Ms. Smith's Reading Lessons 

Procedures

1. Remind students that our language is based on learning what each letter stands for and how the mouth moves to make the right sound. Say: Today we will focus on looking at how the mouth moves for /p/ which we spell with P.  

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2. Say: Let’s pretend like we are popping popcorn, /p/, /p/, /p/. [Pantomime popping popcorn] Notice, where are your lips? When we say /p/, our lips are closed on top of each other, and when we open them, we blow out a puff of air. The letter P kinda looks like a spoon that you could use to scoop popcorn into a bowl and it sounds like popping popcorn. 

 

3. Say: Let me show you how to find /p/ in the word dump. I’m going to stretch dump out in super slow motion and listen for the popping popcorn. bbb-lll-ooo-ooo-pppp. Slower: bbb-llll-oooo-oooo-ppppp. There is was! I felt my lips close together and then blow out a puff of air. Popping /p/ is in bloop! 

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4. [Have students take out primary paper and pencil]. We use the letter P to spell /p/. Capital P and lowercase p look like a popcorn spoon. Let’s practice writing lowercase p. Start at the fence and make a straight line to the ditch and stop. Now, put your pencil on your line at the fence and start making a circle and stop it at the sidewalk on the line that you just made. I want to see everybody’s p. After I put a stamp on your paper, I want you to make 5 more just like that!

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5. Call on students to answer and tell how they knew: Do you hear /p/ in camp or cat? Puppy or frog? Up or on? Drop or drain? Play or stay? Say: Let’s see if you can spot the mouth move /p/ in some words. Pop like popcorn if you hear /p/: the, pudgyy, pig, ate, some, perfect, popcorn.

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6. Say: Let’s look at If You Give A Pig A Pancake. Laura Numeroff tells us about a pig that is given a pancake for breakfast and what will happen after he gets the pancake. It might not be what you think. Drawing out /p/. Ask children if they can think of other words with /p/. Ask them to make up foods that start with /p/ and draw them out. Display their work.

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7. Show PAN and model how to decide if it is pan or fan: the P tells me to pop my popcorn, /p/, so this word is ppp-an, pan. You try some: PIT: pig or lit? POT : pot or not? PICK: pick or Nick? PEN: pen or Ben? PET: pet or bet?

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8. For assessment, distribute the worksheet. Students color the pictures that begin with P. Call students individually to read the phonetic cue words from step #8.