. And ‘y’ is spelling the /ē/ sound at the end of a word with two syllables.”

10. Teacher says: “Now you will partner up and practice more /ē/ words that are spelled with ‘ee,’ ‘ea,’ or ‘y.’ Notice whether it is between two consonants. If it is at the end, we know it is spelled with a ‘y.’ If it is in the middle, it is either ‘ee’ or ‘ea.’ Each partner will take a turn reading the words then writing the words they hear.”

11. Teacher distributes Words Rule Word Cards and whiteboards to students as they partner together.

12. Students divide Word Cards equally in pairs and take turns reading “ee,” “ea,” and “y” words:

      • Student A reads word.
      • Student B identifies each word as “ee,” “ea,” and “y” based on whether or not the long “e” sound is followed by a consonant and writes the word on his or her whiteboard.
      • Student B reads all words written.
      • Students switch roles.
  • Note that there is no generalization applicable to spelling with “ee” versus “ea” in English. As a result, it will be easier for students to read the words with these spelling patterns (both “ee” and “ea” words will have the /ē/ sound) than spell them. Explain that they will need to become familiar with the accurately spelled, printed version of the words. Then they can ask themselves “Does that look right?” as a strategy for accurately spelling words with the “ee” and “ea” spelling patterns.
  • Consider providing support as students make connections between spelling patterns and syllable types with sentence frames. Example:
    • “I notice words ending with ‘y’ are _____ syllable words.”
  • Consider asking students to identify other ways they know to spell the /ē/ sound. Examples: magic “e” (“here”), open syllable (“be”). These can be placed on a chart titled: “Ways to Spell the Long /ē/ Sound.”
  • Consider posting anchor charts for syllable types and vowel teams. This will support students as they analyze spelling and sound patterns to determine where a word should be broken into syllables. See the Syllabication Guide in K–2 Skills Resource Manual for sample charts, including keywords for each syllable type and vowel team.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners take responsibility for their own learning. Invite students to reflect on ways they took responsibility for their learning during whole group or how they plan to take responsibility during differentiated small group instruction. Example:
    • "During Syllable Sleuth, I realized that I need extra practice with identifying the vowel sounds in words. So, during small group instruction, I will ask my teacher to help me work on this."
  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Consider providing sentence frames. Examples:
    • "During Words Rule, I _____."
    • "When I work by myself during small group instruction, I will _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with students in the Partial Alphabetic and Full Alphabetic groups. If possible, teacher should also meet with the Consolidated Alphabetic group at least once per week.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work Guidance document for more details (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual).

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students build "ee," "ea," and "y" words using Letter Tiles (see K-2 Word List for examples).
    • Students check spellings by identifying placement of vowel sound.
    • Students write a list of words created as an exit ticket.
    • Look over the exit tickets with student(s). Analyze words that were more challenging and discuss why.
  • Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Grade 1 lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in differentiated small group instruction.
  • Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter Tiles (not included in supporting materials)
    • Paper and writing utensils (one per student; for writing words built with Letter Tiles)

Full Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students complete Sentence Builders with "ee," "ea," and "y" (found in supporting materials).
    • Look over the exit tickets with student(s). Analyze words that were more challenging and discuss why.
  • Write a sentence with "ee," "ea," and "y" words.
  • Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Activity Bank activities:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Vowels category (V)
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Sentence Builders
    • Paper and writing utensils (optional; for students to write sentences)

Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students complete Sentence Builders with "ee," "ea," and "y" (found in supporting materials).
    • Look over the exit tickets with student(s). Analyze words that were more challenging and discuss why.
  • Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Consider inviting students to write an article for the Sunnyside Gazette, using as many "ee," "ea," and "y" words as they can.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Sentence Builders
    • Paper and writing utensils (optional; for students to write an article for the Sunnyside Gazette)

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up