Browse lesson plans

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

As an extension of a weather unit, second grade students will use the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett to explore compound words using an introduction to spreadsheet.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Computer/Technology Skills, English Language Arts, and Information Skills)

By Mary Rizzo.

The long and short of it!

This lesson will assist students in recognizing and discriminating short and long vowel sounds.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)

Magic E: Decoding/encoding with CVC & CVCE

Students will participate in two activities involving the consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e (CVCE) pattern: a decoding activity involving attaching a clothes pin with the letter e printed on it to consonant-vowel-consonant words (CVC) and sounding the new CVCE words; and an encoding activity involving dictation of CVC and CVCE words from the first activity which students are to write using auditory and tactile strategies. These activities require that students have prior knowledge of consonant and long and short vowel sounds as well as blending of these sounds in CVC pattern words.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)

By Julia Huff Jerome.

Phonics fun

Kid Pix Deluxe software is needed for this lesson. Using this program, students will decode and blend one-syllable short-vowel words and words ending with silent "e" to match pictures with words as well as to spell names of pictures.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts)

By Jo Voigt.

Vowel, consonant, vowel your way to better reading

This is a lesson for Secondary Special Education Teachers who teach exceptional children who are reading at the second grade level. Students will learn decoding patterns using vowels and consonants to divide words into syllables in order to sound out the word.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts)

By Julie Wilson.

Resources on the web

The big green monster teaches phonics in reading and writing

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink students begin with a shared reading of the story, Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley. After the shared reading, students engage in a paired reading of the online version to build fluency and word... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Click, clack, moo: Reading word family words

In this lesson, students learn to identify rimes or word families and apply their knowledge of these words to the decoding of new words. During a repeated read-aloud of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, the teacher stops... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Dr. Seuss's sound words: Playing with phonics and spelling

Boom! Br-r-ring! Cluck! Moo! — Everywhere you turn, you're bound to find exciting sounds. Whether you visit online sites that play sounds or take a sound hike at school, a near-by park, or on a field trip, ask your students to notice the sounds they... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Generating rhymes: Developing phonemic awareness

Learning how to generate rhyme and recognizing rhyming patterns in language is an essential skill for emergent readers. Students should be able to manipulate words and sounds to create simple rhymes, which will help them recognize word and letter patterns... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Getting the "ig" in pig: Helping children discover onset and rime

This lesson from ReadWriteThink incorporates literature, independent and cooperative learning, critical thinking, and hands-on activities to engage students in learning the “ig” rime. Students explore books and magazines for words that have... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Gingerbread phonics

In this ReadWriteThinklesson, early readers use familiar words from a traditional story to learn letter-sound correspondence. The teacher conducts a shared reading of The Gingerbread Man with the whole class. Students then use words from the... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Hey diddle, diddle! Generating rhymes for analogy-based phonics instruction

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, shared reading, guided reading, and small, cooperative-group instruction are used in a first-grade classroom to informally assess students' ability to demonstrate awareness of rhyme or other visual similarities in words.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Name talk: Exploring letter-sound knowledge in the primary classroom

This lesson from ReadWriteThink invites primary students to share their letter/sound knowledge in a small group and gives teachers an opportunity to assess knowledge in a meaningful context. Working with name cards, students share observations about their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Phonics in context

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, teachers choose literature that contains the necessary phonics elements for instruction, then plan before, during, and after activities for read-aloud or shared reading experiences. Careful and ongoing assessment of students'... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Phonics through literature: Learning about the letter "M"

Phonics is an important part of literacy instruction that can be taught within the context of reading children's literature. This ReadWriteThink lesson incorporates the use of children's literature, in addition to various learning centers and activities... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Read-Write-Think

Read-Write-Think provides educators and students with access to the highest quality practices and resources in reading and language arts instruction. From phonemic awareness to social action projects, the K-12 lessons are the best available... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: International Reading Association and The National Council of Teachers of English

The two voices of the “ow” spelling pattern

This lesson demonstrates to students how the combination of two vowels represents a different sound. After becoming acquainted with the “ow” sound, students participate in activities that support Jerry Zutell's 6-step framework: The... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using folk tales: Vowel influences on the letter "G"

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are introduced to the irregular spelling pattern of hard and soft g at the beginning of words, using the folk tale genre. Students use the Internet to find and categorize animal names that begin with the letter... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using repetition and picture cues to foster independent young readers

This lesson from ReadWriteThink invites kindergartners to share their knowledge of letters and sounds in a large group setting and gives teachers an opportunity to assess student's knowledge in this area. Each student contributes a page to make a classroom... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using songwriting to build awareness of beginning letter sounds

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students begin by singing a song to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Kindergartners identify and learn letter names and beginning consonant sounds. First graders extend the activity by creating new verses... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink