Phonics Lesson: Long ‘a’ Sound from the ‘a_e’ Pattern

Teacher: Jenna Graziadei Grade Level: 2

I. Content Standards

Connecticut State Standard:

1. RL.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry,
in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.
2. RI.2.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/
social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
3. RF.1.2a Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
4. RF.1.2b Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds, including consonant
blends.
5. RF.1.2d Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual
sounds (phonemes).
6. RF.2.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
7. RF.2.3a Distinguish long and short vowels when reading regularly spelling one-syllable
words
8. RF.2.3b Know spelling-sound correspondences for additional common vowel teams.
9. RF.2.3c Decode regularly spelling two-syllable words with long vowels.
10. RF.2.3d Decode words with common prefixes and suffixes.
11. RF.2.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

II. Essential Questions

1. What do words with the long a sound from a_e sound like?
2. How do I use words with the long a sound from a_e in speech?
3. How do I read words with the long a sound from a_e?
4. How do I write words with the long a sound from a_e?

III. Prerequisites

The students will have a prior, more general exposure to words with long a sounds from
previous lessons, as well as reading, writing, and conversational experiences.

IV. Instructional Objectives

At the end of this lesson the students will be able to hear, say, read, and write words with
the long a sound associated with the a_e letter pattern.
This is evidence of structure and V. Instructional Procedures
pacing such that the students
engaged in a review in a 5-minute
period following the hear it, say it, read 1. Revisit and Review (5 minutes)
it, and write it process.
a. Hear it: The students will practice their skills developed in the previous lesson and from
This is evidence of an activity the
students were involved in to practice prior knowledge to acknowledge the presence of a long a sound in various words through
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound.
hearing. This will be the long a sound produced by the single letter ‘a’ such as in the
This is evidence of an activity the
words paper, data, and label. When the teacher speaks a word, if this type of long a sound
students were involved in to practice is heard, the students will raise their hands. If this is not the case, their hands will remain
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound. down. The teacher will review 4 words.
This is evidence of grouping of b. Say it: The students will practice their skills developed in the previous lesson and from
students such that the students
worked with a peer in their
prior knowledge to acknowledge the presence of a long a sound in various words through
heterogeneous partnerships. saying. This will be the long a sound produced by the single letter ‘a’ such as in the words
This is evidence of an activity the paper, data, and label. The teacher will speak a word in a segmented manner, or in ‘robot
students were involved in to practice
their skills and further develop their talk’ as it will be referred to. The students will repeat the word to their partners, but with
understanding of the long a sound.
blending. The teacher will review 3 words.
This is evidence of use of
instructional materials and
c. Read it: The students will practice their skills developed in the previous lesson and from
resources such that I made use of the prior knowledge to acknowledge the presence of a long a sound in various words through
whiteboard in the classroom to present
an activity to the students. reading. This will be the long a sound produced by the single letter ‘a’ such as in the
This is evidence of grouping of words paper, data, and label. The teacher will write a word on the whiteboard. The
students such that the students
worked with a peer in their
students will read the word and share their answers with their partners. The teacher will
heterogeneous partnerships. review 3 words.
This is evidence of an activity the d. Write it: The students will practice their skills developed in the previous lesson and from
students were involved in to practice
their skills and further develop their prior knowledge to acknowledge the presence of a long a sound in various words through
understanding of the long a sound.
writing. This will be the long a sound produced by the single letter ‘a’ such as in the
This is evidence of use of
instructional materials and
words paper, data, and label. The teacher will speak a word in a blended manner. The
resources such that the students made students will produce the spelling of the word on their individual whiteboards and then
use of their individual whiteboards to
work through the short activity. show the teacher when done. The teacher will review 3 words.
This is evidence of structure and
pacing such that the students were
engaged in new content in a 5-minute
2. Teach (5 minutes)
period following the hear it, say it, read a. Hear it: The teacher will introduce the new long a sound letter pattern, a_e, by saying
it, and write it process.
several words that contain it. Similar to the revisit and review, the students will raise their
This is evidence of an activity the
students were involved in to practice hands when they hear the long a sounds. An explanation will follow to discuss that the
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound.
sound is the same as that which was just studied, but it is spelled a different way.
This is evidence of an activity the
b. Say it: The teacher will show the students the corresponding letter pattern, a_e. The
students were involved in to practice teacher will share the mnemonic phrase (a, a_e, what did you say?) to help the students
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound. recall their prior and new knowledge. They will repeat the phrase several times. The
teacher will guide the students to declare the letters that this new long a sound pattern is
comprised of. Several words containing a_e will then be spoken by the teacher in ‘robot
talk’ that the students must blend and repeat to their partners. The teacher will then say
This is evidence of grouping of
several a_e words segmented that the students must repeat to their partners in a blended
students such that the students manner.
worked with a peer in their
heterogeneous partnerships.
This is evidence of an activity the
students were involved in to practice
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound.

This is evidence of use of

instructional materials and
resources such that the I made use of
the whiteboard in the classroom to
present an activity to the students.
c. Read it: The teacher will write a range of words that contain a_e on the whiteboard. The
This is evidence of grouping of
students will be guided to identify and acknowledge the presence of this pattern while
students such that the students reading. They will read the words to their partners by blending the phonemes and saying
worked with a peer in their
heterogeneous partnerships. the words.
This is evidence of an activity the d. Write it: The teacher will say a word containing the a_e pattern. The students will be
students were involved in to practice
their skills and further develop their
asked to repeat the word, and then sound it out if needed to produce the accurate spelling
understanding of the long a sound. of the word on their whiteboards. Once written, they must underline the pattern that
This is evidence of use of represents the focus of the lesson.
instructional materials and
resources such that the students made
use of their individual whiteboards to
work through the short activity.
3. Practice (5 minutes): The students will practice their new skills associated with the awareness
This is evidence of structure and
of the presence of the a_e letter pattern in words with the long a sound. In each partner group
pacing such that the students the partners will receive two different lists of a_e words. Turns will be taken acting out the
engaged practice of their new skills in a
5-minute period. word that has been chosen. This acting out must remain silent, and the other partner who is
This is evidence of grouping of guessing must also remain silent by writing their guess on the whiteboard. The actor will
students such that the students
worked with a peer in their
acknowledge if the written word is correct or incorrect, while also being supportive by
heterogeneous partnerships. ensuring that the a_e pattern is written. This activity allows the students to practice reading
This is evidence of use of and writing a_e words while applying their knowledge in an alternative manner.
instructional materials and
resources such that the students made
use of lists of a_e words as support in
guided practice to participate in the
4. Apply (3 minutes): The students will review their narratives that they have been working on.
activity. In this review they will identify a_e words found in their writing. If necessary, corrections
This is evidence of an activity the can be made based on the identification of any spelling mistakes. This will reinforce
students were involved in to practice
their skills and further develop their relevance of learning for the students such that they will be able to apply their knowledge in
understanding of the long a sound from
the new a_e pattern.
reading and writing, while strengthening their revision skills. As these words are found, they
This is evidence of structure and
will be tracked on the activity worksheet. Once complete, the a_e words will be shared with a
pacing such that the students partner to receive support of learning and progress.
engaged in the application of their new
skills in a 3-minute period.
This is evidence of use of 5. Assess (2 minutes): The teacher will read four words to the students with the a_e pattern.
instructional materials and
resources such that the students made
They must make an effort to spell these words using their understandings of phonics that
use of their own narratives to make their have developed during the lesson. In analyzing these spellings, the focus will be on the
learning more purposeful.
inclusion of the a_e pattern, regardless of whether or not the remaining phonemes in the
This is evidence of an activity the
students were involved in to practice words are spelled correctly. Following analysis, determinations will be made as to how to
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound from
proceed to the next phonics lessons, if reteaching is necessary, and who may need more
the new a_e pattern. intensive instruction through a strategy group or intervention.
This is evidence of grouping of
students such that the students
worked with a peer in their 6. Homework: The students will be given two homework options to choose from. One is the
heterogeneous partnerships.
discovery of a_e words within one’s environment, and then creating a sentence that combines
This is evidence of structure and
pacing such that the students
all of those words. The other option is intended to be entertaining in that is follows an
engaged in an assessment in a 2-minute approach similar to Mad Libs that requires that the students fill in the blanks with a_e words
period.
to create a funny story. The availability of options encourages student choice while
This is evidence of an activity the
students were involved in to practice reinforcing the retention of the skills gained from this lesson regardless of the homework
their skills and further develop their
understanding of the long a sound from
piece that is selected.
the new a_e pattern.

VI. Materials and Equipment

This is evidence of use of
instructional materials and
resources such this list of materials is
intended to enhance the learning
experiences of the students.
• The students will bring whiteboards, dry erase markers, and erasers to the floor that will be
utilized for engagement purposes.
• Word cards with a_e words will be provided to each student that will be utilized to play the
silent charades game in the practice portion of the lesson.
• A pencil is necessary for the independent activity in the apply portion of the lesson.
• An activity worksheet will be used to structure the students’ work on tracking a_e words found
in their individual pieces of writing, as well as for assessment purposes to gather data about
their progress.
• Students will use their narratives that have been worked on previously in order to apply their
phonics learning in a manner that will help establish purpose for their learning.
• A slideshow will be used in a mini-lesson to review, teach, and practice phonics skills prior to
allowing the students to apply their new understandings independently.
VII. Assessments/Evaluations
• Mud-bugs-clear: Throughout the mini-lesson’s discussions, the students will be asked
to show with their thumbs how they feel about their understanding and retention of the
new content that must be used in the activity. This will be done at points deemed
appropriate and necessary by the teacher. Based on the student responses, the teacher
will rephrase the information and ask for questions that can be answered in order to
help the larger population of students.
• Activity worksheet: The students will complete a worksheet for apply and assess to
practice skills and exhibit development that has taken place throughout the unit. The
teacher will collect their work to analyze and track for data purposes that will impact
the revisit and review session during the following lesson. Conclusions may also result
in the implementation of interventions to guide individual students who require more
intensive instruction.
• Data Collection: The teacher will travel around the classroom as the students complete
the apply portion of the lesson. While this takes place, data will be gathered about the
progress of the students based on their observed work and lesson-based conferencing
that takes place. The data will help make judgments for the following day’s lesson.
• The teacher can use the information from the assessments to analyze who may need
additional explanations of the material, if the teaching method needs to be altered, and
how to conduct a review in the lessons over the following days to gradually expand
upon and advance the skills of the students.
• The assessments taking place within the lesson can be used to make swift
determinations about any alternative directions that must be taken to increase success,
which includes the additional of detail, restructuring the lesson, and using strategies for
additional guidance.
• Information gathered from the analyses of student work will provide a context for any
questions, confusions, or individual student challenges that should be addressed in
 future lessons. The teacher can use this information to structure review sessions for
skills and concepts.

VIII.Differentiation

• The students will be using stories written by themselves that represents differentiation given
that the literacy skills exhibited in the piece are at the level appropriate for the student’s
abilities, and also at their reading level.
• Based on analyses of previously collected data, all students should be able to access the content
and activities in this lesson. However, the teacher will place a focus on the ELLs and students
with IEPs to ensure that the necessary processes are taking place by providing extra scaffolding
that will help them better understand and retain the new content.
• The students identified to exhibit need will participate in intervention activities during morning
work within a strategy group that will allow them to review and continue to practice skills
before advancing to the next stage in phonics learning during the days lesson.
• Prompting and modeling will be utilized when appropriate to make expectations and content
explicit to all students, especially ELLs, students with IEPs, and others who exhibit academic
needs.
• As the teacher walks around the classroom while the students work on the assignment,
additional prompting and guidance will be utilized should any ELLs and students with special
needs exhibit the need in order to fully engage in the reading and activity.
• The teacher can offer alternative phrasing or methods for what they are being asked to do
and guide them through additional examples.
• The teacher will utilize any accommodations that could benefit the students with special
needs to maintain their activeness in the lesson.
• Beyond the teacher’s guidance, other students will be able to collaborate with ELLs and
students with special needs that can allow for information to be presented in a different manner
that the child can better understand.

IX. Technology

A slideshow will be used to expose students to the information and skills necessary to participate
in the engagement activity. This technology usage is intended to enhance the literacy
development of the students.

X. Self-Assessment

This was the first phonics lesson implemented for my study of student achievement, as
well as the first lesson following the design discussed by Wendy Jolliffe, David Waugh,
and Angela Carss in Teaching Systematic Synthetic Phonics. It was a goal of mine to
involve the students in a variety of activities while at the rug for the lesson to maintain
engagement. I also wanted to strive to minimize the teaching time to allow the students to
practice and apply their skills for a sufficient amount of time. I believe it was an overall
This is evidence of structure and
pacing such that the students were
involved in a variety of engagement
activities.
This is evidence of structure and
pacing such that the students were
able to remain engaged in the review
and teaching phases for a 10-minute
period.
success. The accuracy of the work of the students during hear it, say it, read it, and write,
as well as during the practice, apply, and assess activities was evidence of my knowledge
of the content that I could express to them, utilization of a variety of teaching strategies,
and clarity of my instruction. It was amazing to see the students manage to maintain
active engagement in the lesson for the 10-minute period, while carrying that focus into
the following tasks that they were involved in. The purpose of the learning in this lesson
was clear to the students given the fact that they were able to articulate the relevance
without the need for prompting. It was during the teaching that a teachable moment arose
associated with the presence of familiar digraphs and blends in the words that were being
used. Based on my recall of this need of review for some students, I seized the
opportunity to discuss with the students the letters that correlated to the respective
sounds, and how they were to be included in the a_e words that were being studied. This
was also a great opportunity to see that students connecting their prior knowledge to new
learning. Furthermore, I was able to appropriately assess their understandings throughout
the lesson, but no need for reteaching or clarifying was presented. In scoring their final
assessments, or spelling quizzes, I chose to score based on the accurate presence of the
a_e letter pattern since it was the lesson’s focus, rather than focusing on the correct
spelling of the whole word. This choice was also made based on the fact that the system
used to collect the baseline data considered each student’s ability to identify defined parts
of words, the accuracy of the whole word, and the collective score. Some students were
not present during the lesson, and a few were unable to complete the assessment due to
leaving for small-group music lessons, so I created a list of five students who would
benefit from small-group instruction to ensure that their skills were strong in the are of
the a_e letter pattern for the long a sound. I will implement this intervention during the
morning work period the following day, and that day’s lesson will continue to involve the
review of these skills, while extending their learning to a new letter pattern for the long a
sound.