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Let Me Hear You Say Ayye!

Beginning Reading Design for ay=/A/ 

Mary Clai Chase 

Rationale: Students will learn about the long vowel correspondence ay=/A/. It is important that children learn how spellings map word pronunciations. In this lesson, students will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling ay. Students will achieve this by learning meaningful representation (“Let Me Hear You Say Ayyye!” *raise the roof hands*), spelling and reading words with ay in a letterbox lesson, and reading a decodable book that focuses on the correspondence ay=/A/.

 

Materials: Raise the roof gif (https://giphy.com/explore/raise-the-roof); a Ladibug or some sort of projector to show your modeling; cover-up critters; letterboxes and (a,b,c,d,i,l,m,n,o,p,r,s,t,u,w,y) letter tiles for each student and the teacher; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read (day, at, clay, sit, spray, slim and tay) decodable book (The Train Trip, by Bruce and Geri Murray, Genibooks 2019); assessment worksheet (https://worksheetplace.com/index.php?function=DisplaySheet&sheet=ay-word-family-cut-and-paste-2&links=2&id=7476&link1=436&link2=403)

 

Procedures:

1. Introduce the topic by saying: “Remember how we learned that spelling is our code that tells us how to pronounce words? We have already learned about the short vowel a, like cat, but now we are going to learn about the long vowel A. One way to say /A/ is with the spelling a-y. (Write ay on the board). When I say /A/, I think of someone raising the roof saying “ayyye” (show graphic above and demonstrate). Here is a fun tickler tale: You walk into your best friend’s birthday party. Everyone is so excited. People are singing. People are dancing. You yell: “Let me hear you say ayyye!”, and everyone yells back “ayyye!” Here is our tongue tickler: Let me hear you say ayyye! Let’s stretch out the sound: Let me hear you s-a-a-y-y-y a- a-y-y-y-e! Now let’s cut off the sound from the word: Let me hear you s-ay aye! Good job!”

 

2. Say: “Before we spell some words with /A/, let’s listen for it in spoken words. When I say /A/, my mouth opens slightly and then closes slightly. Watch my lips as I say /A/. /A/. Listen for it in this word: Playground. I heard A say it’s name and felt my jaw close slightly. I’ll say it slowly. P-l-a-a-y-y-g-r-o-u-n-d. Did you hear it? There is a long A in playground. Now I am going to say some words and I want you to “raise the roof” when you hear the long A sound. Is it in: day, night, lay, sit, April, May?”

 

3. Say: “Now let’s work on spelling. What if I wanted to spell the word way? For example, which way is Miss Chase's class? I am going to use letterboxes to spell the word. First, I ask myself: 'How many different phonemes, or sounds, do you hear in way?' Let me stretch out the sound to find out: /w/ /ay/. I need 2 boxes. (Lay out 2 boxes.) Okay, let me say it slowly: w-w-a-a-y. I hear /w/ in the beginning, so it must start with a w. (Place a w in the first box.) /w//ay/- there is my long vowel A! Here, I spell it using ay. (Place ay in the second box.) Way.”

 

4. Say: “Now I am going to model how to spell a word with /A/. (Write on the board the word stay.) I am going to start with my ay at the end, because I know that says /A/.  Now, let me look at the beginning. /s//t//ay/ Oh, stay, like I am going to stay in my seat!”

 

5. Say: “Now it’s your turn! I want you to get out your letterboxes and letter tiles. I want you to spell the word day. Like what day is it? Think about how many letterboxes you’ll need and place your letter tiles in the boxes. I will walk around the room to check if you spelled day correctly. (Walk around the room to make sure they have 2 letterboxes and the correct spelling.) Good job! Day has two sounds, so we need two letterboxes. The first box has a d in it, and the second has ay together in it. (Have the students spell these words while you go around, check, and go over the correct spelling as a class: at, clay, sit, spray, slim and day)

 

6. Say: “Now we are going to read the words we spelled.” (Show the words at, clay, sit, spray, slim and day and the extra pseudoword tay on the board. Have the students read the words as a class.)

 

7. Say: “You guys have done a great job spelling and reading words with our new spelling for /A/: ay. Now, we are going to read a book called The Train Trip. In this book, Tim’s friend Nate is coming to visit. Nate is taking a train to get to Tim. However, the train is late. What will Nate do on the train? Will he get to Tim? Let’s pair up and take turns reading The Train Trip to find out what happens! I want one partner to read one page and the other to read the next page. You will continue alternating until you finish the book. (Walk around the classroom to monitor reading and hand out cover-up critters.) I heard lots of good reading voices and saw awesome scaffolding techniques, like using our cover-up critters! Now let’s read the story together. I want everyone to read aloud with me.” (Stop before you turn the page to ask questions.)

 

8. Say: “To finish our lesson about one way to spell long vowel /A/ using ay, I want you to cut the words from the worksheet and glue them with their corresponding pictures. Then, I want you to write a sentence for three different words on the sheet. You will have at least three sentences.” (Walk around the classroom to assist and check their work. Collect worksheets at the end.)

 

 

References:

Murray, Geri. Oh, I Didn't Know! https://murraba.wixsite.com/readinglessons/beginning-reading

Murray, Bruce and Geri. (2019) . Reading Genie: https://www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Murray/e/B07VH5LHWG?ref_=pe_1724030_132998060

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Assessment worksheet: https://worksheetplace.com/index.php?function=DisplaySheet&sheet=ay-word-family-cut-and-paste-2&links=2&id=7476&link1=436&link2=403

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