Feel the Beats | EL Education Curriculum

You are here:

Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can review what I have learned about syllables and rhymes. (RF.K.2, RF.K.3)
    • I can listen to a list of words and identify which one does not rhyme.
    • I can listen to the same set of CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words and pronounce the final consonant phoneme (sound) in the word.
    • I can count the syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can segment (break apart) and pronounce separate syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can blend separate syllables to form a spoken word.
    • When given a word, I can create a new rhyming word by changing the first sound in the word.
  • Work Time A: I can feel and count the syllables (beats) in the words of a poem. 
    • I can segment and blend the onset (beginning sound) and rime (ending chunk) of a one-syllable word. (RF.K.2)
    • I can count the syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can segment (break apart) and pronounce separate syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can blend separate syllables to form a spoken word.
    • I can blend onset and rime in a single-syllable word.
    • I can segment onset and rime in a single-syllable word.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Opening A. Determine whether they demonstrate phonemic awareness skills for RF.K.2 targets and letter/sound identification (RF.K.3) from the first two modules.
  • Observe students during Work Time A.
    • Determine whether they can identify the number of syllables in spoken words.
    • Also determine whether they can pronounce each individual syllable, blend it, and segment it.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Review Game: Question Cards

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Feel the Beats

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

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

In Advance

  • Copy and cut apart Question Cards.
  • Display enlarged interactive poem: "What Do You Want to Do?" (from Lesson 64).
  • Prepare 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)

  • rhyme, rhyming, syllable (L)

Materials

  • Question Cards (see supporting materials)
  • White boards (one per student)
  • White board markers (one per student)
  • White board erasers (one per student)
  • Enlarged poem: "What Do You Want to Do?" (or handwritten on chart paper to display; from Lesson 64)
  • Pointer (optional)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Review Game: Question Cards

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

"It's time to play a game together now. Open up your ears so you can learn how. We'll listen to some questions and then we'll show. Now we'll practice what we know."

  • Introduce the Review Game: Question Cards instructional practice:

1. Teacher shows students the stack of Question Cards (facedown).

2. Teacher says: "Each card will ask you a question that will help you practice what you've been learning."

3. Teacher distributes white boards, white board markers, and white board erasers.

4. Teacher draws first card and reads it aloud to students.

5. Teacher models how to respond to the card on his or her own white board.

6. Teacher draws a second card.

7. Students respond on their white boards (if applicable).

8. Teacher invites a student volunteer to share while other students check their work.

9. Continue with as many prompts as time allows.

  • Consider modeling with a review card and white board before distributing materials.
  • The cards labeled "RF.K.2" do not necessarily need the students to record anything on their white boards unless otherwise indicated. After prompts such as "What is the first sound you hear in the word 'ship'?" consider inviting them to write the letter that makes that sound on their white boards.
  • Consider inviting students to come up and pick the cards.
  • Consider changing the sounds, letters, or words in the prompts on the cards according to students' needs.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Feel the Beats

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

"Let's count the syllables, beat by beat. Tap your fingers and drum in your seat. When we hear a syllable, we will tap. Try it out with a rat-a-tat-tat."

  • Begin the Feel the Beats instructional practice:

1. Teacher reads enlarged poem: "What Do You Want to Do?" once, pointing to each word as he or she reads it (with a finger or pointer) with expression.

2. While reading, teacher draws students' attention to the rhythm and syllables (beats) by tapping each beat under the word.

3. Students and teacher recite the poem aloud slowly.

4. Students and teacher tap each beat of the poem as they read, using the index and middle fingers of the right hand against the same two fingers of the left.

5. Teacher recites the first two lines of the poem again slowly while tapping, as students listen: "Do you want to make a wish or do you want to catch a fish?"

6. Teacher invites students to say the word "fish" aloud, tapping out each beat.

7. Teacher asks:

"How many syllables are in the word 'fish'?" (one)

"What is the first syllable in the word 'fish'?" ("fish")

8. Teacher says: "'Fish' is a word with just one syllable."

9. Teacher repeats steps 5-8 with each pair of lines in the poem, choosing any word from each pair of lines.

10. Teacher says: "All of the words we talked about have just one syllable."

11. Teacher asks:

"Are there any words in this poem that have more than one syllable?" (no)

12. Teacher says: "Wow! This is a poem that only has words with one syllable in them!"

13. Teacher says: "Now that we've realized that this poem only has words with just one syllable in them, let's play a game with some of those words."

14. Teacher asks:

"Can someone choose a word from the poem?" (Answers will vary. Example: "bike.")

15. Teacher says: "Let's segment (break) that word into its beginning sound and ending chunk."

16. Teacher models with the word. Example: "'bike,' /b/-/ike/."

17. Teacher invites students to do this with one or two more words from the poem.

  • It can be challenging for young students to differentiate the number of beats in a spoken word from the number of printed words on a page. Many students expect that the finger will move on after each beat when pointing to words in a text. In this instructional practice, tapping each beat in a word with two or more syllables directly under the word lays the groundwork for understanding the difference between "beats" (syllables) and words.
  • For students who may have difficulty managing the timing and coordination involved in physically marking each beat in spoken words: Allow them to recite it slowly instead.
  • Consider substituting the tapping of the fingers with marching in place or gently slapping a knee with one hand for students who need a more gross motor method.

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:

"What is a syllable?" (a beat in a word)

"How can we figure out how many syllables there are in a word?" (Say the word and listen for the beats, holding up a finger each time a beat is heard.)

"How might this help us with reading and writing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Example:
    • "When I say the word 'to,' I know it has _____ syllable because _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Partial Alphabetic groups. At this point in the year, the teacher may be ready to meet with three rather than just two groups per day. If so, the teacher should work with students in the Full and Consolidated Alphabetic phases at least once per week. The teacher may choose to guide students through the suggested independent activity or refer to the possible practice activities.

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 guides students as they tap out each beat in the poem/tongue twister: "ShaMiiah, Sh!" as they recite it. Students work with the teacher to determine the number of syllables (beats) in a specific word. They continue the process with "Thank You, Theo!" and "Check It, Charles!" if time allows.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebooks with poems/tongue twisters: "ShaMiiah, Sh!"; "Thank You, Theo!"; and "Check It, Charles!" (one per student; from Lessons 61 and 62)

Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students as they tap out each beat in the first two lines of the poem: "What Do You Want to Do?" as they recite it. Students work with the teacher to determine the number of syllables (beats) in a specific word. They continue the process with the remaining lines if time allows.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebooks with poems/tongue twisters: "ShaMiiah, Sh!"; "Thank You, Theo!"; and "Check It, Charles!" (one per student; from Lessons 61 and 62)

Full and Consolidated Alphabetic:

  • Independent practice activity: Students practice reciting the tongue twisters: "ShaMiiah, Sh!"; "Thank You, Theo!"; and "Check It, Charles!" and tapping the beats with their fingers a few times. Then, read the poem aloud in their poetry notebooks and indicate the number of syllables under each word. Example: Under the word "fish," they will make one line, while under the word "ShaMiiah," they will make three.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category
  • Conference with students about Accountable Independent Reading.
  • Choose a lesson from the K-2 Differentiation Packets to extend the students' learning. (Refer to students' assessment data and the Assessment Conversion chart to determine an appropriate lesson or group of lessons.)
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebooks (one per student; from Lessons 61 and 62)

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

Sign Up