Beginning Reader Design
EEEEE! A Bee!
Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the long vowel correspondence ee = /E/. In order for students to become phonemically aware, they have to learn how to recognize all correspondences, which will also help them learn how to recognize the spellings that map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling ee. They will learn this correspondence by learning a representation of a man screaming “EEEE,” showing the sound that ee makes when it is pronounced. Students will also perform a letterbox lesson and read a decodable text, then take an individual assessment to check for understanding.
Materials: Graphic image of a scared man; Elkonin boxes for modeling (preferably larger than the students’, or put them on a projector, so the entire class can see) and individual Elkonin boxes for each student; letter manipulatives for each child: a, b, c (x2 per child), d (x2 per child), e (x2 per child), f, g, h, k, n, p, r, s, t, w; marker to write words to read on the board; decodable text: “The Bee and the Flea;” and assessment worksheet.
Procedures:
1. By learning different correspondences, you will learn the map of how to pronounce words. We have already learned to read short vowel words like bed with the short e sound. Now we are going to learn about long e; more specifically the sound that two e’s make together, like in feed or beet. When you think of the sound that ee makes, I want you to think of a scared man saying, “EEEEE, a bee!” who is running away from a bee [show graphic image]. There are many different spellings of /E/, but today we are going to focus on words that are spelled with two e’s (ee). Remember when you see two e’s together, you are going to make the sound that you would make if you saw a bee: “EEEEEE!”
2. Now I want you all to get comfortable with hearing ee = /E/ in words. Listen to me say a few words that have the long vowel e. When I say these words listen for when I say, “EEEE,” like I saw a bee. Here we go: beep, feed, green, and sleep, [make sure to elongate the /ee/ sound]. Did you see how I said /E/ in all those words? I said, “b/ee/p”, bbbb, eeeeee, pppp. Now I want you all to put your hands on your cheeks like you saw a bee if you hear me say the long e sound in each of these words: elephant, screech, medic, eel, agree, eat, and tree. Great job, guys! Notice that every time I use the long vowel e, I am pronouncing the name e. When I use other words that use the short vowel e, /e/, I do not say its name.
3. What if I want to spell the word sweep? “If I sweep the floor, it will be shiny and clean.” To sweep means to move a broom back and forth to get rid of dust and dirt. To spell sweep in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word. To know this, I need to stretch it out and pronounce it slowly: /s/w/ee/p. I need 4 boxes. I heard /s/ and /w/ just before the /E/ so I’m going to put an s in the 1st box, and a w in the second box. An e goes in the third box, but it will be two e’s because they act as one sound. Lastly, a p goes in the fourth box. Make sure you stretch your words out, because some letters will act as one sound. For example, the word feed, /f/ee/d/. There are four letters, but only three sounds. Let’s do a more difficult word like screech. First stretch the word out, s-c-r-ee-ch. In this word, there are two sets of letters that each act as one sound. Ssssss ccccc rrrrrrrr eeeee chhhh. You see I said the s sound, the c sound, the r sound, and the two e’s together, then lastly I pronounced the ch together as one sound. For my letterbox I would put the s in the first box, the c in the second box, the r in the third box, the ee in the fourth box, and then lastly the ch in the fourth box.
4. Now I want you to put some words in a letterbox. Let’s start with a review word first. Everyone spell get. [Allow time for students to spell word]. Great! Now we will move on to our new correspondence. What is our new correspondence? ee = /E/, right! Let’s start out easy with see. To see is to use your eyes to look at something, “I looked up to see a bird on the roof.” Now I want you to count how many phonemes are in the word see. Say the word see slowly, ssssss eeeee. Two, right! What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. The s would go into the first box. What goes in the second box? Make sure that you say it slowly and put letters together that act as one sound. Both e’s would go into the second box because they act as one sound. I’m going to walk around and check spelling. [Observe progress.] You’ll need three letterboxes for the next word. The next word is deed. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the first box. Then listen for /E/, and don’t forget to put letters together that act as one sound. Now try the words: feed, beet, cheek, tree, and screen. [While students are working with their letterboxes, write the words deer, jeep, week, teeth, and seed on the whiteboard for the next activity].
5. Now I’m going to have you all read some ee = /E/ words! Let’s try reading the first two words together: deer and jeep. Awesome! Do I have any volunteers for the next word? [Go through list of words.] Great job everyone!
6. Now we are going to read a book called The Bee and The Flea. This is a story of a bee and a flea. The flea was not like any other flea; he liked to drink nectar from roses, like a bee! One day the flea was drinking nectar out of a flower, when suddenly a bee caught him and took him to the Queen Bee!! To figure out what happens when the Queen Bee finds out that the flea was eating nectar out of their flower, we will have to read the whole story. Let’s read as a group and take turns reading The Bee and The Flea to find out! [Children take turns reading alternate pages while teacher listens. After they read the book once, we will read it again so that everyone can have a chance to read. We will then read it one more time, but only I will read it and we will discuss plot.]
7. Our lesson is almost over, but I want you all to complete a worksheet to show me how much you know about ee = /E/. This worksheet will require you to circle the words that have the long e sound. After you have circled those words, you will circle the picture for each word you circled. Remember each word will say the sound that you would say if a scared man just saw a bee. I’m going to let you all work on this worksheet while I walk around and help.
References:
“EEEEE! It’s a Rat!” by Tori Hunsucker: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/awakenings/hunsuckertbr.htm
“The Bee and the Flea” by Cheryl Ryan: https://www.readinga-z.com/book.php?id=364
Cartoon Bee Sting by Ron Leishman: http://www.toonvectors.com/clip-art/cartoon-bee-sting/12480
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