Rationale: This lesson will help students recognize /t/, the phoneme represented by T.

My students will learn to identify /t/ in spoken words by learning a sound analogy (ticking of a clock) and the letter symbol T, gain practice finding /t/ in words, and apply phoneme awareness with /t/ in phonetic cue reading by distinguishing between rhyming words and beginning letters. 

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Materials: We will all need:

1. Primary paper and pencil.

2. Chart/Poster with my alliteration, “Talkative Taylor tells time with a tick tock clock”.

3. Dr. Seuss’s ABC (Random House, 1963).

4. Blank Paper and Markers for activity from Dr. Seuss’s ABC Book.

5. Word Cards with the words: TOP, TIP, FELL, TEN, FREE, MEET.

6. Assessment Worksheets Identifying Pictures with /t/- website and PDF linked below.

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Procedures:

1. Introduction Statement for students; say: “We are going to learn more about what letters in the alphabet stand for. Our mouth moves in a certain way depending on what word we are saying. Today, we are going to focus on /t/. We will see how the mouth moves when we say /t/. We spell /t/ with the letter T. The word “time” starts with a T and /t/ sounds like the ticking of a clock, which is a device that tells the time. 

2. Let’s pretend to be a clock and make the ticking noise with our mouth, /t/, /t/, /t/. (pantomime/move index finger around in a clockwise pattern like the index finger is the hand of a clock while making the sounds). Notice, when we say /t/, where our tongue is placed. When we say /t/, our tongue starts behind our top teeth and then, moves away and down from behind our top teeth to release the sound /t/ makes. 

3. Now, let me demonstrate how to find /t/ in the word spit. I am now going to stretch spit in super slow motion and I want you to listen for my tick of the clock. Sss-p-i-i-i-ttt. There it is!! You can feel your tongue move behind your top teeth and then, it moves away and down from behind our top teeth to release the sound /t/ makes. Ticking /t/ is in spit.

4. Let’s try a tongue tickler (on chart). Taylor loves to talk and say things out loud. Taylor’s mom got her a new clock that ticks and tocks. Her mom hopes this will help give her something to talk about. Here’s our tickler: “Talkative Taylor tells time with a tick tock clock.” Everybody say it three times all together. Now, we will all say it again and this time, we will stretch out the /t/ at the beginning of each of the words: “Tttalkative Tttaylor tttells tttime with a tttick tttock clock.” Now, we will say it one last time and this time break it off the words: “/T/ alkative /T/ aylor /t/ ells /t/ ime with a /t/ ick /t/ ock clock.”

5. Next, we will be using our primary paper and pencil. We use letter T to spell /t/. Capital T looks like a BIG tree. Now, let’s practice writing letter T. Go down with a line from the top of the rooftop down to the sidewalk and then, cross at the top. Now, let’s get some practice writing the lowercase letter t. Lowercase t is just a teenager, not as tall as his daddy, but not short. First, we will draw a vertical line from the top of the rooftop all the way down to the sidewalk. Next, we will draw the horizontal line in between the rooftop and the fence. Now, I will come around to look at everyone’s Capital T and lowercase t. If I draw a check next to your Capital T and lowercase t, then I want you to write 9 more Capital T’s and lowercase t’s for practice. 

6. Next, I will call on students for the right answer and ask them to explain how they knew this. Do you hear /t/ in toe or nail? fall or top? want or need? stop or go? Say out loud to students: “Now, let’s see if you can spot your mouth moving like a /t/ in some of these words. Make the ticking motion with your index finger if you hear /t/: Today, three tiny pigs took a walk to the top of the town.”

7. Say out loud to students: “Now, let’s look at an alphabet book. We will look at the Dr. Seuss book T page and do an applied activity to go along with this book page. How do they help us remember /t/ in the book? On page 46, in the ABC Book by Dr. Seuss, they use the alliteration, “Ten tired turtles on a tuttle-tuttle tree”. What a fun way to help us learn more about /t/!”Now, ask students to repeat the alliteration back to you (the teacher) all together as a class. “Ten tired turtles on a tuttle-tuttle tree”. Then, tell the students, “Wonderful Job!” Now, distribute blank pieces of paper and markers to students. Say to students, “Just like Dr. Seuss, you will draw your own ‘tuttle-tuttle tree’. Put ten animals on your tree that start with /t/. Some examples are turtle, tiger, tree frog, turkey, etc.” Give students the opportunity to share what /t/ animal they decided to put on their ‘tuttle-tuttle tree’. 

8. Show TOP and model how to decide if it is top or mop: The T tells us to tick the “hand of the clock”, /t/, so this word is ttt-op, top. Tell students, “Now, we are going to have you try and identify /t/ in some words. Using word cards, let’s have you try some: TIP: tip or dip? FELL: tell or fell? TEN: ten or men? FREE: tree or free? MEET: meet or treat?

9. For our assessment of /t/, I will now distribute a worksheet. Students will need to color every picture that begins with T. Finally, I will call on students to individually to read the phonetic cue words from #8 (TOP, TIP, FELL, TEN, FREE, MEET).

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References: 

1. Dr. Bruce Murray’s website Reading Genie.  http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/

2. Kylie Witcher, Bounce the Ball with B https://kyliejwitcher2.wixsite.com/mysite-2

3. Book Used: Dr. Seuss’s ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! By Dr. Seuss (/t/: page 46)

 

Assessment worksheet:

1. Super Teacher Worksheets: Phonics- Beginning Sounds Letter T

Website: https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/letter-t.html

 

Specific PDF (specific worksheet) for coloring words than start with Tt: https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/phonics-beginningsounds/letter-t_WFNTM.pdf?up=1466611200

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