La La La


 Kelley Styles
Emergent Literacy

Rational:      For children to read and spell words, they first need to be able to recognize the letters and be able  to determine what phoneme they make.  Consonant elements are either single  consonants, consonant digraphs, or consonant blends.  This lesson will help children identify /l/ which is a single consonant.  Students will be able to recognize /l/ in spoken words by learning a meaningful representation, a letter symbol, and practice recognizing words, that begin with and contain /l/.

Materials:     Primary paper, pencil, lettered squares(pieces of paper or construction paper that has different letters written on them such as "a" "b", etc.), crayons, worksheet( see number 8), and Lonely Lula Cat by Joseph Slate.

Procedures:     1.  Introduce the lesson by helping students say the letter "l" by learning how to move their mouth properly.  Class, today we are going to move our mouths to say /l/. /l/ is usually an easy letter to say and we are going to practice saying it and see if you can spot it in words we say each day.

                         2.  Do you like to sing songs and chants?  Have you ever dreamed of becoming a famous singer?  We are going to pretend that we are all famous with Barney and we are preparing our voices before we go on stage.  First, take a big breath, then put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth where your teeth meet the skin.  After all of that push your tongue down toward your bottom teeth while you breathe out - /l/.  Now let's all practice.  Once you can do it say /l/ fast, four times.  You've got it!  Class now let's practice a word using /l/ - lazy ladybug.

                        3.  Let's try a tongue twister (on board).  "The little lazy ladybug laid on the leaves."  Now, everyone say it together.  This time when you hear a word with /l/ stretch the /l/ out.  Like this "The llittle lllazybug lllaid on the llleaves."  That was great, you are all doing very well.

                        4.  Now let's do some practice recognizing the letter "l."  In front of the class the teacher asks for four volunteers.  She gives each volunteer a square that has a letter on it.  The first child has an "l," the second child has the letter "a," the third child has the letter "m," and the fourth child has the letter "p."  Who is holding the letter "l?"     Child's name     , hold up the letter "l."  Class what sound does /l/ make.  Repeat this process with all of the letters.  After you have pronounced and practiced all letters, say the word together.  You can do this exercise with other words too.  This will test letter recognition.

                        5.  (Have students take out primary paper and pencil).  We can use the letter "l" to spell /l/.  Let's write it.  First watch me.  For the capital "L" start in sky, go straight down to the side walk and walk to your right.  Now let's all practice.  As you practice I am going to walk around and look at your "L"'s, after I put a smile on your paper, put your pencil down.  Now that everyone can make a capital "L" letter, we are going to practice making a lowercase "l."  Start at the sky and come straight down to the sidewalk, and stop.  Now let's all practice. As you practice I am going to walk around and look at your "l"'s, after I put a smile on your paper, put your pencil down.

                    6.  Call on students to answer and tell how they knew: Do you hear /l/ in lion or mouse?  Little or big?  Laugh or cry?  Doll or truck?  Slow or fast?.

                    7.  Read: Lonely Lula Cat by Joseph Slate, then talk about the story.  Read it again and have the students say "la la la" when they hear words with /l/.  List the words they say on the board.  Then have each student write a story about a friend and tell why that friend is special to them, using inventive spelling.  Have each student read their story to the class, then display them.

                    8.  For assessment: I will make a worksheet.  At the top of the worksheet it will have two lines like their primary paper.  On the lines they are to practice making capital and lowercase "l."  Under the lines will be several pictures, some of "l" words along with pictures not of "l" words, such as lion, lamp, ladybug, doll, seal, bat, chair, mouse, snail.  The students will then color the pictures of "l" words with a yellow crayon.  They can color the other pictures any color that they choose.

Reference:     Elderedge, Lloyd J.  (1995) Teaching Decoding in Holistic Classrooms.   Englewood Cliffs,          NJ: Merrill.

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