A Two-Week Program of 20-minute Daily Lessons to Help Students Disambiguate b and d
Week 1, Day 1. Materials: PowerPoint “The Bat Hits the Ball,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, poster of “The Bat Hits the Ball.”
1) Show the PowerPoint “The Bat Hits the Ball” and read aloud the feature-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students. The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper. Explain:
· The dotted line in the middle is the fence, and every letter touches the fence.
· The line below the fence is the sidewalk, and every letter touches the sidewalk.
· Some letters touch the rooftop, and some go down into the ditch.
2) Model printing b on guidelines displayed on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how the bat comes first, before the ball. (In Slide Show view, right-click the slide, point to Pointer Options, and then click a pen. Form the b the normal way, making the vertical line from top to bottom pointing out placement from rooftop to sidewalk, and then retracing upward to form the loop.) Explain:
· The line for the bat starts at the rooftop and drops down to the sidewalk.
· Then comes the ball. It sits on the sidewalk, and it touches the bat and the fence.
3) Make several more b’s while saying, “The bat . . . hits the ball.”
4) Then have students practice making letter b on primary paper, reciting “the bat hits the ball” as they make each b.
· Ask students to write 10 good b’s to get their brains ready to use good b's in their stories.
· Then write a sentence about their favorite part of the story, “The bat hits the ball.” Remind students to use lowercase b’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase b’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.
5) Display the poster of “The Bat Hits the Ball” for the remainder of the program.
Week 1, Day 2. Materials: PowerPoint “The Bat Hits the Ball,” Smart Board, PowerPoint “Find the Letter Chart,” Initial letter cards Set 1.
1) Show the PowerPoint “The Bat Hits the Ball” and reread aloud the feature-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
2) Model printing b on guidelines displayed on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how the bat comes first, before the ball.
3) Then open the PowerPoint document “Find the Letter Chart.” Have students find all the b’s on the Find the Letter Chart and circle the ones they find.
· Point to each letter and ask, “Is this b? Is this?”
· When they find a b, ask, “How did you know?” (Because the bat hits the ball).
4) Using the card for bad, simulate having difficulty deciding whether the word is bad or dad. Model by saying, “I can use the first letter b to figure out this word. I see a bat hitting a ball—that’s letter b. Letter b says /b/, and so this word says /b/ /b/ bad.”
5) Then have students do guided phonetic cue reading practice with initial letters (10 cards).
· For example, show bad and ask, “Is this bad or dad”? Show dug and ask, “Is this bug or dug?” (Write the questions and answers on the back of each card.)
· If an answer is not unanimous, have children vote on which word it is, and model if the vote comes out wrong.
· Recycle any missed cards until students “win” all 10 with correct answers.
Week 1, Day 3. Materials: PowerPoints “The Bat Hits the Ball and “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, poster of “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino.”
1) Show the PowerPoint “The Bat Hits the Ball” and have students retell the feature-sequence story instead of reading it to them.
2) Then show the PowerPoint “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino” and read aloud the feature-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
· As the PowerPoint plays the animation, say, “Oh, no, the dime is going to knock down that domino. Whew, it stopped just in time.”
3) The final slide shows the guidelines on primary paper. Explain,
· The dotted line in the middle is the fence, and every letter touches the fence.
· The line below the fence is the sidewalk, and every letter touches the sidewalk.
· Some letters touch the rooftop, and some go down into the ditch.
4) Model printing d onto the guidelines on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how the dime comes before the domino. (Draw a full circle for the dime.) Explain:
· “The dime comes first. It sits on the sidewalk and touches the fence. The domino comes all the way from the rooftop to the fence; the dime touches the domino, but it doesn’t knock it down.”
5) Make several more d’s while saying, “The dime . . . rolls up to the domino.”
6) Then have students practice making letter d on primary paper, reciting “the dime rolls up to the domino” as they make each letter.
· Ask students to write 10 good d’s to get their brains ready to use good d's in their stories.
· Then write a sentence about their favorite part of the story, “The dime rolls up to the domino.” Remind students to use lowercase d’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase d’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.
7) Display the poster of “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino” for the remainder of the program.
Week 1, Day 4. Materials: PowerPoint “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino,” PowerPoint “Find the Letter Chart,” Initial letter cards Set 2, Day 4 quiz #1.
1) Show the PowerPoint “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino” and reread aloud the feature-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
2) The final slide shows the guidelines on primary paper. Explain,
· The dotted line in the middle is the fence, and every letter touches the fence.
· The line below the fence is the sidewalk, and every letter touches the sidewalk.
· Some letters touch the rooftop, and some go down into the ditch.
3) Model printing d on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how the dime comes first, before the domino.
4) Then open the PowerPoint document “Find the Letter Chart.” Have students find all the d’s on the Find the Letter Chart and circle the ones they find.
· Point to each letter and ask, “Is this d? Is this?”
· When they find a d, ask, “How did you know?” (Because the dime rolls up to the domino).
5) Using the card for dull, say, “This word is either bull or dull. I can use the first letter to figure out which one it is. I see a dime rolling up to a domino—that’s letter d. Letter d says /d/, and so this word says /d/ /d/ dull.”
6) Then have the student do phonetic cue reading practice with the other words with initial letters (Set 2, 10 cards). Tell children, “To decide if a letter is a b or a d, see if the bat hits the ball—that’s letter b—or if a dime rolls up to a domino—that’s letter d.”
· For example, show dad and ask, “Is this bad or dad”? Show bug and ask, “Is this bug or dug?” (Write the questions and answers on the back of each card.)
· If an answer is not unanimous, have children vote on which word it is, and model if the vote comes out wrong.
· Shuffle the unrecognized words and recycle any missed cards until students “win” all 10 with correct answers.
7) Have children return to their seats and take the quiz below without help.
Week 1 Day 4 Quiz
1. b p q d Teacher: For #1, circle the letter d.
2. d q b p Teacher: For #2, circle the letter b.
3. On the guidelines, write a lowercase b.
4. Now write a lowercase d.
5. Now, using your own spelling, write the sentence: My dog is bad.
8) Score the quizzes to find out who is catching on and who isn’t. Repeat the “Find the Letter” activity and the phonetic cue reading practice with these children later in a small group.
Week 1, Day 5. Materials: PowerPoints “The Bat Hits the Ball” and “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, deck of b and d cards to sort for each pair of students.
1) Show the PowerPoints “The Bat Hits the Ball” and “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino” and have students retell the stories.
2) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
a. Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
b. Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
3) Model drawing a d on the last page of the “A Dime Rolls Up to a Domino” PowerPoint, showing how “a dime . . . rolls up to a domino.”
4) Tell children, “To decide if a letter is a b or a d, see if the bat hits the ball—that’s letter b—or if a dime rolls up to a domino—that’s letter d.” Have students work in pairs to sort a deck of 20 lower-case b and d cards in various fonts, naming the letters and putting them into the appropriate piles, and then turning in the sorted cards to receive praise and feedback. Have successful sorters check other children’s sorted decks.
5) Distribute primary paper. Ask each student to practice making letter b and letter d on primary paper, reciting “the bat hits the ball” as they make each letter b, and reciting “a dime rolls up to a domino” as they make each letter d.
· Ask students to write 5 good b’s and 5 good d’s to get their brains ready to use good b’s and d's in their stories.
· Then ask students to write a sentence about their favorite part of one of the stories, either “The bat hits the ball” or “A dime rolls up to a domino.” Remind students to use lowercase b’s and d’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase b’s and d’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.
Week 2, Day 1. Materials: PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, poster of “Bouncing Bobby.”
1) Show the PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby” and read aloud the stroke-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
2) When the PowerPoint shows the animated gif for b, point out how b bounces down, up, and around. Explain that this way of making the bat and the ball is the easiest for your hand.
3) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
· Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
· Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
4) Model printing b onto the guidelines displayed on the PowerPoint, showing how it starts at the rooftop, bounces down to the sidewalk, and then flips around.
· Make several more b’s on the guideline paper while saying, “Bounce down . . . bounce up and around.” Point out how you are moving from left to right.
5) Then back the PowerPoint up one slide to the animated gif. Have students practice making letter b on primary paper, reciting the stroke sequence “bounce down, bounce up, and around” as the animated gif plays on the smart board.
· Ask them to make 10 good b’s to get their brains ready to use lowercase b’s in their story. Have them draw a circle around their best b.
6) Then ask students to write a sentence about their favorite part of the story, “Bouncing Bobby.” Remind them to use lowercase b’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase b’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.
7) Display the poster of “Bouncing Bobby” for the remainder of the program.
Week 2, Day 2. Materials: PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby,” Smart Board, PowerPoint “Find the Letter Chart,” Final letter cards Set 1.
1) Show the PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby” and reread aloud the stroke-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
2) When the animated gif for b appears late in the PowerPoint, point out how b bounces down, up, and around. Explain that this way of making the bat and the ball is the easiest for your hand.
3) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
· Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
· Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
4) Model printing b onto the guidelines displayed on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how it starts at the rooftop and bounces down, up, and around.
5) Then open the PowerPoint document “Find the Letter Chart.”
· Have students find all the b’s on the Find the Letter Chart. Point to each letter and ask, “Is this b? Is this?” Circle the b’s they find.
· When they find a b, ask, “How did you know?” (Because it bounces down, up, and around, or because the bat hits the ball).
6) Show the card for cab, and model using b to read a word by saying, “I’m not sure whether this is cab or cad. The last letter bounces down, then up and around, and so it’s a b. Ca-b, cab. Oh, like a taxi cab.”
7) Then have students do phonetic cue reading practice with final letter cards (Set 1, 10 cards).
· For example, show cab and ask, “Is this cab or cad”? Show cod and ask, “Is this cob or cod?” (Write the questions and answers on the back of each card.)
· If an answer is not unanimous, have children vote on which word it is, and model if the vote comes out wrong.
· Recycle any missed cards until students “win” all 10 with correct answers.
Week 2, Day 3. Materials: PowerPoints “Bouncing Bobby” and “Dazzling Dana,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, poster of “Dazzling Dana.”
1) Show the PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby” and have students retell the stroke-sequence story.
2) Then show the PowerPoint and read aloud the stroke-sequence story “Dazzling Dana” in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
3) When the PowerPoint shows the animated gif for d, point out how the trick for making d is first little c, then little d. Explain that this way of making the dime and the domino is the easiest for your hand.
4) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
· Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
· Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
5) Model printing d onto the guidelines displayed on the smart board, showing how it starts just below the fence with little c, and then finishes little d with a straight down from the roof to the sidewalk.
· Point out that the line bouncing down to finish the d has to touch the edges of the c.
6) Then back the PowerPoint up one slide to the animated gif, and point out how d is made “first little c, then little d.”
7) Then have students practice making letter d on primary paper, reciting the stroke sequence “first little c, then little d” as the animated gif plays on the smart board.
· Ask students to make 10 good d’s to get their brains ready to write good d’s in their stories. Have them draw a circle around their best d.
8) Then ask students to write a sentence about their favorite part of the story, “Dazzling Dana.” Remind them to use lowercase d’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase d’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.
9) Display the poster of “Dazzling Dana” for the remainder of the program.
Week 2, Day 4. Materials: PowerPoint “Dazzling Dana,” Smart Board, PowerPoint “Find the Letter Chart,” Final letter cards Set 2, Day-4 quiz #2.
1) Show the PowerPoint “Dazzling Dana” and reread aloud the stroke-sequence story in the context of an instructional conversation with students.
2) When the PowerPoint shows the animated gif for d, point out how d is made: “first little c, then little d.” Explain that this way of making the dime and the domino is the easiest for your hand.
3) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
a. Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
b. Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
4) Model printing d onto guidelines displayed on the last page of the PowerPoint, showing how it is made—first little c, then little d.
5) Show the card for lad, and model using d to read a word: “I’m not sure whether this is lab or lad. The last letter is first little c, then little d—it’s little d. La-d, lad. Oh, lad—a lad is a young boy.”
6) Then have students do word reading practice with the other ten words with final letters (10 cards). Tell children, “To decide if a letter is a b or a d, see if the bat hits the ball—that’s letter b—or if the dime rolls up to the domino—that’s letter d.”
· For example, show cad and ask, “Is this cab or cad”? Show cob and ask, “Is this cob or cod?” (Write the questions and answers on the back of each card.)
· If an answer is not unanimous, have children vote on which word it is, and model if the vote comes out wrong.
· Recycle any missed cards until students “win” all 10 with correct answers.
7) Have children return to their seats and take the quiz below without help.
Week 2 Day 4 Quiz
1. b p q d Teacher: For #1, circle the letter b.
2. d q b p Teacher: For #2, circle the letter d.
3. On the guidelines, write a lowercase d.
4. Now write a lowercase b.
5. Now, using your own spelling, write the sentence: A bug can dig.
8) Score the quizzes to find out who is catching on and who isn’t. Repeat the “Find the Letter” activity and the phonetic cue reading practice with these children later in a small group.
Week 2, Day 5. Materials: PowerPoints “Bouncing Bobby” and “Dazzling Dana,” primary paper for each student, pencils for each student, gold stars for each student, deck of b and d cards to sort for each pair of students.
1) Show the PowerPoint “Bouncing Bobby,” and have students retell the story.
2) When the PowerPoint shows the animated gif for b, ask students how to make letter b (bounce down, bounce up, and around, or the bat hits the ball).
3) Then show the PowerPoint “Dazzling Dana” and have students retell the story.
4) When the PowerPoint shows the animated gif for d, ask them how d is made (first little c, then little d, or a dime rolls up to a domino).
5) The final slide shows the guidelines of primary paper.
· Ask children to tell you the names of the guidelines: rooftop, fence, sidewalk, and ditch.
· Remind children that writing always goes from left to right. Ask them to . . .
i. Show me your left hand.
ii. Show me your right hand.
iii. Show me the hand you use to hold your pencil.
iv. Move that hand to show me how to go from left to right.
6) Tell children, “To decide if a letter is a b or a d, see if the bat hits the ball—that’s letter b—or if a dime rolls up to a domino—that’s letter d.” Have students work in pairs to sort a deck of 20 lower-case b and d cards in various fonts, naming the letters and putting them into the appropriate piles, then turn in the sorted cards to receive praise and feedback. Have successful sorters check other children’s sorted decks. (These cards will need to be shuffled because the children sorted them last week.)
7) Have students individually practice making a line of letter b on primary paper, getting b to bounce down, bounce up and around, then a line of letter d on primary paper, first little c, then little d.
· Ask them to make 5 good b’s and 5 good d’s to get their brains ready to use good b’s and d’s in their story.
8) Then ask students to write a sentence about their favorite part of one of the stories, either “Bouncing Bobby” or “Dazzling Dana.” Remind students to use lowercase b’s and d’s.
· Working with a partner, have students check each other’s work for lowercase b’s and d’s, and turn it in to receive a gold star.