Words Rule | EL Education Curriculum

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Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can use my knowledge of syllable division to help me decode two-syllable words. (RF.2.3)
    • I can identify the sounds made by different vowel teams.
    • I can decode a two-syllable word that contains a vowel team.
    • I can decode words with C-le syllable patterns.
    • I can decode words with common suffixes.
  • Work Time A: I can read words with the vowel teams "ei" and "eu" and read and spell words with the endings "-ge" and "-dge." (RF.2.3, L.2.2)
    • I can identify the sounds made by different vowel teams.
    • I can decode words with other vowel patterns ("-dge," "-ge").
    • I can identify spelling patterns based on syllable type.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Opening A. Determine whether they can accurately divide words into syllables and use that knowledge to decode two-syllable words.
  • Observe students during Work Time A. Determine whether they can read words with the common endings "-dge" and "-ge."
  • Exit ticket (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Syllable Sleuth: Two-Syllable Words: "sim-ple," "lock-ing," "tur-tle," " jum-ble," "sep-tic," "snif-fle," "un-stick," "shock-er," "boi-ling"

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Words Rule: Vowel Teams "ei" and "eu" and Words Ending in "-dge" and "-ge"

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

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

In Advance

  • Copy Syllable Sleuth Word List (one per student or pair).
  • Predetermine partners for Opening A (optional).
  • Enlarge the sentences for Work Time A (for display).
  • Enlarge the "-dge" and "-ge" Work Time Words t-chart (for display).
  • Copy and cut apart "-dge" and "-ge" sentences (enough for one per student; optional).
  • 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 student or pair)
  • Whiteboard markers (one per student)
  • Whiteboard erasers (or tissues, socks, etc.; one per student)
  • Enlarged sentences for Work Time A
  • Enlarged "-dge" and "-ge" Work Time Words t-chart (for display)
  • "-dge" and "-ge" sentences (see Teaching Notes, "In Advance" above; enough for one sentence per student; optional)
  • Whiteboards if not working at a desk/table (one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Syllable Sleuth: Two-Syllable Words: "sim-ple," "lock-ing," "tur-tle," " jum-ble," "sep-tic," "snif-fle," "un-stick," "shock-er," "boi-ling"

  • (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 Syllable Sleuth 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 writes the word "simple" on the board.

3. Teacher models 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 between the "m" and "p").

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

"What vowel sound do we hear in this first syllable?" (/i/)

"Why does the 'i' make that sound in this syllable?" (closed)

"How do we pronounce this first syllable?" ("sim")

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

"What do you notice about this second syllable?" (C-le)

"How do we pronounce this second syllable?" (/p//u//l/)

6. Teacher asks:

"And how would we read this word?" (simple)

7. Teacher says: "Right! 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, and whiteboard erasers.

9. Students complete the Syllable Sleuth Word List.

10. 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 them.
      • Look between the vowels.
      • Divide the word into syllables.
      • Pronounce each syllable according to the spelling pattern (i.e., closed, open, magic "e," r-controlled, vowel team, and C-le).
  • 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.
  • Step 9 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 with partners. After a set period of time, the teacher models the division and decoding of each word while students check their work.
  • See Syllabication guide as needed (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual). Below is the syllable division for words used in Opening A: "sim-ple," "lock-ing," "tur-tle," "jum-ble," "sep-tic," "snif-fle," "un-stick," "shock-er," "boi-ling."

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Words Rule: Vowel Teams “ei” and “eu” and Words Ending in “-dge” and “-ge”

  • (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.”

  • Begin the Words Rule instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “We’re going to take a closer look at some words today, but we’ll do it a little differently. The words are in a short story.”

2. Teacher displays enlarged sentences for Work Time A on the board and reads the first sentence aloud while students listen: “Keith and Sheila are sleuths and love weird books by Dr. Seuss.”

3. Teacher says: “Watch and listen as I point to some of the words in the sentence and read them. Be prepared to tell an elbow partner what you notice.”

4. Teacher points to the words “Keith,” “Sheila,” and “weird” and reads them.

5. Teacher invites students to turn to an elbow partner and share what they noticed.

6. Teacher asks:

“What do you hear in all of these words?” (/ē/)

“What do you see in all of these words?” (ei)

“So what must be making the /ē/ sound in all of these words?”

7. Teacher places a dot under each vowel in the vowel team “ei” in each of the words and says: “That’s right. This vowel team shows the /ē/ sound in all of these words.”

8. Teacher repeats steps 4–7 with the words “sleuths,” and “Seuss” identifying the vowel team “eu” and the sound it makes in these words (/ōō/).

9. Teacher says: “Keith and Sheila have a problem. There was a page missing in their Dr. Seuss book. Now it’s time to reveal the next part of the story. Let’s find out what happened.”

10. Teacher reads aloud the second sentence for Work Time A while students listen: “The page was on the edge of the large bridge by a hedge near the lodge. Down it went with a plunge. Was it a surge of wind? No! A strange cat with a huge badge gave it a nudge!”

11. Teacher invites students to read it together with him or her one or two times.

12. Teacher says: “Watch and listen as I point to some of the words in the sentence and read them. Be prepared to tell an elbow partner what you notice.”

13. Teacher points to all of the words ending in “-dge” and “-ge” and reads them aloud.

14. Teacher invites students to turn to an elbow partner and share what they noticed.

15. Teacher asks:

“What do you hear in all of these words?” (/j/)

“Where do you hear that sound in the words?” (at the end)

16. Teacher says: “Let’s take a closer look at these words to see if we can figure out how that sound is spelled.”

17. Teacher displays enlarged “-dge” and “-ge” Work Time Words t-chart.

18. Teacher says: “See if you can figure out why these words are sorted this way. Look at all of the words in the first column as I read them and think about what letters could be making the /j/ sound at the end of these words.”

19. Teacher reads each word in the first column and asks:

“How is the /j/ sound spelled in these words?” (“-dge”)

20. Teacher writes “-dge” at the top of that column.

21. Teacher repeats steps 18–20 with the words in the second column (“-ge” words).

22. Teacher says: “So the /j/ sound at the end of a word can be spelled either ‘-dge’ or ‘-ge.’ That will help us when we’re reading. When we see those letters we’ll know to say /j/.”

23. Teacher asks:

“How will we know which to use when we’re writing words with the /j/ sound at the end?”

24. Teacher says: “We’re going to need to take a closer look.”

25. Teacher points to the “-dge” column and reads the words aloud.

26. Teacher asks:

“What kind of vowel sound do we hear in all of these words?” (short)

27. Teacher writes “Use ‘-dge’ after a short vowel” under the words in the “-dge” column.

28. Teacher points to the first three words in the “-ge” column and reads them aloud.

29. Teacher asks:

“What kind of vowel sound do we hear in all of these words?” (long)

30. Teacher points to the remaining words and underlines the consonants “n,” “r,” and “l” that come before the “ge.”

31. Teacher says: “The rule for using the ‘ge’ when we spell the /j/ sound at the end of words is a little trickier. The easy part is if the word has a long vowel sound like ‘huge,’ ‘page’ and ‘strange,’ we use ‘ge.’ But if it has a short vowel sound followed by ‘n,’ ‘r,’ or ‘l’ we used ‘dge.’ ‘strange’ is a funny one because it has both a long vowel sound AND the consonant ‘n’ before the /j/ sound.”

32. Teacher writes “Use ‘-ge’ after a long vowel sound or ‘l,’ ‘n,’ ‘r’” under the “-ge” column.

33. Consider ending this Work Time with one of the following options.

Option A: “Conversation” game

          • Teacher explains that students will play a game called “conversation” that will give them practice reading words with “-dge” and “-ge.”
          • Teacher explains that each student will get a sentence strip that will have a word with /j/ in it. They should read their sentence silently to themselves.
          • Students will then find a partner and greet each other by reading their sentences aloud.
          • Once they have shared with one partner, they should find another and repeat the process.
          • When they have done this with a total of three partners, they should sit back down.
          • Teacher distributes “-dge” and “-ge” sentences to students, and they begin the conversation.

Option B: Word Dictation

          • Teacher distributes whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers (or has students turn their Syllable Sleuth Word Lists to the other side and use that to write on).
          • Teacher dictates the following words and supports students to spell them on their whiteboards: “age,” “large,” “change,” “edge,” “bridge.”
  • Consider inviting students to note the way in which the “r” in “weird” slightly alters the end of the vowel sound.
  • If keeping an anchor chart collecting spelling patterns for long vowels, consider adding “ei” (/ē/) and “eu” (/ōō/).
  • Consider acting out the actions when reading the story in step 10. Doing this can support students with vocabulary such as “plunge” and “nudge” that may be unfamiliar.
  • If choosing Option A at the end of Work Time, remind students to read the sentence fluently (smoothly, with expression, with meaning, and not too fast or too slow).
  • Depending on students’ needs, consider using one of the options during differentiated small group instruction.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that in any organization made up of a group of people working toward a common goal, everyone has their own responsibilities, but they also collaborate (work together) so that everyone can "grow and flourish" or "be the best they can be." Consider using a metaphor such as a sports team, city government, or other group that may be familiar to students. Invite students to share how the classroom community is such an organization. It is made up of a group of people (students and teachers) working toward a common goal (everyone becoming proficient readers and writers).
  • To support students' reflection of their own role in collaboration, consider inviting them to reflect on one or more of the following questions:

"What can I do today that will help create a classroom community where all of us can 'grow and flourish' as readers and writers/become proficient readers and writers?" Encourage specificity.

"How can I ask for help so I can 'grow and flourish' as a reader/writer or 'become proficient' as a reader/writer?" (Example: "I can ask someone to look over my work and give me feedback.")

  • Depending on students' comfort level, consider inviting them to share their own personal goals (based on feedback from mid- or end-of-module assessments or self-identified goals based on daily work).
  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas:  Provide sentence frames. Examples:
    • "When I see someone _____, I'll make sure to _____."
    • "If someone asks me to _____, I'll _____."
    • "If I have a question about or need help with _____, I'll _____."

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 find the "-dge" and "-ge" in words in the Word Bank in Sentence Builders #1 and circle them.
    • Students work with teacher to complete Sentence Builders #1 with "-dge" and "-ge" (found in supporting materials).
    • 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 daily small group instruction.
  • Students complete Cycle 16 worksheet with teacher support.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Sentence Builders
    • Paper and writing utensils (one per student; for writing words built with Letter Tiles)
    • Cycle 16 worksheet

Full Alphabetic

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students complete Sentence Builders #2 with "-dge," "-ge," and "ei" (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 "-dge" and "-ge" words.
  • Students complete Cycle 16 worksheet (with teacher or during independent rotations) with teacher introduction
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Sentence Builders
    • Paper and writing utensils (for students to write sentences; optional)
    • Cycle 16 worksheet

Consolidated Alphabetic

  • Students complete exit ticket:
    • Students complete Sentence Builders #2 with "-dge," "-ge," and "ei" (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 "-dge" and "-ge" words as they can.
  • Students complete Cycle 16 worksheet during independent rotations
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Sentence Builders (one per student)
    • Paper and writing utensils (for students to write an article for the Sunnyside Gazette: optional)
    • Cycle 16 worksheet

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