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This lesson was taught on November 29th! I had such a fun idea to do a "Sneaky E" lesson with the students teaching the English rule which guides pronunciation for a vowel in a CVC(e) pattern. Ever since I thought of this idea, I could not get it out of my head and just HAD to teach this lesson!! I volunteer in an local elementary school helping with reading in a different First Grade classroom and watch the students struggle with sounding/ blending out the words which follow this pattern. As I worked with those students I attempted to scaffold and brainstorm how I could benefit these emerging readers. I began to find an idea that helped when reading but was determined to find a way to teach this lesson to these dancers in a fun and creative way that might help the concept to stick!Ever since I came up with an idea I have been so excited going into this lesson to see the effects of this lesson with this interactive learning.
We began this lesson by reviewing the sounds of the vowels! I defined long and short vowels, and the students immediately began grouping them into categories based on the long and short sounds they made! When the students put a vowel sound into the Short Sound category they made a shape on a low level. When they placed a vowel sound into the Long Sound category, they made shapes on high levels. I was so impressed with their ability to categorize the letters and their mastery of the different sounds that vowels could make. We then began our Hello Song--"Vowel Sound Workout". In this song, the artist sings words with different sounds (long and short vowel sounds). The students exercise their bodies as they "squat down low for the short sounds" and "reach up high for the long sounds". I loved watching the students begin to sing a long as the song repeated.
We finally got on to my favorite part of the lesson-- The "Sneaky E" dance!! I printed out several letters that could make up words such as tap, kit, and hop. I chose students to tape this letter on them and to use a loco-motor skill sneakily to the front of the room, they then used axial movements to make the shape of the letter they represented. As a class we "blended" out the word (ex: h-o-p- hop). I then chose a student to be our "Sneaky E". The "Sneaky E" danced sneakily up to the end of the word to the Pink Panther's theme song and made the shape of an e and the class read the word again. It was so fun to hear the students exclaim, " That sneaky e changed the vowel's sound!!"
The students seemed to grasp this concept so well and by the end often said the word without blending it out. I loved watching the students dance sneakily and have so much fun portraying the "Sneaky E". This was a great behavior management tactic for me, because all of the students participated and were on their best behavior so they could be the next "Sneaky E! I hope that Ms. Smith can use this in the future as a cue to correct and further teach this CVC(e) rule to the students. I further hope that the the students will remember this lesson and that it will be a catalyst to their reading and writing.
Until Next Time!!
Official Lesson Plan: