Emergent Literacy
Molly and the Mmmm Mmmm Good Chicken
Rationale: This lesson will help children identify /m/, the phoneme shown with M. The students will learn to recognize /m/ in spoken words by learning a meaningful representation (rubbing stomach) and the letter symbol M, practice finding /m/ in words, and apply phoneme awareness with /m/ in phonetic cue reading by distinguishing rhyming words from beginning letters.
Materials: Primary paper, pencil, chart with “Molly makes the most macaroni mainly with music”, drawing paper, crayons, Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert, word cards with MOP,MANY,HOUSE,MANGO, FEET, and MOON, assessment worksheet identifying pictures with /m/ (URL below)
Procedures:
1. Say: Our written language is like a puzzle. The tricky part is learning what the symbols or letter stand for- the way our mouth moves as we say the words. Today we are going to learn how to spot the mouth move /m/. We show /m/ with the letter M. M looks like a mountain and /m/ sounds like what you say after you eat a good meal.
2. Let’s pretend we just ate a good meal and we are happy, /m/,/m/,/m/. (Pantomime rubbing your stomach) Notice where yours lips are? (Tucked into mouth). When we say /m/, we hum in our chest and tuck our lips into our mouth.
3. Let me show you how to find /m/ in the word from. I’m going to say from very slowly stretching it out and I want you to listen for that good meal sound. Fff-r-o-mm. Slower: Ffff-rrr-o-mmmmm. There it is! I felt my lips tuck in and my chest hum. I can feel that good meal sound /m/ in from.
4. Let’s try a tongue twister (on chart). “Molly makes the most macaroni mainly with music.” Now you say it three times. Now when you say it I want you to stretch out the /m/ at the beginning of the words. “Mmmolly mmmakes the mmmost mmmacaroni mmmainly with mmmusic.” Now do it one more time and this time break it off the word: “/m/ olly /m/ akes the /m/ ost /m/ acaroni with /m/ usic.”
5. (Take out primary paper and pencil) We use the letter M to spell /m/. Capital M looks like a mountain and lowercase m looks like hills. Let’s practice drawing a lowercase m. Start on the fence and draw a line down to the sidewalk. Now without taking your pencil off the paper go back up to the fence, but draw a curve and go back down to the sidewalk. Do this again and finish on the sidewalk. Once I come around and put a stamp on your first one I want you to make 9 more the same way.
6. Call on students to answer and explain how they knew: Do you hear /m/ in more or less? Yard or meter? To or from? Main or center? Water or milk? Say: Let’s see if you can spot the mouth move /m/ in some words. Rub your stomach if you hear /m/: The, many, manly, dogs, move, most, when, music, plays.
7. Say: Let’s look at an alphabet book. The author is going to name all the fruits and vegetables that start with the /m/. They also name all the fruits and vegetables in every letter. Did you know there were that many fruits and vegetables? How many can you name? Read the page drawing out /m/. Ask the students if they can think of other foods that have a /m/ in it. Have them pick a food that has a /m/ and have them draw a picture and write a message about it to be hung up in the classroom.
8. Show MOP and model how we know it is mop or top: The M tells me to rub my stomach, /m/ so this word is mmm-op, mop. Your turn to try: MANY: many or penny? HOUSE: mouse or house? MANGO: tango or mango? FEET: meet or feet? MOON: soon or moon?
9. For the assessment portion hand out the worksheet. Students are to finish the words and color the picture with the letter M. Then call students up individually to have them read the phonetic cue words used in step 8.
Reference: Bruce Murray, Brush Your Teeth With F: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/sightings/murrayel.html
Ameshia Cleveland Mama, mama, make me some jambalaya with the letter M!: http://arc0035.wixsite.com/earlychildeducation/emergent-literacy
Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert
Assessment Worksheet: http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/m-begins2.htm
Index: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/Entries.html