Learning to read with Ms. Newman

​

​

Icky, Icky Sticky!

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

​

​

​

 

 

Rationale: This lesson teaches students to recognize the short vowel correspondence i = /i/. As beginning readers, it is important to give the students ways to connect the grapheme to the phoneme. Students will learn to recognize /i/ in oral language by learning a meaningful representation (Icky, Icky Sticky!), spelling words containing i, and by recognizing i = /i/ in words. Students will practice spelling the /i/ sound with letterboxes and identify the /i/ sound in the decodable book Tin Man Fix-It by Shelia Cushman. 

​

​

 
Materials: 

 

• Tin Man Fix-It by Shelia Cushman (Educational insights, 1990)

• Chalkboard/chalk

• Picture of ‘Icky, icky sticky!’  

• Poster with stick at the top

• Cover-up critter

• White paper

• Markers/crayons

• Chart with "Lizzy the iguana is inside the igloo"

• Letterboxes and letters

• Letters needed:  r, a, c, k, p, i, t, e, d, w, n, l, s, m

​

​

Procedures:

​

1. To begin, introduce the lesson by showing students the picture of the boy with the ‘Icky, icky sticky’ gum on his shoes. Say: We are going to learn about short i and the sound /i/ it makes when it is in words by itself. Have you ever gotten anything really sticky on your shoes or hands? I know when I get something sticky on me I say, Icky, icky sticky! [Model the hand gesture while saying this] For more practice, you can say the tongue tickler: Lizzy the iguana is inside the igloo. Ask students to say it along with you the second time. Tell the students to stretch out the /i/ in every word. 

  

  2. Say: Before we learn about the spelling of /i/, we need to listen for it in some words. When I listen for /i/ in words, my lips make a little stretched out smile             and my mouth is open. [Make vocal gesture for /i/.] I’ll show you first: Tim. I heard icky, icky sticky /i/ sound. I felt my lips make a stretched-out smile and my         mouth was open. Now I’m going to see if it’s in large. Hmm, I didn’t hear the icky, icky sticky sound. My mouth didn’t make a stretched-out smile. Now you             try. If you hear /i/ say, “Icky, icky sticky!” If you don’t hear /i/ say, “I don’t hear it.” Is it in sit, pat, lips, coat, stick, or flower? [Have children stretch out their           lips when they hear the icky sticky /i/.]

 

  3. Say: Now we're going to try spelling some words with our icky, icky sticky /i/ sound.  We will be spelling these words using our letterboxes and our letter tiles.         I am going to spell the word "stick". If I go into the woods I can find many sticks. To spell stick in letterboxes, first I need to know how many phonemes I               have in the word, so I will stretch it out and count: /s//t//i//ck/. I need four boxes. I heard that /i/ just before the /k/ so I’m going to put an i in the third box.         The /i/ is the icky, icky sticky sound! SSS; that is the "s" sound, so I know to put a "s" in my first square. Sttttick. Next, I hear the "tttt" sound. That is the               sound an "t" makes, so I know to put an t in the next box. Now let’s say it slowly. Ssttiiick. Stick! Now you're going to try it. [Point to letters in boxes when               stretching out the word: /s//t//i//ck/.]

 

 4. Say: Now I’m going to have you spell some words in letterboxes. You’ll start out easy with two boxes for is. Like, “Is the teacher going to read to us today?”            What should go in the first box? [Respond to children’s answers]. What goes in the second box? [observe] You’ll need three letterboxes for the next word.              Listen for the beginning sound that goes in the first box. Then listen for /i/ in the word. Here’s the word: pit, we all stand by the fire pit in the winter. [Allow            children to spell remaining words: dig, ship, skit, and list] Now it is time to check your work! Watch how I spell it in my letterboxes on the board: i - s and see          if you’ve spelled it the same way. Try another with three boxes: p -i -t ; Watch out for the pit in the ground. [Repeat this step for each new word.] Next make          sure to ask the question, “Did you remember to spell /k/ with a ck?” Now let’s try four phonemes: stick; the stick was picked up by the dog. [Continue to                monitor progress and add assistance if needed.]

 

 5. Say: Now I am going to let you read the words you have spelled, but first I will show you how I would read a tough word. [Display poster with stick on the             top and model reading the word.] I am going to start with the i; that part says /i/. Now I’m going to use a cover-up critter to get the first part. /s/ /t/ = /st/.           Now, I am going to put the beginning letters with it: s-t-i, stiii. Now, I will put the chunk together with the last sound. Stick. Stick! Like we pick up sticks in the         backyard. Now it’s your turn. [Afterwards, call on individuals to read one word on the list until everyone has had a turn.]

 

 6. Say: You’ve done an excellent job reading words with our new spelling for /i/. Let’s read Tin Man Fix-It by Shelia Cushman. Book-talk: Once there was a tin             man working in a garden with his friend Jim. A boy named Sid ran into the tin man and the tin man fell apart! Let’s read to find out if the tin man can be put           back together by Jim or Sid! [Children pair up and take turns reading alternate pages each while teacher walks around the room monitoring progress. After             individual paired reading, the class rereads the story aloud together, and stops between page turns to discuss the plot.] Remind students to use their cover             critters when they come to a word they do not know. Next, tell them to crosscheck their reading to make sure the sentence makes sense. If further assistance         is needed, let the children know to come to you for help.  

 

 7. To assess students, ask follow-up questions: That was a fun story! What were the tin man and Jim doing at the beginning of the story? Right, they were                working in the garden. How did the tin man fall on the ground? Right, the boy ran into him!Next, say: Before we finish up with our lesson, I want to see how          you can solve a reading problem. On this worksheet, we will say the sounds of each letter as we pull the card out of the envelope. The picture at the end of            each card will help you check your reading. Re-read your answers to see if they make sense. [Collect worksheets to evaluate individual child progress.]

​

​

​

​

​

Resources:

​

Assessment worksheet: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/roll-and-read-short-i-words/

Image: Icky, icky sticky sound analogy, Retrieved from: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/phonlet.html

Lesson guide: Bryant, Elizabeth., Icky Sticky! Retrieved from: http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/doorways/bryantebr.htm

Text: Tin Man Fix-It by Shelia Cushman, Educational Insights Phonics Readers, 1990.  Short Vowels, Book 6.

Click here to return to Quest Index 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Lizzy the iguana is inside the igloo 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​