Aaron Preschool Reading 1

AsaPreschoolTeacher,amajorityofpeopleassumeIspendmydayplayingwith
children.Andtheyreright,toanextent,Idogettheprivilegeofplayingwithmy
students,however,Ialsodosomuchmore.Currently,intheMunisingPublicSchool
DistrictweareusingReadingStreetasacurriculumenhancement.Thismeans,fora
KindergartenTeacher,theirstudentsmustlearnallthelettersounds,beabletorecognize
andwriteallthedifferentletters,andbeinthebasicsofreadingbythe6thweekofschool,
orthatstudentwillalreadybeconsideredbehind.Alotoftimes,onceastudentdoesfall
behinditcanbehardforhimorhertocatchup.TohelptheKindergartenTeacherswith
thisdauntingandsomewhatimpossibletask,I,asthePreschoolTeacher,workhardto
teachmystudentstheallthelettersandtheirsounds.Imsodedicatedtothistask,we
spendaminimumof30minutes,ofourthreeandahalfhourschoolday,justonlearning
literacy,thisdoesntcountourtimespentinlargegroups,interventions,andother
enhancementactivities.So,eventhoughIbelieveitsveryimportantmyPreschool
studentsgetthechancetoplayandbekids,itseasytoseeourdayisntspendjust
playing.
Oneofthebiggeststrugglesateacherofanygradelevelhas,ismeetingall
studentsneeds.Forexample,inmyPreschoolClassroomIhavestudentswhoare
readingandwritingwordsandsimplesentences.Then,ontheotherhand,Ihavestudents
whostillonlyknowafewlettersounds.ToinsureImmeetingallstudentsneeds,Imeet
witheverystudent,twiceaweek,forabout15minutespremeetingorintervention.In
thistime,Ihaveminilessonstobuildonthespecificskillsofthatstudent.Thispaperwill

Aaron Preschool Reading 2

exploretwodifferentlessonstailoredtotwodifferentstudentswithtwodifferentskill
sets.
Description:
Student1:Carissa.
Carissaisabrightyounglady,whoisoneofmymoreadvancedstudents.Carissa
hasmasteredtheabilityofrecognizingthedifferentlettersandshehaspairedallthe
differentletterswiththeirsound.Sheisalsoabletowritealltheletters.Inaddition,
Carissaisnowabletowritesimplewordsusingthebasicdecodingskillssheknows.To
writemoreadvancedwords,Carissausesinventivespelling,whichmeansshespellsthe
wordsasshebelievestheysound.Sheisthenabletogobackandreadwhatshehas
wroteusingherdecodingskills.Becausesheknowsallherlettersoundsandshehasa
solidunderstandingofphonemicawareness,Carissaisreadytolearnbeginningphonics
rules.IchoosetoteachCarissatheTHChunkrule,inotherwordsCarissalearnedthe
soundtheTHChunkmakesandtoapplyittoherwriting.
CarissaandImet,June2nd2014forherfirstweeklyintervention.IaskedCarissa
towritethefollowingwords:that,thank,them,andFredonawhiteboard.Carissawrote
thatandthankusingtheletterFtomakethe/th/sound.Shewrotethewordthemusing
a/V/ratherthan/th/.Finally,CarissawrotethewordFredcorrectly.IaskedCarissato
listentoFredandthank,Iaskedher,dotheysoundliketheystartwiththesame
beginningsound.Isaidthewordsagainemphasizingthebeginningsounds.Carissasaid
no.Isaidokay,whataboutthewordthem,doesthemstartwitha/V/sound.Again,
Carissasaidno.IsmiledandtoldCarissa,youreright!!Thewords:that,thank,them

Aaron Preschool Reading 3

startwithspecialsounds,thewordsstartwiththeTHChunk.IaskedCarissatosay,
THChunk.Carissamimickedme.Icontinued,andtoldCarissa,whenevershehearsa
soundlike/th/itsthespecialTHChuck.CarissaandIpracticedmakingthesound.I
toldCarissatoputhertonguetohertopteeth.Isaidthetongueshouldstickout,justa
little.Together,wepracticedmakingthesound.ThenCarissatookamarker,erasedthe
wronglettersinthewords,andwithmyhelp,shewrotethewordscorrectly,usingthe
specialTHChunk.
IthenaskedCarissaifshecouldthinkofanyotherwordsthatstartwithaspecial
THChunk.Shethoughtforaminute,andshruggedhershoulders.Isaid,howaboutthe
wordthen,doesthenhavetheTHChunk?Isaidthewordthenagainemphasizingthe
beginningsound.Carissanodded.Ithenasked,whataboutwith,doyouhearthe/th/
soundinthatword?ItoldCarissatolistencloselyandIsaiditagain.Carissasaidyes,at
theend.IthencomplimentedCarissaonagoodlistener,Itoldhershewaslikealistening
detective!Shewasright,the/th/soundorTHChunkisattheendofthewordwith!I
thenaskedCarissaifshecouldthinkofawordthathadtheTHChunk/TH/sound.I
toldCarissathiswordcouldberealormadeup.Carissawasnotabletocomeupwith
anyrealwords,butshedidsay,tha,thE,andthew.
CarissaandImetagainonWednesdayJune4th,2014.IaskedCarissaifshe
rememberedwhathappenedwhenIaddedtheletterTandHtogether.Carissasmiled
andmadethe/TH/sound.Ismiled,andtoldCarissashessosmart!Ithenaskedherif
sherememberedwhatwecalledthe/TH/sound.Carissadidntsayanything.Iprompted

Aaron Preschool Reading 4

herbysaying;itsaspecialkindofchunk.CarissasaiditstheTHChunk.Carissawas
recallingwhatshehadlearnedtwodaysagoduringherintervention.
Iwentonandsaid,okayMissCarissa,becauseyouresosmart,doyouthinkyou
canhandleKindergartenwork?Shesmiledandnoddedherhead.Isaid,goodbecauseI
thinkyourereadytoo!
IwentonandtoldCarissashewasgoingtowriteawholesentenceusingaTH
Chunkword.Ithenaskedonemoretime,whatsounddoestheTHChunkmake,
Carissarepliedagainwith/TH/sound.Isaid,sothatmeansyoursentencehastohavea
wordthathasa/TH/sound.Icontinuedandsaidyoursentencecouldhavetheword:the,
them,that,then,those.Ithenstoppedandsaid,therearealotmorewordsthathave
the/TH/sound.IthenaskedCarissaifshecouldthinkofanywordsthathavethe/TH/
sound?Carissasaid,the,whichwasawordIsuggestedbutitwasacorrectanswer.Itold
Carissa,thatsperfect!IaskedCarissahowshewasgoingtousethewordthe.She
thoughtforasecondandthen,shesaid,thecatisGracie.ItoldCarissathatsanawesome
sentence.So,CarissatookherwhiteboardandmarkerandwroteThecatisGracie
usinginventivespellingforGracie.
OnceCarissahaswrotethesentenceherminilessonwasover,butbeforeIlether
goIwantedtoreviewthemainideaveryquickly.Isaid,quickquizwhattwoletters
say/TH/CarissasmiledandsaidletterTandH.Isaidandwhataretheycalledwhenwe
putthemtogether.Carissasaid,theTHChunk.
Student2:Cooper

Aaron Preschool Reading 5

CooperisanotherstudentinmyPreschoolClassroom.Cooperreallystruggled
learningthelettersandtheirsounds.Currently,hesabletoidentifyonly5lettersand
theirsounds(C,O,P,R,andH).PartofCoopersstrugglecomesfromhisspeechdisorder.
Cooperisbacking(makingerrorslike/d/for/g/).Theschoolsspeechtherapisthastold
metheerrorisphonological,andpeopletypicallyareabletogrowoutoftheerror.
However,somepeopledonotoutgrowtheerrorontheirown,soitsimportantCooper
receivesextraservicestoworksonthis.Inadditiontoaffectinghisspeechskills,its
reallyhinderingCooperfromlearningthedifferentlettersoundsbecausehesunableto
makethesounds.BecauseCooperiscurrently45,Coopersthinkingisveryegocentric,
orselfcentered.SoinCoopersmind,ifhecantmakethesoundswerelearning,the
soundisnotimportant.Theonlysoundsthatareneededarethesoundshecanmake.
TostrengthCoopersdecodingskillsandfamiliaritywithdifferentwordsand
soundsIdecidedtodoaninterventionwithCooperonrhymingwords.CooperandImet
onTuesday,June3rd,2014.TostartthelessonIwantedtoreadthestoryGreenEggsand
HambyDr.SeusstoCooper.(BecauseofCoopersspeechdisorderhisIEPstressesthe
importanceofCooperhearingcorrectlypronouncedlanguage.)
AsIreadthestorytoCooperIemphasizedthewordsthatrhymed.Asthestory
becamerepetitiveandCoopercouldpredictwhatwasgoingtocomenext,ItoldCooper
tolookatthewordsandreadthemwithme.
Afterthestory,IaskedCooperifheheardanythingspecialwithsomeofthe
wordsinthestory,suchasSamandAm?Cooperthoughtandeventuallysaidhedidhear
somethingspecial.Isaid,okay,whatdidyouhear.IgavehimasecondtothinkandIsaid

Aaron Preschool Reading 6

whataboutthewordsHamandAm?Coopersaidthewordssoundthesame.Ismiledand
Isaid,yeahtheydosoundsimilar.Thewordshavethesameendings.Theendingofthe
wordssoundthesame.IaskedCooperifheknewwhatitmeantwhentwowordshad
endingsthatsoundedthesame,likethewords:Sam,am,andham.Coopersaidno.Isaid,
thatmeanstheworksarerhyming.IaskedCoopertosaythewordrhymingwithme.I
modeledthewordrhymingandthenCoopersaiditwithme.Ithensaidrhymingmeans
endingssoundthesame,andCooperrepeated.
IsaidokayCooper,ImgoingtogiveyousomewordsandIwantabigthumbsup
iftheyrerhyming,orhaveendingsthatsoundthesame,andathumbsdowniftheyre
not.ButbeforeIgavehimanywords,IaskedCooperifhecouldtellmewhatrhyming
wordsmeant,hesaidendingssoundsthesame.
IaskedifSamandAmhadthesameending,Coopergavemeathumbsup.Isaid,
awesome,greatlisteningCooper,youheardhowtheendingshadthesamesound.Ithen
askedCooperifSamandCamrhyme,CamisagirlinourclassroomandCooperhas
experiencewiththewordIwantedtogiveCooperwordstobeginwiththathehas
experiencewith,hethoughtaboutitandsaidyes.IthenaskedCooperifSamandHam
rhyme.Coopergavemeathumbsup.ThenIsaidhowaboutSamandSad?Coopergave
meanotherthumbup.IsmiledandsaidCooper!Itrickedyou!Listenagain,Samand
Sad,Iemphasizedthebeginningsounds,thisisaverytrickyonebecausetheyhavethe
samebeginningsound,butnotthesameending.WhatisthelastsoundinSam?Cooper
thoughtandsaid/M/Isaidgood,whataboutinthewordSad,whatsthelastsoundyou
hear.Cooperthoughtandsaid/D/.Great,IaskedCooperif/M/and/D/arethesame

Aaron Preschool Reading 7

sound.Coopersaid,no.SoIrepeatedthequestion,doSamandSadhavethesameending
sound?Coopergavemeathumbdown.Isaidokay,good,howaboutCoopandPoop?
Cooperlaughed.Hethoughtforasecondandthengavemeathumbup.Coopergaveme
athumbsupforthenextone,CoopandHoop.ThelastoneforthedayIgaveCooperwas
CoopandCoin.BeforeCooperanswered,ItoldhimtolistenandIsaidthetwowords
again.Cooperthoughtforawhileandthenshockhishead.Icouldtellhewasntsureof
himselfbecauseitwasatimidno.IsaidCooper,youreright!RightlisteningCoopand
Coinagain.Whydonttheyrhyme?Isaidthetwowordsagainemphasizingthe
beginningsound.Coopersaidtheystartedwiththesamesound.Ithrewmyhandsinthe
airandcheered.Isaid,Cooperyoureright!Imsoproudofyou!Goodjobtodaybud!
CooperandImetagainonThursday,June5th2014.Ibeganourmeetingby
askingCooperwhatrhymingwordsare?Coopersaidtheysoundthesame.Isaidyoure
righttheyhavethesameendingsounds,goodrememberingCooper!ItoldCoopertoday
weregoingtodowhatwedoonthecarpetwhenwordsrhyme.(Duringwholegroup,
whenthekidsaresittingonthecarpet,iftwowordsrhymewesaidthetwowordsina
higherpitchvoiceandthenputourfingertipsonourthumbsandbringourtwohands
together.Andthenwesaidrhyme.SoanexamplewouldbesayingHam,Samrhymeina
higherpitchedvoiceandbringingthehandstogether.)Isaid,welldothefirstone
togetherforpractice.IaskedCooperifCooperandPooperrhyme.Helaughedandsaid
theydo.Isaidokay,weregoingtosay,Cooper,PooperrhymeandImodeledthehand
motion.ItoldCooper,okayyoureturn.Coopersaidthetwowordsandrhyme.Itold

Aaron Preschool Reading 8

Cooperhedidagreatjob,butnowhesonhisownbecauseIdontthinkheneedsmy
help,hesagoodlistenerandcanhearwhentwowordshandthesameending.
IaskedCooperifSamandAmrhyme.Coopersaidno.Isaid,letslistenSamand
Am,Iemphasizedtheendingsounds.IaskedCooperifthetwowordshavethesame
endingsounds.Coopersaidtheydid,Isaidsotheyrhyme,rememberearlieryoutoldme
wordsthatsoundthesameattheendrhyme.Isaidwatchme,andImodeledwhatI
wantedCoopertodowhenwordsrhyme.Isaid,okayCooper,yourturn,andthenhe
mimickedwhatIdid.
WemovedontoFoxandBox,Coopersaidtheyrhymed.IthensaidSatandRat,
Coopersaidtheyrhymedandthendidthemotions.WethenmovedontoHatandHam.
Coopersaidyesandthendidthemotion.Isaidlistenclose,Hat,Hamdotheyhavethe
sameendingsound.Irepeatedboththewordsemphasizingtheending.Coopersaidno.I
saidyoureright,theyhavethesamebeginningsound,butnottheend.ItoldCooperit
wasanothertrickyone!WethendidWallandMall,Coopersaidyesanddidthemotions.
IthenaskedCooperifMallandHatrhyme,Cooperthoughtforasecondandsaidno.
Coopersminilessonwasover.ItoldCooperhecouldgobacktohisfreechoice
time,afterheansweredonemorequestion,whatarerhymingwords.Coopersaid,sound
thesame.Isaidyes,theyhavethesameendingsounds.
Analysis
Student1:
Itisclear,CarissaunderstandstheTHChunkrule.WhenCarissaandImetthe
firstday,Carissademonstratedshehadanunderstandingoftherulewhenwetalked

Aaron Preschool Reading 9

aboutit,andshewentbacktothewordsshewroteoriginallyandfixedthem,usingthe
THChunkrulesheshowedmeshehadanunderstandofhowtoapplytherule.
However,asIsaid,CarissaandIfixedthesewordstogether,soeventhoughIknewshe
hadanunderstanding,Iknewsheneededmoretimetoworkwiththesound.
WhenwemetonWednesday,Carissawasabletorecallwhatshehadlearned
MondayandtellmethesoundmadewhensomeoneaddsletterTandletterH
together.ShewasalsoabletocorrectlywriteaTHChunkwordinasentence.Inother
words,Carissashowedmesheheardthe/TH/sound,shedecodeditasletterTandH
andshewasabletowritethewordcorrectly.
CarissahasmasteredtheTHChunkruleandIexpecthertodecodethe/TH/
soundcorrectlyandbegintowriteitcorrectlyinherfuturewriting.
Student2:
Cooperneedsmoreworkwithrhyming.Cooperdemonstratedhehadabasic
understandingofwhatrhymingwordswere,hesaidtheysoundthesame,whichisclose
towhatarhymingwordis,butitsnotperfect.Cooperstruggleddifferentiatingbetween
beginningconsonantsoundsandrhymingwordsduringhislessons.Partofthistrouble
wasbecausehisdefinitionofrhymingwordswaswordsthatsoundthesame,same
beginningconsonantsoundsfitintoCoopersdefinition.EachtimeCoopersaidhis
definition,Isaiditagaincorrectly,Cooperneedsmorepracticewithrhymingwordsto
helphimunderstandwhyrhymingwordsarenotjustwordsthatbeginningwiththesame
sound.Itisimportanttonote,alotofmyPreschoolshavethesamestruggleasCooper
andthisisntanuncommonerror.

Aaron Preschool Reading 10

InoticedCoopersdefinitionofrhymingwaswrongandIcontinuallycorrected
hisdefinitionwithouttellingCooperhewaswrong.ImabigbelieverinDrillandKill
themoreCooperhearstherightdefinitionthemorelikelyheistorememberthecorrect
definition.
MylessongaveCoopermoreexperiencewithlettersounds,listeningtolanguage,
andexperiencewithrhyme.Overall,IbelieveCooperbenefitedfromthelesson,
however,IdonotthinkCooperhasmasteredrhymingwords.
Reflection
Student1:
OverallCarissalessonwentwell.AsIstatedintheanalysis,itsclearCarissa
understoodtheruleshewastaught.OnereasonitwassosuccessfulisbecauseCarissais
excitedaboutlearning.IattributeoneofthereasonsCarissaissoexcitedisbecauseIm
excited.IshowherhowexcitedIamforher,howproudIamofherwork,andI
complimentherwork.IbelievethismakesCarissaexcitedaboutwhatsheslearningand
itmakesherwanttolearnmore.
Inaddition,Carissa,likemostfemalePreschoolers,strivestobeolder,whenI
commentonherworkasbeingKindergartenwork,itmakesherfeelolderanditmakes
whatshesdoingmoremeaningfultoCarissa.(Cooperontheotherhandcouldcareless
aboutbeinginKindergartenorPreschool;youcannoticeIuseddifferentlanguagewhen
workingwithhim.)
AnotherreasonthelessonwentwellisbecauseCarissahadtheopportunityto
writeaboutwhatshewasinterestedin.Herfinalsentenceshewasabletowriteabout

Aaron Preschool Reading 11

anythingshewanted,itjusthadtoincludeaTHChunkruleword.Carissascurrent
interestiscatsrightnow,sowhenshecanwriteaboutthemortalkaboutthem,itreally
peaksherinterestandshedoesreallywell.IfIweretodictatesentencestoCarissa,her
workmightnothavebeenasqualityworkbecauseherinterestwouldnthavebeenthere.
IwasimpressedwhenCarissawasabletomakeupherownTHChunkwords.I
didntexpectCarissatobeabletolistactualwordsthathadtheTHChunksound.
(Everymorning,wetakethespecialhelpersnameandtrytocomeupwithanimalsor
objectsthatstartwiththesameletterandthenweactlikethatanimalorobjectonthe
waytothebathroom.Soforexample,ifCarissawasthespecialhelper,wewouldtryto
comeupwithanimalsorobjectsthatbeingwitha/C/,socat,kitten,kola,car,etc.This
activityistostretchmymoreadvicestudentsskills,althoughanystudentcanbenefit
fromtheactivity.Thestudentsaregettinggoodatlisteningtothesoundsandthinkingof
awordthatstartswiththesamesound,butagainitsanadvancedskill.)Therefore,when
Carissawasabletomakeupherownwordsthatincludedthesoundreallyimpressedme
andshowedmesheunderstoodthesound.I,actually,didntexpectCarissatobeableto
comeupwithanywordsthatstartedwiththe/TH/sound,becauseofherlackof
experiencewiththesound.InCarissaslifesheshadlotsofexperienceusingwordsthat
havethe/TH/sound,howeverwhenyouaskPreschoolerstothinkofwordsyou
typicallygetobjectsoranimals.Notmanyobjectsoranimalsbeginwiththe/TH/sound.
However,thefactshewasabletocomeupwithmadeupwordsusingthesoundsshowed
mesheunderstoodthesoundandcouldapplytherule.

Aaron Preschool Reading 12

IfIweretodothisagain,ImightconsideraskingCarissatodotheworkona
worksheet.(Aworksheetiseasiertokeeprecordsof.)ThereasonIchooseawhiteboard
isbecausethestudentsenjoywritingonthem.Theywatchmewriteonthewhiteboardin
themorning,sothenwhentheygettheopportunitytousethemitmakesthemfeelmature
orolder,andIwanttomakelearningfun.However,itshardtokeepwhiteboardwork
forassessment.
IfIhadmoretime,IwouldhavelikedtodomoreassessmentswithCarissato
giveCarissamorepracticewiththeTHChunk.IfIweretodothisagain,Iwouldmake
itathreedaylesson.ThefirstdayIwouldteachtheruleasalesson,asIdidwith
Carissa.Thenthenextmeeting,IwouldhaveCarissalistentodifferentwordsandtellme
ifshehearsthe/th/sound.Idlistwordsandshecouldgivemeathumbuporthumb
downifsheheardthesound.Thenonthethirdday,CarissaandIwouldreviewthesound
again,andthenshewouldapplyittoherownwriting,showingmeshefullyunderstands
andisabletoapplytherule.
Also,afterlearningthisruleCarissaisreadytobeginninglearningTHsight
words,likethewordthe,forexample.Iwouldhavelikedtogetapieceofposterboard
andbeginbuildingCarissaherownheartwordwall.ThisasCarissalearnedmore
phonicsrules;herheartwordwallwouldgrow.Thesewordswouldallbewordsyou
havetoputinyourhearttorememberbecausetheydontflowtypicalrules.Then,
whenschoolisoutforsummer,Carissasgrownupscouldeasilyreviewthesewords
withCarissa.
Student2

Aaron Preschool Reading 13

IthoughtCoopersrhyminglessonwentwell,howeverIdobelieveheneedsmore
workandtimelearningaboutrhyme.IfIweretodothislessonagainwithCooperI
wouldplanthelessontotakeseveraldays.AsIdidwithCooperIwouldreadGreenEggs
andHamonthefirstdayofthelesson.Then,likethelesson,wewouldtalkaboutthe
definitionofrhymeandthenfindexamplesinthestory.TodothisIwouldhavecopiesof
thepagesfromthestoryandIwouldallowCoopertohighlightrhymingwordssoCooper
islookingatwrittenlanguage,andlearningaboutrhyme,thiswouldjustgiveCoopera
littlemoreexperienceandpracticewithlanguage.
OnthenextmeetingwithCooper,wewouldreviewthemeaningoftheword
rhyme.Iwoulddothesamethumbupthumbdownassessmenttoseeifhecouldtell
themapart.AndlikeIdid,ifCoopergotonewrong,wewouldtalkaboutit,andworkon
ittogether.
OnthethirddayIwouldgiveCooperrhymingwordsandaskhimtodothesame
thingwedidonthelesson,havehimsaythewordswithahigherpitchvoiceandbring
hisfingerstogether.ThisisjustanotherwasIcanassesshesgettingthelesson.
Finally,ontheforthdayIwouldreadCooperanotherstorywithlotsofrhymeand
thatwasveryrepetitive.IwouldthenaskCoopereverytimehehearsarhymetosayit
outloud.Thiswashewouldgetextrapracticeandhewouldhavemoreopportunities
withlanguage.
Inaddition,Iwouldaddhomework.CoopersTuesdayhomeworkwouldaskhim
andhisgrownupstogoonarhymehuntaroundtheirhouse.Iwouldaskthemtogointo
differentroomsandtrytofindwordsthatrhyme,clockblock.Thatwaythehomework

Aaron Preschool Reading 14

wouldrelatedirectlytotheminilessonandgiveCoopermoreexperience.(Cooperhas
veryactiveparentswhoworkwithhim,soIknowthehomeworkwouldbedone.Other
studentsparentsarentasactiveintheirstudentslearningandthehomeworkassignment
mightnotbehelpfultothatstudent.)
AnotherthingIwoulddodifferentlywithCooperispullhimoutsideofthe
classroomtowork.WhenImeetwiththestudents,itsduringtheirfreechoicetimeandit
canbenoseyintheclassroom,whichisdistractingtothestudents.Iideallydontwantto
leavetheclassroomsoIcanstillmonitorthebehaviorintheclassroom,butitcanhinder
thelearningofthestudentImworkingwith.Somestudentscaneasilyworkthroughthe
nose,likeCarissa,otherstudents,likeCooper,aremoreeasilydistractedandmore
interestinwhattheirfriendsareplaying.
Inaddition,afterItaughtthislessontoCooper,Iwouldtalktotheclassduring
wholegrouptimeaboutrhyme.Wewoulddiscussthedefinitionofrhymingwordsand
thenwedplayStandUp.(ThisisagameImadeup,typicallywedoitwiththe
letter/soundoftheweek.Whenthestudentshearthesoundtheyresupposetostandup,
thiswayIcanphysicallyseewhatstudentsunderstandandwhatstudentsarestruggling.
Italsogetsthestudentsmovingandexercising.)Idsaytwowords,ifthewordsrhyme
thestudentswouldstandup,iftheydidnttheywouldhoopononefoot.Thiswouldbea
greatwayformetoreviewthedefinitionofrhymewithCooperandassesshowhes
doingwithrhyme.
OneverypositivethingaboutCoopersPreschoolexperiencewithme,ishe
respectsme.BecauseofCoopersspeechdisorder,heattendedanearlyonpreschooland

Aaron Preschool Reading 15

didnothaveagoodexperience.Theteacherinthatclassroomisveryoverwhelmedwith
otherbehaviorissuesandisntthemostpositiveperson.Cooperhastakenmany
opportunitiestotellhisparentshowmuchmorehelikesschoolthisyearandhisparents
havecommentedtomethatheslearningandimprovealotmore.IvenoticedCooperis
pickinguponmypositive,happyoutlookanditsclearhesworkinghardertolearn.
Conclusion:
Itsclearmyday,asaPreschoolTeacher,doesnotjustconsistofplayingwithmy
students.Mystudentsareexpectedtoworkhardacademicallyandachieve,buttheyare
alsoexpectedtobekidsandhavefun.Ibelievemyteachingaccomplishesboth.The
fouryearoldPreschoolstudentsarelearningbasicreadingskills,however,theyredoing
itinawaythatisfunforthem.WithourhardworkinPreschool,Kindergartenwillbean
easytransition.

Aaron Preschool Reading 16

Student1

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan

Date: June 2nd 2014
Objective(s) for todays lesson: Carissa will learn the letters t and h together are the th
chunk and make the th sound. She will demonstrate shes learned this skill by brainstorming words that
have the th sound and then writing words that have the th chunk.

Rationale Currently, when Carissa writing a word she sounds out the different sounds she hears.
When she comes to a word with a th sound Carissa uses the letter F. Carissa is developmentally
ready to learn the th chunk and how to use it.

Materials & supplies needed: A white board, marker and eraser.

Procedures and approximate time allocated for each
event
Introduction to the lesson Twice a week, the students meet
with me to work on their individual skills. When Carissa comes over to
see me for her first meeting, Im going to ask her if shes ready to learn a
Kindergarten skills, if shes ready to do big kid work. Knowing Carissa she will
say yes. I will then tell her we are going to learn the th chunk. I want Carissa to
be excited about this lesson and know she is learning an advance skill. She
should feel proud of herself and I believe if I show excitement, she will feel this
way. To introduce the lesson should only take a minute to two minutes.

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson

Okay Miss Carissa, Im going to say some words and I want you to write
them on your white board, sound them out the best you can. The words
will be: that, thank, them, and Fred. Carissa will write the words with an
F rather than use the th chunk. When she finishes I will say GREAT!
Now, lets look the first sound in the word that is different from Fred. Do
you agree? I will say the sounds emphasizing the beginning sound in
each word. What do you think about the first sound in them and thank?
Do they have the same first sound? Is that sound different from the first
sound in Fred? Yes. Well, thats because theyre different sounds. Words
that have a /TH/ sound are spelt with a th chunk. So together we will
sound out that, thank, them, and Fred and decide which words start with
a th chunk. Once we have fixed the words, I will ask Carissa if she can
think of any other words that have a th chunk sound. Ill give her some

The only support I will really

give Carissa is my excitement.
She should be able to do all of
this.

Aaron Preschool Reading 17

time to think, if she cant think of a word I will ask if she can think of a
made up word with the /th/ sound. If she still cant think of any I will
suggest what about them or with. The th chunk can be anywhere in the
world. Once we have brainstormed a list of words together, I will also
Carissa to erase her white board, and we will try again to write that,
thank, them, and Fred. The lesson should take ten minutes.
The next time I meet with Carissa (which will be Wednesday) I will ask
Carissa what she remembers about the th chunk. I will ask her if shes
able to make the sound t and h make together. If shes not we will
review the sound and they make together. I will then get out the white
board and say, okay Carissa show me how smart you are, write the word
those, the, and think. (This should take 5 minutes)

Closing summary for the lesson I will say, wow Carissa,

wonderful job. Now, here comes the Kindergarten work! Are you ready? Can you
handle it? (I want to keep her excited about what shes learning and seeing it as a
challenge.) Okay Carissa, I want you to write a sentence that has a word with a
th chunk and then you can draw a picture to go along with the sentence. Before
you write it, lets review some words you can use, Ill give her the opportunity to list
different th words. (5 minutes)

Transition to next learning activity

Assessment On Wednesday, the second time I meet with Carissa, I will know
if she understand the th chunk. I will be able to judge if she remember the sound and
the rule if shes able to apply it to the words I give to her and ask her to write, (those,
the and think.) * Note, Im not looking for Carissa to know the other rules in these
words, Im just looking for her to be able to sound out the /th/ sound. I will then see if
she can come up with words on her own when she write the sentence. I will watch
while shes writing to see if she uses the th chunk or the letter f.

Aaron Preschool Reading 18

Carissacorrectlywrotethem,that,andthank*Noticesheusedthelast/t/inthatforthe
first/t/inthank.

ThecatisGracie

Aaron Preschool Reading 19

Student2

Outline for a Daily Lesson Plan

Date: June 3, 2014
Objective(s) for todays lesson: Cooper will listen to rhyming words. He will then be able to
distinguish if words rhyme.

Rationale Cooper has struggled learning the letters and the letter sounds. Being able to distinguish if
words rhyme will give him more experience with letter sounds and eventually help him to remember the
different sounds.

Materials & supplies needed: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
Procedures and approximate time allocated for each
event
Introduction to the lesson I will call Cooper over for his first weekly
meeting with me. I will hold up the book Green Eggs and Ham and ask him if he
knows the story. I will tell him its one of my favorites and Im going to read some
parts to him. I will read parts like, I do not like them, Sam I am, I do not like Green
Eggs and Ham. Or I do not like them in a box I do not like them with a fox. (I will
spend 3 minutes reading)

OUTLINE of key events during the lesson I will ask

Cooper if he noticed anything special about some of the words I read, like Sam
and am or fox and box. I will tell Cooper to listen as I say them again emphasizing
the final sounds. I will ask Cooper what he hears. If he doesnt say it, I will tell him
that ends sound the same, that means theyre rhyming words. Rhyming words
have the same ending sound. I will ask him if he can think of anything that has the
same ending sounds ask Cooper (his family calls him Cooper Pooper, which is a
perfect example hes super familiar with.) Cooper and Pooper have the same
ending sound. They rhyme. Okay Cooper, now Im going to give you some words
and I want you to give me a thumbs up if you think they have the same ending
sound. How about we start with one we know, Sam and Am? Do they have the
same ending sound? What about Sam and Cam (Cam is a girl in our class. I
believe Cooper will do better using words that he uses). What about Sam and
Ham? How about Sam and Sad? (Beginning sounds can be confusing for
students learning to rhyme so I want to nip it in the butt.) If Cooper says, they do
rhyme, Ill smile and say, I tricked you! HEHE! Youre close, they sound the
same in the beginning but not the end. Do you hear how Cooper and Pooper
sound the same at the end, do Sam and Sad have the same ending sound? No.
They have the same beginning sound. Tricky! Lets try some more, how about
Coop and poop? Coop and hoop? Coop and coin? After we have talked about all
these words I will let Cooper go play. (8 minutes)

Closing summary for the lesson On Thursday, when I

meet with Cooper again, I will ask him what rhyme words are. If she

I will provide Cooper with

positive reinforcement and if
he needs more help I will
provide more and slower
instruction.

Aaron Preschool Reading 20

doesnt say anything, I will say how sound in a rhyming word are the
same? Im sure hell remember Cooper and Pooper are rhyming words.
Okay so heres what were going to do today. Im going to say two words
if they rhyme youll do our rhyme sign we do during whole group. (If two
words rhyme we say the words in a higher sing song voice and bring our
hands together. If they dont rhyme he wont do anything.) So lets
practice with Cooper and Pooper, if I say Cooper and Pooper what will
you do. Hell say Cooper Pooper rhyme and bring his hands together.
Okay how about Sam and am? (I want to start by reviewing words we
talked about on Tuesday) How about Fox and box? Now well move onto
new words, sat and rat? Hat and ham? Wall and mall? Mall and hat?
Depending on how Cooper does will depend if we stop and talk about the
different sounds.

Transition to next learning activity

Assessment I will assess Cooper based on if

hes able distinguish if two

words rhyme or if two words do not rhyme when he hears them.

Aaron Preschool Reading 21

Aaron Preschool Reading 22