ELA G2:S4:C23:L111

Words Rule

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Daily Learning Targets

Opening A: I can identify one- and two-syllable words in a shared text (poem) that share the same spelling pattern at the end. (RF.2.3)
Work Time A: I can read, identify the /ə/ or /ā/sound, and spell words with the “-ate” pattern. (RF.2.3, L.2.2)

I can use knowledge of vowel sounds to help me decode words with different spelling patterns.
I can identify spelling patterns based on vowel sounds.

Ongoing Assessment

Observe students during Opening A. Determine whether they can identify words that share the same final spelling pattern from the poem: “The Chocolate on My Plate.”
Observe students during Work Time A. Determine whether they can identify words that share the
/ə/ or /ā/ sound for the spelling pattern “a-t-e” and apply that spelling pattern in writing words with those sounds on whiteboards.
Exit ticket (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Agenda

Agenda
1. Opening (3–5 minutes) A. Poem Launch: “The Chocolate on My Plate” 2. Work Time (10 minutes) A. Words Rule: “-ate” as /ə t/ (Schwa) vs. “-ate” as /āt/: (“chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,” B. “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate” 3. Closing and Assessment (3–5 minutes) A. Reflecting on Learning 4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

1. Opening (3–5 minutes)

A. Poem Launch: “The Chocolate on My Plate”

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Words Rule: “-ate” as /ə t/ (Schwa) vs. “-ate” as /āt/: (“chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,”

B. “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate”

3. Closing and Assessment (3–5 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

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

In Advance

Prepare:

Enlarged poem: “The Chocolate on My Plate” for display (or write on chart paper for display)
Enlarged Schwa T-chart for Work Time A

Copy and cut apart /ət/ and /āt/ Words Rule Word Cards for Work Time A (one set for display; one set per pair).
Copy Schwa T-chart for Work Time A (one per pair).
Predetermine 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)

schwa, similar (L)
considerate, desperate, fortunate, locate, relate (T)

Materials

Enlarged poem: “The Chocolate on My Plate” (or write on chart paper to display)
/ət/ and /āt/ Words Rule Word Cards (one set for display; one set per pair)
Enlarged Schwa T-chart (optional)
Schwa T-chart (one per pair)
Whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers (one each per pair; optional)

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Poem Launch: "The Chocolate on My Plate" (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"): "Now let's read the poem, line by line. Open up your ears to find the rhyme. When we read together, we sound great. Listen up to the rhymes we make." Begin the Poem Launch instructional practice: 1. Teacher says: "Today we are going to read a poem together. First, you will follow along as I read. Then, we will read it together and think about the words we read." 2. Teacher reads aloud from enlarged poem: "The Chocolate on My Plate." 3. Teacher says: "Now let's read this poem aloud together. While we are reading, we can practice our rules of fluency so that we read smoothly, with expression, with meaning, and at just the right speed." 4. Students read poem aloud with teacher. 5. Teacher says: "Great reading! Now take a minute to read the poem to yourself while you think about words that share the same sound. See if you can find some words that all share the same sound, and then you will share your thoughts with an elbow partner." 6. Students read poem silently. 7. Teacher says: "Now turn to an elbow partner and talk about the words you discovered that share the same sound." 8. Students share with an elbow partner. (words containing "a-t-e") 9. Teacher asks: "What three letters did you see at the end of many of the words in this poem?" ("a-t-e") 10. Teacher underlines the words in the poem ending with "a-t-e" or invites student volunteers to underline them. 11. Teacher says: "Right. These words all have the same spelling pattern at the end. Now let's take a closer look at the words you found."	For students who need help in Opening A, including ELLs: Consider providing picture cards of nouns in “The Chocolate on My Plate” to support comprehension. Consider partnering students in the Partial Alphabetic phase with students in the Consolidated phase for step 6, allowing them to whisper-read the poem aloud. During the Opening, students may notice right away and volunteer the fact that the words they’ve identified can be categorized into two different sounds (/it/ and /āt/). If this happens, acknowledge that and move right into Work Time A.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Poem Launch: "The Chocolate on My Plate"

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Now let's read the poem, line by line. Open up your ears to find the rhyme. When we read together, we sound great. Listen up to the rhymes we make."

Begin the Poem Launch instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "Today we are going to read a poem together. First, you will follow along as I read. Then, we will read it together and think about the words we read."

2. Teacher reads aloud from enlarged poem: "The Chocolate on My Plate."

3. Teacher says: "Now let's read this poem aloud together. While we are reading, we can practice our rules of fluency so that we read smoothly, with expression, with meaning, and at just the right speed."

4. Students read poem aloud with teacher.

5. Teacher says: "Great reading! Now take a minute to read the poem to yourself while you think about words that share the same sound. See if you can find some words that all share the same sound, and then you will share your thoughts with an elbow partner."

6. Students read poem silently.

7. Teacher says: "Now turn to an elbow partner and talk about the words you discovered that share the same sound."

8. Students share with an elbow partner. (words containing "a-t-e")

9. Teacher asks:

"What three letters did you see at the end of many of the words in this poem?" ("a-t-e")

10. Teacher underlines the words in the poem ending with "a-t-e" or invites student volunteers to underline them.

11. Teacher says: "Right. These words all have the same spelling pattern at the end. Now let's take a closer look at the words you found."

For students who need help in Opening A, including ELLs: Consider providing picture cards of nouns in “The Chocolate on My Plate” to support comprehension.
Consider partnering students in the Partial Alphabetic phase with students in the Consolidated phase for step 6, allowing them to whisper-read the poem aloud.
During the Opening, students may notice right away and volunteer the fact that the words they’ve identified can be categorized into two different sounds (/it/ and /āt/). If this happens, acknowledge that and move right into Work Time A.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Words Rule: “-ate” as /ət/ (schwa) vs. “-ate” as /āt/: “chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,” “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate” (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 Word Rules instructional practice: 1. Teacher displays /ət/ and /āt/ Words Rule Word Cards in random order while reading them aloud: (“chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,” “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate”). 2. Teacher says: “All of these words have the letters ‘a-t-e’ at the end, but something seems different about the sound the vowel letter ‘a’ is making. Let’s see if we can figure that out. Listen as I read the words again and think about how you would group them based on the sound the letters ‘a-t-e’ make at the end of the words.” 3. Teacher reads each word aloud. 4. Teacher says: “What did you notice about the sound the letters ‘a-t-e’ make in these words?” (sometimes they sound a little like /it/; sometimes they say /āt/) 5. Teacher displays the enlarged Schwa T-chart (optional) or draws a T-chart on the board. 6. Teacher holds up the Word Card “relate” and reads it aloud. 7. Teacher asks: “How many syllables do we hear in the word ‘relate’?” (two) “What is the first syllable?” (“re”) “What is the second syllable?” (“late”) “What vowel sound do you hear in the second syllable?” (/ā/) “What is making the letter ‘a’ say its name (make the long ‘a’ sound) in this syllable?” (the magic “e”) 8. Teacher says: “That’s right, we know that the magic ‘e’ in this syllable makes the vowel ‘a’ say its name.” 9. Teacher places the word “relate” in the first column. 10. Teacher writes “magic ‘e’” (or “CVCe”) above the first column and explains that words where the letters ‘a-t-e’ are pronounced /āt/ will go in that column. 11. Teacher holds up the Word Card “pirate” and reads it aloud. 12. Teacher asks: “How many syllables do we hear in the word ‘pirate’?” (two) “What is the first syllable?” (“pi”) “What is the second syllable?” (“ate”) “What vowel sound do you hear in the second syllable?” (a little like /i/) 13. Teacher says: “Wait a minute! There’s a magic ‘e’ at the end of this syllable, but we don’t hear the long ‘a’ sound!” 14. Teacher says: “This syllable isn’t following the magic ‘e’ rule like it should. The letter ‘a’ in the ‘a-t-e’ pattern in the word ‘pirate’ is making a schwa sound. It sounds a little like /i/.” 15. Teacher places the word “pirate” in the second column. 16. Teacher writes “schwa” above the second column and explains that words where the letters “a-t-e” are pronounced /it/ will go in that column. 17. Teacher says: “Most of the time, when we see the pattern ‘a-t-e,’ the ‘a’ makes the sound we would expect it to: /āt/.” But sometimes it makes the schwa sound. If you’re not sure, you can try both /āt/ and /it/ and see which one makes a real word.” 18. Teacher says: “Now let’s practice reading and writing these words with a partner. First, you will read a word, and your partner will decide if the ‘a’ in the ‘a-t-e’ pattern makes the schwa or the long ‘a’ sound and will write it on the whiteboard. Then you will check it together with the Word Card and put it in the right column on the t-chart. Then you will switch roles so your partner will read a Word Card and you will write the word. When you sorted all the words on the T-chart, you will take turns reading the words.” 19. Teacher distributes Word Cards, a Schwa T-chart, and whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers (optional) to students as they partner together to practice sorting and spelling the “a-t-e” words. 20. Students divide Word Cards equally with partner and take turns reading “a-t-e” words: Student A reads word. Student B identifies whether the ending pattern (“a-t-e”) has a long “a” or the schwa sound. Student B writes word on a whiteboard (optional) and puts the card in the appropriate column on the T-chart. Students switch roles. Students take turns reading all words.	The schwa sound is noted as “/ə/” and approximates the short “i” sound (/i/) when spelled with “a-t-e.” Although the sound of schwa is not exactly the same as /i/, providing this connection will help students identify the schwa sound in words. Consider that ELLs may have difficulty differentiating stressed versus unstressed syllables in words. As the schwa sound appears only in unstressed syllables, provide additional support and practice with these words as needed. Example: Provide hand mirrors for students to see the difference in mouth appearance when saying stressed versus unstressed syllables. Consider exaggerating the /ə/ and /ā/ sound in the “a-t-e” spelling of each word read aloud during step 3 to support students in clearly identifying the two sounds. Consider giving a sentence containing each word to help support vocabulary development for students. The word “chocolate” is typically pronounced as though it has just two syllables (“chalklit”). Support students to see that it has three (“choc-o-late”) and that the “a” in the “a-t-e” pattern at the end makes the schwa sound. When reviewing the magic “e” (CVCe) syllable type in step 7, consider drawing an arrow from under the magic “e” back to the vowel letter “a” to illustrate how the magic “e” lets us know that the vowel sound in that syllable is long. In steps 7 and 12, consider asking students to identify the vowel sound in the first syllable and the reason the vowel makes the sound it does (both are long due to being an open syllable). This provides opportunity for review of syllabication and using syllable types to decode. To extend the level of word analysis for students in the Consolidated phase, consider explaining that there are some words where the “a-t-e” can be pronounced both ways (schwa and long “a”) (examples: “separate,” “duplicate,” and “elaborate”). In such words, the schwa pronunciation signals the word is an adjective and the long “a” pronunciation signals a verb. Example: “Please move to separate spots.” vs. “Please separate the laundry into darks and lights.” Consider reviewing the sorted words with students, inviting them to notice that none of the words in the schwa column are one-syllable words. Explain that the “a-t-e” spelling pattern in one-syllable words does not produce a schwa sound. In one-syllable words with “a-t-e,” the pattern is always pronounced /āt/.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Words Rule: “-ate” as /ət/ (schwa) vs. “-ate” as /āt/: “chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,” “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate”

(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 Word Rules instructional practice:

1. Teacher displays /ət/ and /āt/ Words Rule Word Cards in random order while reading them aloud: (“chocolate,” “plate,” “fortunate,” “relate,” “skate,” “Nate,” “Kate,” “late,” “ultimate,” “desperate,” “locate,” “private,” “ate,” “pirate,” “make,” “considerate”).

2. Teacher says: “All of these words have the letters ‘a-t-e’ at the end, but something seems different about the sound the vowel letter ‘a’ is making. Let’s see if we can figure that out. Listen as I read the words again and think about how you would group them based on the sound the letters ‘a-t-e’ make at the end of the words.”

3. Teacher reads each word aloud.

4. Teacher says: “What did you notice about the sound the letters ‘a-t-e’ make in these words?” (sometimes they sound a little like /it/; sometimes they say /āt/)

5. Teacher displays the enlarged Schwa T-chart (optional) or draws a T-chart on the board.

6. Teacher holds up the Word Card “relate” and reads it aloud.

7. Teacher asks:

“How many syllables do we hear in the word ‘relate’?” (two)

“What is the first syllable?” (“re”)

“What is the second syllable?” (“late”)

“What vowel sound do you hear in the second syllable?” (/ā/)

“What is making the letter ‘a’ say its name (make the long ‘a’ sound) in this syllable?” (the magic “e”)

8. Teacher says: “That’s right, we know that the magic ‘e’ in this syllable makes the vowel ‘a’ say its name.”

9. Teacher places the word “relate” in the first column.

10. Teacher writes “magic ‘e’” (or “CVCe”) above the first column and explains that words where the letters ‘a-t-e’ are pronounced /āt/ will go in that column.

11. Teacher holds up the Word Card “pirate” and reads it aloud.

12. Teacher asks:

“How many syllables do we hear in the word ‘pirate’?” (two)

“What is the first syllable?” (“pi”)

“What is the second syllable?” (“ate”)

“What vowel sound do you hear in the second syllable?” (a little like /i/)

13. Teacher says: “Wait a minute! There’s a magic ‘e’ at the end of this syllable, but we don’t hear the long ‘a’ sound!”

14. Teacher says: “This syllable isn’t following the magic ‘e’ rule like it should. The letter ‘a’ in the ‘a-t-e’ pattern in the word ‘pirate’ is making a schwa sound. It sounds a little like /i/.”

15. Teacher places the word “pirate” in the second column.

16. Teacher writes “schwa” above the second column and explains that words where the letters “a-t-e” are pronounced /it/ will go in that column.

17. Teacher says: “Most of the time, when we see the pattern ‘a-t-e,’ the ‘a’ makes the sound we would expect it to: /āt/.” But sometimes it makes the schwa sound. If you’re not sure, you can try both /āt/ and /it/ and see which one makes a real word.”

18. Teacher says: “Now let’s practice reading and writing these words with a partner. First, you will read a word, and your partner will decide if the ‘a’ in the ‘a-t-e’ pattern makes the schwa or the long ‘a’ sound and will write it on the whiteboard. Then you will check it together with the Word Card and put it in the right column on the t-chart. Then you will switch roles so your partner will read a Word Card and you will write the word. When you sorted all the words on the T-chart, you will take turns reading the words.”

19. Teacher distributes Word Cards, a Schwa T-chart, and whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers (optional) to students as they partner together to practice sorting and spelling the “a-t-e” words.

20. Students divide Word Cards equally with partner and take turns reading “a-t-e” words:

Student A reads word.
Student B identifies whether the ending pattern (“a-t-e”) has a long “a” or the schwa sound.
Student B writes word on a whiteboard (optional) and puts the card in the appropriate column on the T-chart.
Students switch roles.
Students take turns reading all words.

The schwa sound is noted as “/ə/” and approximates the short “i” sound (/i/) when spelled with “a-t-e.” Although the sound of schwa is not exactly the same as /i/, providing this connection will help students identify the schwa sound in words.
Consider that ELLs may have difficulty differentiating stressed versus unstressed syllables in words. As the schwa sound appears only in unstressed syllables, provide additional support and practice with these words as needed. Example:

Provide hand mirrors for students to see the difference in mouth appearance when saying stressed versus unstressed syllables.

Consider exaggerating the /ə/ and /ā/ sound in the “a-t-e” spelling of each word read aloud during step 3 to support students in clearly identifying the two sounds.
Consider giving a sentence containing each word to help support vocabulary development for students.
The word “chocolate” is typically pronounced as though it has just two syllables (“chalklit”). Support students to see that it has three (“choc-o-late”) and that the “a” in the “a-t-e” pattern at the end makes the schwa sound.
When reviewing the magic “e” (CVCe) syllable type in step 7, consider drawing an arrow from under the magic “e” back to the vowel letter “a” to illustrate how the magic “e” lets us know that the vowel sound in that syllable is long.
In steps 7 and 12, consider asking students to identify the vowel sound in the first syllable and the reason the vowel makes the sound it does (both are long due to being an open syllable). This provides opportunity for review of syllabication and using syllable types to decode.
To extend the level of word analysis for students in the Consolidated phase, consider explaining that there are some words where the “a-t-e” can be pronounced both ways (schwa and long “a”) (examples: “separate,” “duplicate,” and “elaborate”). In such words, the schwa pronunciation signals the word is an adjective and the long “a” pronunciation signals a verb. Example:

“Please move to separate spots.” vs. “Please separate the laundry into darks and lights.”

Consider reviewing the sorted words with students, inviting them to notice that none of the words in the schwa column are one-syllable words. Explain that the “a-t-e” spelling pattern in one-syllable words does not produce a schwa sound. In one-syllable words with “a-t-e,” the pattern is always pronounced /āt/.

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Reflecting on Learning In the Closing, students reflect on what it means to be an independent reader and how they can become increasingly more independent during whole group instruction and differentiated small group instruction. Consider asking one or more of the following questions to support students' understanding of independence (encourage specificity in responses): "What does it mean to be independent?" (examples: be able to do something on your own, be able to help myself with something) "What does it mean to be an independent reader?" (examples: have knowledge and skills to problem solve words, have "stamina" or the ability to stick with reading for an extended period of time, know your strengths and weaknesses) Consider reviewing reflections from Modules 1-3 to remind students that throughout the year they have learned many skills needed to be an independent reader. They took responsibility for their learning, set goals for themselves, and collaborated with their peers throughout the year. Consider asking one or more of the following questions (encourage specificity in responses): "What knowledge and skills do you have now that you did not have earlier in the year?" "How did you acquire that knowledge/skill?"	For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Consider providing sentence frames. Examples: "One thing an independent reader has to be able to do is _____." "As an independent reader, I can _____." "I can show independence by _____."

Closing

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

In the Closing, students reflect on what it means to be an independent reader and how they can become increasingly more independent during whole group instruction and differentiated small group instruction. Consider asking one or more of the following questions to support students' understanding of independence (encourage specificity in responses):

"What does it mean to be independent?" (examples: be able to do something on your own, be able to help myself with something)

"What does it mean to be an independent reader?" (examples: have knowledge and skills to problem solve words, have "stamina" or the ability to stick with reading for an extended period of time, know your strengths and weaknesses)

Consider reviewing reflections from Modules 1-3 to remind students that throughout the year they have learned many skills needed to be an independent reader. They took responsibility for their learning, set goals for themselves, and collaborated with their peers throughout the year. Consider asking one or more of the following questions (encourage specificity in responses):

"What knowledge and skills do you have now that you did not have earlier in the year?"

"How did you acquire that knowledge/skill?"

For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Consider providing sentence frames. Examples:

"One thing an independent reader has to be able to do is _____."
"As an independent reader, I can _____."
"I can show independence by _____."

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 read the poem: "The Chocolate on My Plate" with the teacher and highlight the "a-t-e" pattern in words and identify which have the schwa and which have the long "a" sound.
Students write list of words as 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 daily small group instruction.
Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
Additional Supporting Materials:

Individual copies of the poem: "The Chocolate on My Plate"
Paper and writing utensils (one per student)

Full Alphabetic

Students complete exit ticket:

Students complete Sentence Builders with "a-t-e" words (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 "a-t-e" words.
Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
Activity Bank activities:

An Activity Bank activity from the Fluency category (F)

Additional Supporting Materials:

Sentence Builders (one per student)
Word List for Sentence Builders (one per student)
Paper and writing utensils (optional; for students to write sentences)

Consolidated Alphabetic

Students complete exit ticket:

Students complete Sentence Builders with "a-t-e" words (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, a poem, or other writing piece using as many "a-t-e" words at they can.
Additional Supporting Materials:

Sentence Builders (one per student)
Word List for Sentence Builders (one per student)
Paper and writing utensils (optional; for students to write an article for the Sunnyside Gazette)

EL Education Curriculum

ELA G2:S4:C23:L111

Words Rule

In this Lesson

You are here:

Like what you see?

Help us improve!

Daily Learning Targets

Ongoing Assessment

Agenda

In Advance

Vocabulary

Materials

Opening

Work Time

Closing & Assessments

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

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