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Choo Choo to Learn Ch!
Maggie Fox
Beginning Reading

Rationale: This lesson teaches children about the digraph correspondence ch = /ch/. In order to be able to read, children must learn to recognize the spellings that map word pronunciations. In this lesson children will learn to recognize, spell, and read words containing the spelling ch. They will learn a meaningful representation (train horn), they will spell and read words containing this spelling in a letterbox lesson, and read a decodable book that focuses on the digraph correspondence ch = /ch/.

 

Materials: Graphic image of a train with horn blowing and words “Choo! Choo!”, cover-up critter, whiteboard or smartboard, Elkonin boxes for modeling and individual Elkonin boxes for each student, letter manipulatives for each child and magnetic or smartboard letters for teacher: a, b, c, d, h, i, l, n, o, p, r, t, u, w; list of spelling words on poster or whiteboard to read: rich, torch, lich, punch, twitch, itch, bunch; decodable book: Chip the Chimp, and assessment worksheet.

 

Procedures:

 

  1. Say: In order to become expert readers, we need to learn the code that tells us how to pronounce words. We have already learned to read short vowel u, in words like cup, must, and club. Today, we are going to learn about the digraph ch. When I say /ch/, I think of a train going down its tracks blasting his horn “choo, choo” (show graphic image). Now let’s look at the spelling ch and the sound that we’ll learn today. One way to say ch is /ch/ like a choo choo from a train. This is how we will learn to pronounce it today. But, another way ch can be pronounced is /sh/, like “shhhh! It’s time to be quite.” We will learn about this another day and focus on ch = /ch/ today.

  2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /ch/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /ch/ in words, I hear the same sound as a train blowing it’s horn. [Make vocal gesture for /ch/.] I’ll show you first: bench. I heard ch say its name and I felt my tongue humped in the back of my mouth and then air being blown out [pull arm back and throw it when you blow out the air]. There is a ch in torch. Now I’m going to see if it’s in chef. Hmm, I didn’t hear ch say its name and my tongue didn’t curl up in the back of my mouth. Now you try. If you hear /ch/ say, “Choo! Choo!” If you don’t hear /ch/ say, “That’s not it.” Is it in each, water, shirt, chill, dutch, knee? [Have children throw their arm forward when they feel /ch/ say its name.]

  3. What if I want to spell the word ranch? “I work for Farmer Joe on his ranch.” Ranch means large farm in this sentence. To spell ranch in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I have in the word so I stretch it out and count: /r//a//n//ch/. I need 4 boxes. I heard that /ch/ just after the /n/ so I’m going to put the ch in the 4th box. The word starts with /r/, that’s easy; I need an r. Now it gets a little tricky so I’m going to say it slowly, /r//a//n//ch/. I think I heard /a/ so I’ll put a a right after the r. One more before the /ch/, hmm . . .  /r//a//n//ch/, I think I heard /n/.  I have one empty box now. [Point to letters in boxes when stretching out the word: /r//a//n/ /ch/.] The missing one is /n/.Now I’ll show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with flinch on the top and model reading the word.]  I’m going to start with the ch; that part says /ch/. Now I’m going to put the beginning letters with it: f-l-i-n-ch, /flinch/. Oh, flinch, like “The door didn’t even flinch when she tried to knock it down.”

  4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with three boxes for rich. Rich means wealthy, “The creator of televisions must be quite rich.” I’ll check your spelling while I walk around the room. [Observe progress.] You’ll need four letterboxes for the next word. Listen for the beginning sound to spell in the first box. Then listen for /ch/.  Here’s the word: torch, Michael Phelps got to carry the torch in the Olympics.; torch. [Allow children to spell remaining words, giving sentences for each word: lich, punch, twitch, and itch.] 

  5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you’ve spelled. [Show the words rich, torch, lich, punch, twitch, itch, the extra word bunch, and the pseudoword morch. Have children read words in unison. Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]

  6. Say: You’ve done a great job and reading words with our new spelling for /ch/: ch. Now we are going to read a book called Chip the Chimp. This is a story of a chimp named Champ who is a chess champ. One day, a chap named Chet challenged Chip to a chess match. Let’s pair up and take turns reading Chip the Chimp to find out who wins the game. [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the class rereads Chip the Champ orally, stopping between page turns to discuss the story.]

  7. Say: Before we finish up with our lesson about one way to spell /ch/ = ch, I want to see how you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet, we have a list of words. Your job is to look in the box of word choices, and decide which words contain /ch/. To mark the correct ones, color in the boxes. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]

 

Resources:

 

Audrey Blair, Say Ah!: http://abb0036.wixsite.com/funwithreading/beginning-reading

 

Charlet, Robert. (2015) Chip the Chimp. Learning A-Z: https://www.readinga-z.com/book.php?id=359

 

Assessment Worksheet: https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/phonics/ch-word-color_WBWMN.pdf?up=1466611200

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