Before Reading

• Word Work: 

  • love, this, and

  • Write words on a whiteboard, "popping" around the board 5 times correct each word 

  • OR Write words using finger in sand, salt, flour, etc. 

  • Pull out alphabet chart and find the h. Go over h sound. Write 3-5 words that start with h. 

• Read book aloud to child, having them point to each word as you read. Talk about what you are seeing in the pictures and point to the word label as you read what the picture is. 

• Ask child why they think different animals have different coverings. Ask what coverings he or she knows about that they didn't see in the book.  

• Let child read it now. 

• Focus strategy: Stretchy snake. Show him or her how to do it by looking at a word and moving across the word, slowing making each letter sound. Show poster (click link) and remind him or her that when they gets stuck, try to stretch out the sounds of the word.  Also remind them to read with their finger.

During Reading

• Read with finger 

• Encourage reading strategy (stretch the sounds out) 

• Support and encourage words that are read correctly with verbal praise

After Reading

• Say, "Today, you practiced the stretchy snake strategy. Now, we are going to use something called sound boxes to practice this strategy in another way"

  • Show picture card of a cat with the word written underneath it. Show the the 3 square sound boxes and move a small piece into each box as you say the three sounds (c... a.... t...) then slowly run your finger under the word as you blend the sounds together. Practice together until they are able to do it. This strategy is done best with words where each letter makes one sound at the beginning (sh is two letters so it would make one sound so shut wouldn't be good to use for this until child really has basic sounds down).

    • Cat, hat, sat, dog, mop, hop, log, run,  big, did, not, get, let

• New words: We, have

  • Write the words on the white board

  • Have child make the words with magnet letters

  • Take one of the letters away, ask him or her what is missing

  • Mix up the letters and have him or her put it back together

  • Have child dictate a sentence as you write it, then ask the child to read it, pointing at each word