Let's Learn to Read!
I Like to Ride My Bike
A Beginning Reading Lesson
Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence i_e = /I/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling i_e. They will learn a meaningful representation (picture of bike), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a Letterbox lesson, and read a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence i_e = /I/.
Materials: Graphic image of a bike; cover-up critter; whiteboard or smartboard Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher: e, i, k, l, m, n, r, s, t, z; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: line, mile, kite, size, time, strike; decodable text: The Bike Ride, and assessment worksheet.
Procedures: 1. Say: In order to become expert readers we need to learn the code that tells us how to pronounce words. We have already learned to read short vowel words with i, like tip, and today we are going to learn about long I and the silent e signal that is used to make i_e say its name, /I/. When I say /I/ I think of a bike. [show graphic image of someone riding bike].
2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /I/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /I/ in words, I hear i_e say its name /I/ and my mouth make shape like this [Show picture of mouth shape for /I/ example on right.] I’ll show you first: bride. I heard i_e say its name and I felt my lips make an oval [make a circle motion around pursed lips]. There is a long I in mine. Now I’m going to see if it’s in fish. Hmm, I didn’t hear i_e say its name. Now you try. If you hear /I/ say, “I like to ride my bike.” If you don’t hear /I/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in hike, rain, file, yikes, laps, nine? [Have children make a circle motion around their pursed lips when they feel /I/ say its name.]
3. Say: Now let’s look at the spelling of /I/ that we’ll learn today. One-way to spell /I/ is with the letter i and a signal e at the end of the word to tell me to say I’s name. [Write i_e on the board.] This blank line here means there is a consonant after i, and at the end of the word there is a little silent e signal. What if I want to spell the word strike? “If I strike the match, it will spark a flame.” Strike means light in this sentence. To spell strike in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word so I stretch it out and count: /s//t//r//I//k/. I need 5 boxes. I heard that /I/ just before the /k/ so I’m going to put an I in the 4th box and the silent e signal outside the last box. The word starts with /s/, that’s easy; I need an s. Now it gets a little tricky so I’m going to say it slowly, /s//t//r//I//k/. I think I heard /t/ so I’ll put a t right after the s. One more before the /I/, hmm . . . /s//t//r//I//k/, I think I heard growling /r/ so I need an r. I have one empty box now. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /s//t//r//I//k/.] The missing one is /k/ = k.
4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with four boxes for h-i-k-e. What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? What about silent e, did you remember to put it outside the boxes? I’ll check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need four letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for /I/ and don’t forget to put the signal silent e at the end, outside the boxes. Here’s the word: lied, my friend lied today; lied. [Allow children to spell words.] Time to check your work. Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: b-i-k-e and see if you’ve spelled it the same way. [Have volunteer spell it in the letterbox on the front board for children to check their work. Repeat this step for each new word.] Next word. Listen to see if this word has /I/ in it before you spell it: fish; be careful when you reel in the fish. Did you need a silent e? Why not? Right, because we don’t hear i_e say its name. We spell it with our short vowel i. [volunteer spells it on the front board.] Now let’s try 4 phonemes: tied; I tied my friends shoe. One more then we’re done with spelling, and this time you need five boxes: strike; If I strike the match, it will spark a flame. Remember to stretch it out to get this tough word.
5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you’ve spelled, but first I’ll show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with strike on the top and model reading the word.] First I see there’s a silent e on the end; that’s my signal that the vowel will say its name. There’s the vowel i_e. It must say /I/. I’m going to use a cover-up to get the first part. [Uncover and blend sequentially before the vowel, then blend with the vowel.] /s//t/ = /st/ + /r/ = /str/. Now I’m going to blend that with /I/ = /strI/. Now all I need is the end, /k/ = /strIk/. Strike; that’s it. Now it’s your turn, everyone together. [Have children read words in unison. Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]
6. Say: You’ve done a great job and reading words with our new spelling for /I/: i_e. Now we are going to read a book called The Bike Ride. This is a story of a boy named Nate who wants to watch tv and sleep all day, his two friends Tim and Jan want to get him out of the house for some fun. They know their friend Nate won’t like to hike so they have the idea to tie a kite to their bike. As they ride with the kite it rises in the sky. They get Nate to try it and he enjoys it, even though he thought he would not. Let’s pair up and take turns reading The Bike Ride to find out what happened on his bike ride. [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the class rereads The Bike Ride aloud together, and stops between page turns to discuss the plot.]
7. Say: That was a fun story. What did Tim and Jan want Nate to do? Right, they wanted to get him out of the house. What did Tim and Jan come up with? Right, they tied a kite to their bike. Did they get Nate to try? Right, Nate tried it and enjoyed it. Before we finish up with our lesson about one way to spell /I/ = i_e, I want to see how you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet your job is to use the clues to help you fill the crossword puzzle. The words will have the long I sound. First try counting the spaces in the word boxes and then choose the word that fits best in the space. Reread your answers to see if they make sense. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]
Resources: Ana Eagerton, Aye Aye, Captain: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/awakenings/eagertonbr.htm
Murray, G. (2004) The Bike Ride. Reading Genie: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/bookindex.html
Assessment worksheet: http://www.free-phonics-worksheets.com/html/phonics_worksheet_v2-07.html
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