Hands On Reading

Building academic language

Word

• Display an image of a CVC word with a short A sound from the Short A Words worksheet (e.g., hat).
• Ask students to name the picture. Have students act out putting an imaginary hat on their heads.
• Tell students to listen carefully as you segment the word into sounds, "h-a-t."
• Ask students to show you with fingers how many sounds they heard in the word. Model raising three fingers spread wide apart.
• Tell students that they are correct, the word hat has three sounds. Have students point to each of their raised fingers as they repeat the sounds "h-a-t." Then, model moving your three fingers to touch and pronouncing the word hat naturally as one syllable. Have students repeat the word "hat."
• Repeat this process with other three letter short A words. As students demonstrate mastery of this skill, introduce a four letter short A word from the Vocabulary Cards.

Sentence

• Read the sentence frame, "The word ____ has ____ sounds." Point below each word in the sentence frame as you read it.
• Tell students you will call out mystery words. Show students a picture of a short A word with three or four sounds. Name the picture (e.g., band) enunciating each sound as you segment the word, "b-a-n-d."
• Ask students to show you with their fingers how many sounds are in the word.
• Ask students what the mystery word was, and have students blend the sounds together to tell you the word.
• Have students tell a partner how many sounds they heard in the word using a complete sentence, "The word ____ has ____ sounds."

Discourse

• Distribute paper or individual whiteboards and markers to students.
• Tell students that they will practice listening for the different sounds in a word.
• Call out simple short A words fluently without enunciating individual sounds. Display an image of the word if possible.
• Have students write the number of sounds they hear in the word on their whiteboards or paper.
• Practice isolating the sounds with the students by having students repeat the word, first segmenting and then blending.