Introducing Mystery Word | EL Education Curriculum

You are here:

Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "h" and "p."
    • I can identify the names and letters for "h" and "p."
    • I can say the sounds for letters "h" and "p."
  • Work Time A: I can search in a text (poem) and find a word with one letter in it.
    • I can count the number of letters in a word.
  • Work Time B: I can use clues from the text (poem) to identify a mystery word.
    • I can count the number of letters in a word.
    • I can count the number of words in the poem.
    • I can point to words in the poem.
    • I can recognize and read many high-frequency words in a text and in isolation (alone).

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during the Opening.
    • Determine whether they can say the sounds for each letter correctly. Refer to the Articulatory Gestures resource as needed.
    • Also determine whether they demonstrate one-to-one correspondence with words.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Introducing Poem: Articulatory Gestures

B. Work Time (10-15 minutes)

2. Introducing Clues to the Mystery Word

A. Introducing Mystery Word: "I"

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

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

In Advance

  • Prepare:
    • Enlarged poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" (or write on chart paper/poster)
    • Poetry notebooks: Each student needs a spiral or composition book with a copy of the poem glued or taped inside, or else a loose copy of the poem in a plastic sleeve
    • Hand mirrors (optional; one per student or pair to see mouth movements)
    • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

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

  • clues, frequently, mystery word (L)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" (or handwritten on chart paper; to display; from Lesson 11)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Articulatory Gestures chart (enlarged version to post)
  • Poetry notebooks (one per student; see Teaching Notes)
  • Poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" (one per student in poetry notebooks; from Lesson 11)
  • Hand mirrors (optional; one per student or pair to see mouth movements)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing Poem: Articulatory Gestures

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

"Now let's say the letters that we know. Think of the sounds and go, go, go. Open up your mouth big and wide. Sometimes your breath comes from deep inside. As we say the letters we will know, our letter sound skills will grow, grow, grow!"

  • Introduce the Poem: Articulatory Gestures instructional practice:

1. Teacher reads the enlarged poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" once or twice, pointing to each word as he or she reads it (with a finger or a pointer).

2. Teacher says: "We've been practicing saying and writing the letters 'h' and 'p.' Today, we will concentrate on the way our mouths looks when we say the letter sounds."

3. Teacher says: "Watch my mouth as I say the sound /h/ for 'house.'"

4. Teacher models the articulatory gesture for /h/ (referencing the Articulatory Gestures chart).

5. Teacher asks:

"What do you notice about the way my mouth looks when I say the sound /h/?" (open mouth, flat tongue on bottom of mouth)

6. Teacher says: "Great! Now it's your turn to try making the /h/ sound with your mouth." (/h/)

7. Teacher asks:

"What did you notice when you said the /h/ sound?" (My mouth was open and I pushed the sound from all the way in my stomach. I could feel my stomach move.)

8. Repeat steps 3-7 with /p/ for "parrot."

  • To provide support or practice with left-to-right directionality and one-to-one matching, consider inviting individual students to approach the enlarged poem and point to the words as the class chorally recites.
  • Consider calling the letter "p" a "lip popper" because the lips make a sound when they come together. Provide students with the time to hear this "pop."
  • Consider providing students with hand mirrors to watch their mouths as they make each sound.
  • Consider asking students to put their hand on their stomach when making the /h/ sound.
  • Observe students as they make each articulatory gesture. If needed, provide feedback to help shape their mouths correctly.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Introducing Clues to the Mystery Word

  • Introduce the Clues to the Mystery Word instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "High-frequency words are words that authors use a lot in their writing. We know that our poem has one of these words, but we don't know which word it is, so we called it a 'mystery 2. word.' Today, we will use clues to try to figure out the mystery word. Listen for each clue so we can work together to figure out the word."

2. Teacher says: "The mystery word has one letter in it. I see 'a' has one letter."

3. Teacher points underneath each 'a' and counts the number of letters aloud.

4. Teacher asks:

"Can you find any other words with one letter in it?"

5. Students refer to their Poetry notebooks to search in their copy of the Poem: "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!" individually or with a partner. Students point to a word that they think has just one letter in it.

6. Teacher chooses a student volunteer to say or point to which word has one letter in it ("I").

7. Teacher points underneath each "I" and counts the number of letters aloud.

8. Teacher reads poem again.

9. Teacher says: "Clap your hands each time I say a word with one letter in it."

10. Teacher reads poem as students clap.

11. Teacher says: "Wow! You clapped six times. There are two words that have one letter in them. I wonder which word is the mystery word. Now we will find out." . 

B. Introducing Mystery Word: "I"

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "Three Blind Mice"):

"Let's solve the mystery, let's solve the mystery. Clue by clue, clue by clue. The clues will tell you what to do. To make the word become clearer to you. We'll know the word; we'll figure it out. Clue by clue, clue by clue."

  • Introduce the Mystery Word instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "We have been trying to figure out what the mystery word in this poem is. So far, we know it's a one-letter word that's used frequently, or a lot, in this poem."

2. Teacher says: "Now we are going to use more clues to find out what the mystery word is. This mystery word is always an uppercase letter."

3. Teacher asks:

"Can you see any words that are an uppercase letter?"

4. Students look through their copy of the poem individually or with a partner. Students turn to an elbow partner and point to the word they think is the mystery word.

5. Teacher calls on a student to share an idea. ("I")

6. Teacher says: "You think the mystery word is 'I'? Let's check."

7. Teacher points to the word and checks to see if it is always capitalized.

8. Teacher says: "Wow! 'I' might be the mystery word. One way to make sure is to count how many times it's in the poem. Remember, the mystery word is a high-frequency word, which means it's used a lot."

9. Teacher and students count the word. Teacher circles the word each time it's counted.

10. Teacher says: "Yes! 'I' is the mystery word because it's used a lot in the poem, has one letter, and is always an uppercase letter."

11. Teacher says: "This is an important word you will practice. Whenever you see the letter 'I,' remember to say the letter name. If you forget, point to yourself to help you remember to say 'I.'"

  • Observe students as they search the poem. Make sure they practice the left-to-right sweep. Encourage them to use their pointer finger to underline words as they search.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners think about what they've learned and why it's important. Consider using a metaphor, such as a baseball player learning to keep his or her eye on the ball to know exactly when to hit it.
  • Ask:

"When we see the letter 'h,' how can we remember the sound it makes?" (think about how our mouths looks when we say the sound: open mouth, flat tongue on bottom of mouth)

"How will that help us with reading or writing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Example:
    • "When I said the word 'house,' I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Early Partial Alphabetic groups. Teacher may meet briefly with the Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic groups to get them started on independent work.

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 (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual) for more details.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher leads students in a Letter-Picture Sound Identification Matching Memory game.
    • Teacher cuts out Letter-Picture Match Cards.
    • Teacher places all cards facedown on a flat surface.
    • Students turn over two cards at a time, looking for a match (letter matching a picture with that beginning sound).
    • Teacher encourages student to say the name of the letter each time and the name of the picture, identifying the first sound.
    • Student tells the teacher if the picture and letter match. If they match, the student keeps the pair of cards.
    • Repeat until all cards have been matched.
  • Alternative practice activity: Teacher leads students in a Letter/Name Matching activity.
    • Students are given a stack of Student Name Cards with their classmates' names and Alphabet Cards.
    • Students match the beginning letter of each name to the matching Letter Card. Repeat until all names and letters are matched.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Letter-Picture Match Cards
    • Student Name Cards (teacher-created)                 
    • Writing tools (for Rainbow Write; colored pencils, crayons, markers)
    • Lined writing paper (for Rainbow Write)               

Early Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students in a Mystery Word Search and Rainbow Write.
    • Students find the word "I" in their copy of the poem "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!"
    • Students circle the word every time they see it.
    • Students practice writing the word in different colors with colored markers, crayons, or colored pencils.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebook or copy of poem "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!"
    • Writing tools (for Rainbow Write; colored pencils, crayons, markers)
    • Lined writing paper (for Rainbow Write)

Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Students complete a Mystery Word Write.
    • Students count all instances of the word "I" they find in the poem and record them.
    • Students write a story using the word "I" as many times as they can, reinforcing the idea that "I" is a high-frequency word used often by authors to communicate ideas.
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebook or copy of poem "A Pink Parrot Took My Hat!"
    • Lined writing paper and writing utensils

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

Sign Up