ELA G2:S4:C21:L101

Words Rule

Like what you see?

Order printed materials, teacher guides and more.

How to order

Help us improve!

Tell us how the curriculum is working in your classroom and send us corrections or suggestions for improving it.

Leave feedback

Daily Learning Targets

Opening A: I can identify two-syllable /ə/ words spelled with “a” in a shared text (poem). (RF.2.3)

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

Work Time A: I can read, identify the /ə/ sound, and spell two-syllable /ə/ words spelled with “a.” (RF.2.3, L.2.2)

I can use knowledge of vowel sounds to help me decode words with different spelling patterns.
I can decode a two-syllable word that contains the CVCe vowel pattern.
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 /ə/ sound in two-syllable words from the poem: “Come Along!”
Observe students during Work Time A. Determine whether they can apply the spelling pattern “a” for /ə/ in writing words on whiteboards.
Exit ticket (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Agenda

Agenda
1. Opening (3–5 minutes) A. Poem Launch: “Come Along!” 2. Work Time (10 minutes) A. Words Rule: Two-Syllable /ə/ Words Spelled with “a”: “along,” “amaze,” “agree,” “China,” “panda,” “across,” “awake,” “regal,” “tundra,” “alone,” “around,” “animals” 3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes) A. Reflecting on Learning 4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

1. Opening (3–5 minutes)

A. Poem Launch: “Come Along!”

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Words Rule: Two-Syllable /ə/ Words Spelled with “a”: “along,” “amaze,” “agree,” “China,” “panda,” “across,” “awake,” “regal,” “tundra,” “alone,” “around,” “animals”

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: "Come Along!" for display (or write on chart paper for display)
Enlarged Schwa T-chart for Work Time A

Copy and cut apart Words Rule Word Cards for Work Time A (one set per pair).
Copy T-chart for Words Rule 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, similarities (L)
regal, tundra (T)

Materials

Enlarged poem: "Come Along!" (or write on chart paper to display)
Enlarged Schwa T-chart
Clipboards if students are not sitting at a desk (one per student; optional)
Words Rule Word Cards (one set per pair)
Schwa T-chart (one per pair)
Cycle 21 Assessment (optional)

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Poem Launch: “Come Along!” (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: “Come Along!” 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 /ə/ sound) 9. Teacher asks: “What sound did you hear in many of the words in this poem?” (many had the sound /ə/; it sounds like there was a short “u” sound, /ŭ/, in many words) 10. Teacher says: “Right. Those are the words we will learn more about today. Now let’s read the poem once more together.” 11. Students read poem aloud with teacher. 12. Teacher says: “Great reading! Now we will take a closer look at those words you discovered.”	For students who need help in Opening A, including ELLs; consider providing picture cards of nouns in “I Spy” to support comprehension. Consider providing students with background knowledge and/or photographs of the zoo for those who may be unfamiliar with visiting a zoo. 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/ sound as poem is read aloud to support students’ identification of words with the schwa sound.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Poem Launch: “Come Along!”

(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: “Come Along!”

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 /ə/ sound)

9. Teacher asks:

“What sound did you hear in many of the words in this poem?” (many had the sound /ə/; it sounds like there was a short “u” sound, /ŭ/, in many words)

10. Teacher says: “Right. Those are the words we will learn more about today. Now let’s read the poem once more together.”

11. Students read poem aloud with teacher.

12. Teacher says: “Great reading! Now we will take a closer look at those words you discovered.”

For students who need help in Opening A, including ELLs; consider providing picture cards of nouns in “I Spy” to support comprehension.
Consider providing students with background knowledge and/or photographs of the zoo for those who may be unfamiliar with visiting a zoo.
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/ sound as poem is read aloud to support students’ identification of words with the schwa sound.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Words Rule: Two-Syllable /ə/ Words Spelled with “a”: “along,” “amaze,” “agree,” “China,” “panda,” “across,” “awake,” “regal,” “tundra,” “alone,” “around,” “animals” (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 Words Rule Word Cards on the board and reads aloud (two-syllable /ə/ words spelled with “a”): “along,” “amaze,” “agree,” “China,” “panda,” “across,” “awake,” “regal,” “tundra,” “alone,” “around,” “animals.” 2. Teacher says: “Here are some of the words we read in the poem that share the /ə/ sound. Take a minute to examine these words, then share your thinking about how they are similar with an elbow partner.” 3. Students read words silently and notice similarities (two syllables, the vowel a making the /ə/ sound instead of its short or long sound). Students share their thinking with an elbow partner. 4. Teacher asks: “Who would like to share what they noticed about these words?” (They are all two-syllable words; many had the sound, /ə/; it sounds like there was a short u, but the /ŭ/ sound wasn’t spelled with the letter u) “And what is different about the sound made by ‘a’ in these words?” (the vowel “a” makes the /ə/ sound; it isn’t the long or short vowel sound of “a.”) 5. Teacher says: “Right. You have discovered a very special vowel sound in these words. This sound is called the ‘schwa’ sound. Schwa sounds are weak vowels that do not sound like the long or short sounds we know. Schwa sounds always come in the unstressed syllable. This means you do not emphasize that syllable in the word. This sound is special because it can be spelled with different vowels. Today we are learning about the ‘schwa’ sound in words spelled with ‘a.’” 6. Teacher asks: “How many syllables do you hear in these ‘schwa’ words?” (Two) 7. Teacher says: “Yes. These words all have two syllables. This special sound called ‘schwa’ is heard in words with more than one syllable, with just a few exceptions. The words we will learn today have more than one syllable.” 8. Teacher asks: “Where do you hear the ‘schwa’ sound in these words?” (in some words at the beginning, in some words at the end) 9. Teacher says: “Right. The vowel ‘a’ can make its schwa sound at the beginning or end of a word. There are some words that have the ‘schwa’ sound made with “a” in the middle of a syllable, but not many. So, we will focus on words with the ‘schwa’ sound at the beginning or ending of words.” 10. Teacher says: “Let’s put these words into two groups: beginning sound and ending sound. I’ll read the word, then we will decide where to write it on this T-chart. The first word is ‘along.’ Think of where you hear the ‘schwa’ sound.” 11. Teacher asks: “Does this word go in the Beginning column or in the Ending column?” (Beginning) 12. Teacher writes “along” in the Beginning column on the enlarged Schwa T-chart. 13. Teacher says: “Right! We hear the ‘schwa’ sound at the beginning of ‘along.’ Now let’s practice reading and writing these words with a partner. First, you will read a word, and your partner will write it on the chart under Beginning or Ending sound, and you will check it together with the Word Card. Then you will switch roles so your partner will read a Word Card, and you will write the word in the Beginning or Ending column. When you have written all the words on the T-chart, you will take turns reading the words.” 14. Teacher distributes Words Rule Word Cards and the Schwa T-chart to students as they partner together to practice sorting two-syllable /ə/ words. 15. Students divide Word Cards equally with partners and take turns reading two-syllable /ə/ words: Student A reads word. Student B identifies each /ə/sound as beginning or ending. Student B writes word in appropriate column. Students switch roles. Students take turns reading all words written.	The schwa sound is noted as “/ə/” and approximates the short “u” sound (/u/). Although the sound of schwa is not exactly the same as /u/, providing this connection helps students identify the schwa sound in words. Consider exaggerating the /ə/sound in words read aloud to support students’ identification of the schwa sound. Consider giving a sentence containing each word to help support vocabulary development for students.

Meeting Students' Needs

(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 Words Rule Word Cards on the board and reads aloud (two-syllable /ə/ words spelled with “a”): “along,” “amaze,” “agree,” “China,” “panda,” “across,” “awake,” “regal,” “tundra,” “alone,” “around,” “animals.”

2. Teacher says: “Here are some of the words we read in the poem that share the /ə/ sound. Take a minute to examine these words, then share your thinking about how they are similar with an elbow partner.”

3. Students read words silently and notice similarities (two syllables, the vowel a making the /ə/ sound instead of its short or long sound). Students share their thinking with an elbow partner.

4. Teacher asks:

“Who would like to share what they noticed about these words?” (They are all two-syllable words; many had the sound, /ə/; it sounds like there was a short u, but the /ŭ/ sound wasn’t spelled with the letter u)

“And what is different about the sound made by ‘a’ in these words?” (the vowel “a” makes the /ə/ sound; it isn’t the long or short vowel sound of “a.”)

5. Teacher says: “Right. You have discovered a very special vowel sound in these words. This sound is called the ‘schwa’ sound. Schwa sounds are weak vowels that do not sound like the long or short sounds we know. Schwa sounds always come in the unstressed syllable. This means you do not emphasize that syllable in the word. This sound is special because it can be spelled with different vowels. Today we are learning about the ‘schwa’ sound in words spelled with ‘a.’”

6. Teacher asks:

“How many syllables do you hear in these ‘schwa’ words?” (Two)

7. Teacher says: “Yes. These words all have two syllables. This special sound called ‘schwa’ is heard in words with more than one syllable, with just a few exceptions. The words we will learn today have more than one syllable.”

8. Teacher asks:

“Where do you hear the ‘schwa’ sound in these words?” (in some words at the beginning, in some words at the end)

9. Teacher says: “Right. The vowel ‘a’ can make its schwa sound at the beginning or end of a word. There are some words that have the ‘schwa’ sound made with “a” in the middle of a syllable, but not many. So, we will focus on words with the ‘schwa’ sound at the beginning or ending of words.”

10. Teacher says: “Let’s put these words into two groups: beginning sound and ending sound. I’ll read the word, then we will decide where to write it on this T-chart. The first word is ‘along.’ Think of where you hear the ‘schwa’ sound.”

11. Teacher asks:

“Does this word go in the Beginning column or in the Ending column?” (Beginning)

12. Teacher writes “along” in the Beginning column on the enlarged Schwa T-chart.

13. Teacher says: “Right! We hear the ‘schwa’ sound at the beginning of ‘along.’ Now let’s practice reading and writing these words with a partner. First, you will read a word, and your partner will write it on the chart under Beginning or Ending sound, and you will check it together with the Word Card. Then you will switch roles so your partner will read a Word Card, and you will write the word in the Beginning or Ending column. When you have written all the words on the T-chart, you will take turns reading the words.”

14. Teacher distributes Words Rule Word Cards and the Schwa T-chart to students as they partner together to practice sorting two-syllable /ə/ words.

15. Students divide Word Cards equally with partners and take turns reading two-syllable /ə/ words:

Student A reads word.
Student B identifies each /ə/sound as beginning or ending.
Student B writes word in appropriate column.
Students switch roles.
Students take turns reading all words written.

The schwa sound is noted as “/ə/” and approximates the short “u” sound (/u/). Although the sound of schwa is not exactly the same as /u/, providing this connection helps students identify the schwa sound in words.
Consider exaggerating the
/ə/sound in words read aloud to support students’ identification of the schwa sound.
Consider giving a sentence containing each word to help support vocabulary development for students.

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 build schwa words spelled with "a" using Letter Tiles (see K-2 Word List for examples).
Students check spellings with Word List.
Students write list of words created 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:

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 schwa words spelled with "a" (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 schwa words spelled with "a."
Check in with Accountable Independent Reading.
Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Grade 1 lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in daily small group instruction.
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 schwa words spelled with "a" (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 schwa words spelled with "a" as 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:C21:L101

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

Materials from Previous Lessons

New Materials

Opening

Work Time

Closing & Assessments

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

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

Help us improve our curriculum.