Aw, How Cute!

1.   Say: “Everyone think of the cutest thing in the world to you. This can be your dog or cat, your baby sister, whatever you think is just SO adorable. Now, what does everyone want to say when you imagine that super cute thing? For me, I like to say, ‘Aw.’ [Avoid over-pronouncing the w. Most words with aw usually sound more like /ah/ or /o/.]  Everyone, practice saying, ‘Aw.’ Notice how your mouth opens up tall, like when the doctor asks you to say, ‘ah.’ ”[Pause for questions.]

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2.   “I am going to say two words, and I want you all to figure out which word has the /aw/ sound in it. When you think you have it figured out, throw your hands up like the kitten in the gif for the word you think says /aw/.”

1. Maw or Mow

2. Dawn or Dan

3. Mail or Maul

4. Shell or Shawl

5. Straw or Strewn

[Pause to provide extra instruction for those struggling to hear or produce /aw/.]

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3.   “To spell /aw/, we use the letters a and w. [Write a and w on the board.] Using my letterboxes, I am going to model how to spell the word crawl. ‘Many animals use four legs to crawl around.’ This word has four phonemes, so I will unfold four letterboxes. The very first sound I hear is /k/. I know the letter c makes /k/, so I will put it in the first box. The next sound I hear is /r/. I know the letter r makes that sound, so now I have /c/ /r/ /aw/. We were just talking about the /aw/ sound and how it is represented by the letters a and w, so I will put them in the third box together. /c/ /r/ /aw/ /l/. I know that letter l makes the /l/ sound, so an l will go in the very last box. /c/ /r/ aw/ /l/, /c/ /r/ /aw/ /l/.” [Repeat the sounds while gradually speeding up and blending them together.] 

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4.   [After using them in a sentence and providing the definition (except for the pseudoword) as well as the number of letterboxes needed, have students individually spell the following words with their Elkonin boxes one at a time:

1. Law

2. Yawn

3. Chawf

4. Brick

5. Prawn

After students have been given enough time to spell each word, have one student who spelled theirs correctly model their spelling on the board for all to see.]

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5.   "Now, I will model how to read these words. Remember, aw = /aw/. [Display squawk on the board.] I see the letter s, and I know it says /s/. I see qu together, and I know the sound is /q/. /s/ /q/. Squh. I know aw says /aw/, so that’s squh /aw/. Squah. Finally, I see letter k, which makes /k/. Squah /k/. /s/ /q/ /aw/ /k/. Squawk!"

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6.   “Now, it’s your turn. I will show the words we just spelled, and I want everyone to say them aloud together.” [Display words through PowerPoint or other means.]

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7.   “Next, we will read a story called “The Brawl.” In this story, the characters Lad the dog and Slim the pig are reunited after some time apart. Usually, it is a glad reunion when someone hasn’t seen their friend for a long time, but in this story, Lad and Slim get into a HUGE fight! Let’s read to find out if they get badly injured. I hope they can make up and be friends after it’s over!” [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each, while the teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After individual paired reading, the class rereads “The Brawl” aloud together, and stops between page turns to discuss the plot.]

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8.   “What a great story with a happy ending! And what a great job you all did reading it! To wrap up this lesson, you will complete a worksheet that will challenge you to choose the correct word to complete the sentence. If you are unsure how to read any word on the page, first ask your neighbor, then ask me. Good luck!” [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]