Learning Experience 1:

Central Focus: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the long /A/ sound through
recognition, writing, and identifying its sound
Grade: 1st
Subject: Reading
I. Title: Crazy “A”
II. Objectives:
Students will be able to find the long /A/ chunk in written words.
Students will be able to identify the long /A/ sound in spoken words.
III. Common Core Standards:
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2.A
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.C
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long
vowel sounds.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.4.A
Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.
IV. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks:
10:00-10:10
Students will gather at the table to listen to the phonics “ai” book. I will
explain to them that the long /A/ sound says its name and the short /A/ sound
does not. Students will each receive a copy of the book to read along with the
group. Before I begin reading, I will ask the students to put their thumb up if they
hear a word with the long /A/ sound. Then, I will read the book slowly to the
group while they track the words with their finger on their own copy of the book.
10:10-10:20
Before we begin reading the book as a group, each student will receive a
highlighter and will highlight the long /A/ letters on the title page. As we go
through the book, each student will use their highlighter to highlight all of the long
/A/ sound words that they see and hear.
10:20-10:35
Each student will receive a letter with a number on it. They will line up in
the order that their letter card says. Each student will say what letter he has and
what sound that letter makes. Then, the student with the “I” card in the middle of
the word will sit down so we know that he does not help us pronounce the word,
making the “A” say its name. Everyone will sound out the word together and say
the whole word together. I will ask one student to tell the group what the word
that we made means. We will repeat this process with other letters to create
other words.
10:35-10:40
Each student will receive a page with several long /A/ sound words and
words that do not have the long /A/ sound. He will circle the words that have the
long /A/ sound and highlight the letter that made the “A” say its name.
V. Assessment:
Students will be assessed using a checklist. The checklist criteria will include the
ability to read and track the words from the book with the group, circle the words
that have the long /A/ sound, and highlight the letter than makes the “A” say its
name.
VI. Materials:
 Phonics book
  Highlighter
 Pencil
 Word sheet
 Letter cards
VII. Accommodations:
Students that struggle with sight word identification and sounding out words will be
given the book that we are reading ahead of time. This allows them the opportunity
to pre-read the book ahead of time and be prepared to read with the group.
Learning Experience 2:
Central Focus: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the long “A” sound through
recognition, writing, and identifying its sound
Grade: 1st
Subject: Reading
I. Title: Find the /A/ Sounds
II. Objectives:
Students will be able to write long /A/ sound words found in the classroom.
Students will be able to determine which words have a long /A/ sound from a group.
III. Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2.A
Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.C
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel
sounds.
IV. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks:
10:00-10:10
Students will gather around the table to listen to the “AI Fun Phonics” video.
While we listen, the students will be instructed to remember as many long /A/ sound
words as they can. When the video is over, I will ask the students what words they
remember hearing with the long /A/ sound. We will make a list of these words on the
whiteboard to check if we are correct. Then, I will say a list of three words to the
students. Only one word in the list will have the long /A/ sound and the other words
will have the short /A/ sound. I will ask the students which word has the long /A/
sound. I will say three more lists to the students with the same format so that each
student can find the long /A/ sound.
10:10-10:25
Each student will receive a scavenger hunt page to record their findings. I will
explain to the students that they get to be scientists and explore the classroom for
long /A/ sound words. Once they find a word with the “ai” chunk, they will write the
word on their paper and draw a simple picture of the object. They can look for
objects and pictures that are labeled in the classroom and try to find objects on their
own that are not labeled.
10:25-10:35
When students cannot find anymore words or they run out of time, they will share
the words that they found in pairs. After each student has read their list of words,
they will check that all of their words have the “ai” chunk. Finally, they will think of two
“ai” chunk words on their own and write them on the bottom of their paper.
V. Assessment:
Students will be assessed using a checklist. The checklist criteria will include the
ability to participate in finding “ai” chunk words from the video, determine which word
from a spoken list has a long /A/ sound, write at least seven words with a
corresponding picture on the scavenger hunt sheet, and write two additional “ai”
chunk words.
VI. Materials:
 Video: “AI Fun Phonics” by Kids vs. Life
 Computer
 Word cards
 Picture signs
 Scavenger hunt page
  Crayons
 Pencils
 Whiteboard
 Dry erase marker
 Tape
VII. Accommodations:
Students that struggle with word identification will receive a scavenger hunt sheet
with three pictures printed on the sheet. This allows them to find the word that
matches the picture for the first few words and then find a few of their own words.
Learning Experience 3:
Central Focus: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the long “A” sound through
recognition, writing, and identifying its sound
Grade: 1st
Subject: Reading
I. Title: What Happens First?
II. Objectives:
Students will be able to determine what happened first, next, and last in a story.
Students will be able to write sentences with long /A/ sound words.
III. Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.1.1.A
Print all upper- and lowercase letters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3.C
Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel
sounds.
IV. Instructional Strategies & Learning Tasks:
10:00-10:15
Students will gather at the table to listen to the book, Jake and Gail Go to Spain,
by Robert Charles. As they listen, they will focus on finding words with the long /A/
sound. After I finish reading, I will ask the students what words they heard with the
long /A/ sound and I will write them down on the whiteboard. Then, I will ask the
students to think about what they heard in the story. I will ask them to tell me what
happened first, next, and last. We will reread the story if necessary.
10:15-10:40
Each student will receive a bag of letter cards. They will be instructed to take all
of their letters out and build six words with the long /A/ sound. Once they have six
words in front of them, I will ask them to read me their words. If all of their words are
correct, I will give them a sheet of writing paper. Each student will write three
sentences using their long /A/ words to tell a story. Their story should follow the first,
next, and last format that we discussed earlier. I will read the students an example
story that I have written. When all of the students are done writing, they will share
their stories with the group.
V. Assessment:
Students will be assessed using a checklist. The checklist criteria will include the
ability to say what happened first, next, and last in the story, find long /A/ sound
words that they have heard, create at least four long /A/ sound words with the given
letters, and write a story of three sentences using their words.
VI. Materials:
 Letter cards
 Pencils
 Writing paper
 Book: Jake and Gail Go to Spain by Robert Charles
 Whiteboard
 Dry erase markers
VII. Accommodations:
Students that struggle creating long /A/ sound words will be given word beginnings.
Providing them with a letter or two will prompt them into finishing the word on their
own. They will be given up to four word beginnings as well as sentence starters for
their story if necessary.