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Two to three 45-minute sessions
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| Overview |
In this lesson, early readers in first grade are introduced to the "Between the Lions" television program and website. Students review short-vowel sounds, and practice their skills using a variety of innovative video clips, games, and activities on the "Between the Lions" website. Students should have prior knowledge of short-vowel sounds before participating in these lesson activities. This lesson will enhance students' skills in identifying short-vowel sounds and words that contain a short-vowel sound.
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| From Theory to Practice |
St. Clair, J., & Schwetz, L.R. (2003). Between the Lions as a classroom tool. The Reading Teacher, 56, 656–659.
- Young children can learn about and enjoy reading while watching "Between the Lions" on PBS.
- Each "Between the Lions" episode uses a whole-part-whole approach, featuring storytelling, a focus word or skill, and use of the skill in meaningful contexts.
- "Between the Lions" offers many online resources for teachers and fun, educational activities for children.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will
- Review the short sounds of a, e, i, o, and u previously discussed in class
- Read and be able to identify words that have short-vowel sounds
- Become familiar with the basic navigational features of a website
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| Instructional Plan |
Preparation
| 1. |
Arrange for use of a television to watch an episode of "Between the Lions." If desired, record the episode and show the program using a television and VCR so that you may periodically pause and discuss the show with your students. To find the "Between the Lions" airtime in your local area, go to PBS Kids: In Your Town.
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| 2. |
Schedule two 45-minute sessions in the computer lab. Make sure that all computers have the necessary plug-ins (e.g., QuickTime, Real Player, Shockwave) to view the video clips and interactive activities on the site. You may also want to preview the "Between the Lions" website to ensure that this graphic-intensive site will show up well on your school's computers.
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| 3. |
You may choose to schedule an additional 45-minute session in the computer lab for the sole purpose of familiarizing students with how to navigate the "Between the Lions" website. As part of this introductory instruction, direct students' attention to the words in the menu at the top of the homepage (e.g., Stories, Games, Songs, Things to Print). Have students click on each menu option and explore the various sections of the site with you. Show students how to use the browser's back button to return to the previous page and how to double click to select an item. Projecting the website on a large screen for students to see is desirable, as student can watch as you navigate the website and follow along at their own workstation.
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Instruction and Activities
Session 1
| 1. |
Have students watch an episode of "Between the Lions" on PBS. Ask them if they have ever watched this television program before. Discuss the skill that was presented in that day's episode.
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| 2. |
After watching, explain to students that "Between the Lions" also has a website with many fun activities. Tell them that they will be reviewing the short-vowel sounds and practicing their knowledge of the vowel sounds using games and activities on the website.
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| 3. |
Ask students to name the vowels they know as you write them on the chalkboard. Explain that each vowel makes a short sound where the letter makes a specific sound, such as /a/ in cap, /e/ in pet, /i/ in lip, /o/ in pot, and /u/ in sun. Ask students to name other words that contain each of the short-vowel sounds. Write these words on the chalkboard in groups, according to the vowel sound.
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Session 2
| 1. |
Take students to the computer lab and assist them in accessing the "Between the Lions" website. Some students at this age will already be experienced computer users, but others may need your help in learning the various navigational functions. Be sure to circulate around the room and assist students as needed. Pairing students with their more computer-literate classmates may help ease this work for you.
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| 2. |
Have students click on "Songs" at the top of the screen, then scroll down to "Vowel Boot Camp." Have them click on QuickTime or Real Video (depending on the plug-in that was downloaded on your school's computers). A video clip from "Between the Lions" will begin to play. Encourage students to pay attention to the vowel sounds as they enjoy the video clip.
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| 3. |
After watching "Vowel Boot Camp," ask students to name the vowels and their short sounds. Then, have students click on "Games" at the top of the screen. A list of games will appear. Have students scroll down to "Chicken Stacker." You will notice that there are links for each of the vowels. Begin by having students click on "Short a."
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| 4. |
To play the "Chicken Stacker" game, students need to read each word that appears on the egg. If the word contains a short /a/ sound, they click on the word to move it to the stacking ladder. If the word on the egg does not have a short /a/ sound, they wait until a new word appears. The goal of the game is to stack five words with the short /a/ sound on the ladder. If students incorrectly select a word, the chickens are removed from the ladder and they have to begin stacking them again. The game is designed with many rounds of play to allow students repeated practice or the option of moving the difficulty level from "Easy" (three-letter words) to "Hard" (four-letter words). Student can also vary the speed at which the words appear. When the game ends, students can play again or go back to the list and select a different vowel sound to practice with the "Chicken Stacker" game.
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| 5. |
Upon returning to the classroom, distribute paper and crayons. Ask each student to draw a picture that represents his or her favorite vowel sound. Encourage students to write the name of the picture and underline the vowel in the word. Allow students to share their illustrations with the class and tell why they have chosen that particular vowel as their favorite.
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Learning Center
Have students work with the Picture Cards for continued practice identifying short-vowel sounds. Print and cut apart the cards and place them in a learning center. Allow small groups of children to work together to name each picture, identify the vowel sound, and determine whether the vowel is located at the beginning or in the middle of the word. Students can also create additional picture cards to add to the collection.
Students can also practice in class or at home using the online, interactive Picture Match. Have students click on the link for short-vowel sounds.
Extensions
- Allow students to use the classroom computer or return to the computer lab to play "Chicken Stacker" again as a self-selected activity. This will help students apply and reinforce their knowledge of short-vowel sounds.
- Allow students to further review short-vowel sounds by playing a printable matching game offered on the "Between the Lions" website. To access the game, click on "Things to Print" at the top of the screen. Scroll down to "Games You'll Only Find Here" and click on "matching." Choose "Short vowels (trios)" on the left. A page of short-vowel word cards will appear. Print the page and cut apart the cards. To play, shuffle the cards and turn them facedown on a desk or table. The first student turns over three cards. If all three cards have the same short-vowel sound, the student keeps the cards. If the cards do not have the same vowel sound, they are turned facedown again and another player takes a turn.
- Have students play an offline version of "Chicken Stacker." This is a great way for students to practice vowel sounds in class or even at home. From the "Between the Lions" website, click on "Things to Print" at the top of the screen. Scroll down to "No Shockwave? Print These!" and click on "Chicken Stacker." Instructions for the offline version of the game will appear. Print the instructions as well as the "Chicken Cube" and the lists of short-vowel words. Assemble the game as described and show the students how to play. If desired, send each student home with the materials and encourage them to play the game with family members.
- Culminate the lesson by presenting each student with an award from the "Between the Lions" website. Click on "Things to Print" at the top of the screen. Scroll down to "Miscellaneous" and click on "printable certificates." Print the desired number of certificates and personalize them for each student.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Evaluate each student's progress by doing the following:
- Duplicate copies of the Picture Cards and prepare them as flashcards. Display the cards and ask the student to name the vowel in the picture and its short sound. The student should identify whether the vowel sound is at the beginning or middle of the word.
- Ask the student to name a word that contains each short-vowel sound.
- Have small groups of students play the offline version of the Chicken Stacker game (see instructions in Extensions). Observe while students play the game to assess their knowledge of short-vowel sounds.
- Review the drawing that represents the students' favorite short-vowel sound. Compile students' drawings into a class book and encourage students to read the book from time to time to track reading improvement.
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1 - Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
3 - Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
8 - Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
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