ALEX Learning Activity

  

Distinguishing Long and Short Vowel Sounds

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  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Ginger Henderson
System:Monroe County
School:Excel High School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2413
Title:
Distinguishing Long and Short Vowel Sounds
Digital Tool/Resource:
Basic 4 box Elkonin Boxes
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

In this phonemic awareness small group activity, the teacher will provide instruction on distinguishing long and short vowel sounds. The students will segment words into their individual phonemes using counters. Students will then isolate and identify the vowel sound as short or long.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 1
6. Demonstrate basic to advanced phonological and phonemic awareness skills in spoken words.

a. Count, blend, segment, and delete syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.

Examples: par-ti-cu-lar, cer-ti-fi-cate

b. Recognize and produce groups of rhyming words and distinguish them from non-rhyming groups of spoken words.

c. Produce alliterative words.

d. Blend and segment phonemes in single-syllable spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, including words with consonant blends.

e. Add, delete, and substitute phonemes at the beginning or end of spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, and produce the resulting word.

Examples: pan to pant; flight to light; cat to cap

f. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken, single-syllable words.

g. Distinguish between commonly-confused vowel sounds and commonly-confused cognate consonant sounds, using knowledge of mouth position, voiced and unvoiced sounds, and manner of articulation.

Examples: /f/ and /v/, /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/, /k/ and /g/, /m/ and /n/, /ng/ and /n/, /s/ and /z/, unvoiced /th/ and voiced /th/, /ch/ and /sh/, /ĕ/ and /ā/, /ĕ/ and /ă/

Note: This is extremely important as a foundational phonemic awareness skill for all learners.

h. Identify the sound substitution in words with five to six phonemes.

Example: strips/straps, square/squire
Unpacked Content
Teacher Vocabulary:
6.
  • Demonstrate
  • Phonological awareness skills
  • Phonemic awareness skills
  • Spoken words
6a.
  • Count
  • Blend
  • Segment
  • Delete
  • Syllables
  • Spoken words
  • Polysyllabic words
6b.
  • Recognize
  • Produce
  • Rhyming words
  • Distinguish
  • Non-rhyming
6c.
  • Alliterative
6d.
  • Blend
  • Segment
  • Phonemes
  • Single-syllable spoken words
  • Consonant blends
6e.
  • Add
  • Delete
  • Substitute
  • Phonemes
6f.
  • Vowel
  • Long Vowel Sound
  • Short Vowel Sound
  • Single-syllable spoken words
6g.
  • Distinguish
  • Vowel sounds
  • Cognate consonant sounds
  • Mouth position
  • Voiced sounds
  • Unvoiced sounds
  • Articulation
6h.
  • Substitution
  • Phonemes
Knowledge:
6. Students know:
  • Basic to advanced phonological and phonemic awareness skills.
6a.
  • Syllables in spoken words.
  • Polysyllabic words.
6b.
  • The features of rhyming words.
  • The features of non-rhyming words.
6c.
  • The features of alliterative words.
6d.
  • Phonemes in single-syllable spoken words.
  • Consonant blends.
6e.
  • Phonemes in single-syllable spoken words.
  • Phonemes in spoken words can be manipulated.
6f.
  • Long vowel sounds.
  • Short vowel sounds.
6g.
  • Vowel sounds.
  • Cognate consonant sounds.
  • The mouth position, voicing, and manner of articulation of speech sounds.
6h.
  • Sound substitution.
Skills:
6. Students are able to:
  • Demonstrate basic to advanced phonological and phonemic awareness skills in spoken words.
6a.
  • Count syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.
  • Blend syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.
  • Segment syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.
  • Delete syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.
6b.
  • Recognize groups of rhyming words.
  • Produce groups of rhyming words.
  • Distinguish groups of non-rhyming words from groups of rhyming words.
6c.
  • Produce alliterative words.
6d.
  • Blend phonemes in single-syllable spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, including words with consonant blends.
  • Segment phonemes in single-syllable spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, including words with consonant blends.
6e. Using spoken words made up of three to five phonemes,
  • Add phonemes at the beginning or end of a word and produce the resulting word, such as changing pan to pant.
  • Delete phonemes at the beginning or end of a word to produce the resulting word, such as changing flight to light.
  • Substitute phonemes at the beginning or end to produce the resulting word, such as changing cat to cap.
6f.
  • Identify long vowel sounds.
  • Identify short vowel sounds.
  • Distinguish between long and short vowel sounds in spoken words.
6g.
  • Using knowledge of mouth position, voiced and unvoiced sounds, and manner of articulation, distinguish between commonly-confused vowel sounds and cognate consonant sounds.
6h.
  • In words with five to six phonemes, identify sound substitutions, such as identifying the vowel sound changed in the word pair strips/straps.
Understanding:
6. Students understand that:
  • Being able to identify and manipulate the sounds in spoken words will help improve their reading, spelling, and writing abilities.
6a.
  • Being able to to identify and manipulate syllables in spoken words will help improve their reading, spelling, and writing abilities.
6b.
  • Words that rhyme have the same vowel and ending sound.
6c.
  • Alliterative words begin with the same sound.
6d.
  • Blending is the ability to hear the individual sounds in a spoken word, join the sounds together, and produce the word.
  • Segmenting is the ability to break words down into their individual sounds.
6e.
  • Adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes at the beginning or end of spoken words changes the resulting word.
6f.
  • One letter can make different sounds depending on its context.
  • When a letter makes the sound of its letter name, it is considered a long vowel.
  • When a letter makes a sound other than its name, it is considered a short vowel.
6g.
  • The knowledge of mouth position, voiced and unvoiced sounds, and manner of articulation is required for the proper pronunciation of words.
  • The ability to distinguish commonly-confused sounds will help them become better readers, spellers, and writers.
6h.
  • A word's meaning and pronunciation will be altered if one sound is changed.
Learning Objectives:

Students will push counters into Elkonin boxes as they segment phonemes in single-syllable words.

Students will isolate and identify the medial vowel sound as long or short.

Students will attain at least 80% mastery in segmenting, blending, isolating, and distinguishing the vowel sound.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
Before/Engage
Activity:

1. Remind students that sounds are put together to make words. Tell students that in today's activity they will be listening for the vowel sound in words. Remind students that vowels can make long sounds or short sounds. Use the Short and Long Vowel Flashcards or Anchor Chart with coding marks Saxon Phonics tool to review the sounds of short and long vowels. Model by pointing to each letter, producing the sound, and saying the word for the picture. Then have students touch or use a finger to trace each of the letters as they produce the short and long vowel sounds.

2. Show students the learning tool Basic 4 box Elkonin Boxes and explain that you will use a counter to stand for each sound in the word. Use pennies, chips, or other small counters during the segmentation activity.

3. Place four counters just above the line on the page. Model by saying a one-syllable word, such as hid. Push a counter into a box on the Basic 4 box Elkonin Boxes tool for each sound as you segment: /h/, /ĭ/, /d/.

4. Place your index finger on the dot under the boxes and slide your finger across the page in the direction of the arrow as you blend the word: hid. 

5. Ask students how many sounds are in the word (3). Point out that you pushed up three counters, one for each sound in the word. There are three sounds in the word hid: /h/, /ĭ/, /d/.


6. Touch the middle counter and say: What sound is here? /ĭ/. The vowel sound we hear in this word is /ĭ/. The sound /ĭ/ is short. Tell students to use the thumb and index finger on one hand to show that this sound is short by holding up the fingers a short distance apart.

7. Repeat the activity using a word with a long vowel sound, such as hide. Tell students to open their arms wide to show that /ī/ is a long vowel sound.

8. Provide each student in the group with a copy of the Basic 4 box Elkonin Boxes tool. Then give each student four counters and have them place the counters just above the line on the page.

9. Provide students with guided practice using the words below as you first segment and blend the word and then isolate and distinguish the medial vowel. Follow the same model as outlined above, this time with the students producing the sounds, pushing the counters, and sliding their fingers to blend along with you. After blending, have students hold up their fingers or their arms to show if the vowel sound is short or long.

  • fun (3 phonemes, short)

  • sat (3 phonemes, short)

  • cake (3 phonemes, long)

  • rice (3 phonemes, long)

  • hope (3 phonemes, long)

  • sip (3 phonemes, short)

  • meet (3 phonemes, long)

  • set (3 phonemes, short)

10. To culminate, give students one of the following words and observe their performance. Students should first segment and blend the word independently, then distinguish the medial vowel sound as long or short by holding up fingers or arms.

  • pat (3 phonemes, short)

  • same (3 phonemes, long)

  • beat (3 phonemes, long)

  • ripe (3 phonemes, long)

  • hop (3 phonemes, short)

  • lip (3 phonemes, short)

  • team (3 phonemes, long)

  • pet (3 phonemes, short)

  • boat (3 phonemes, long)

Use additional words as necessary to continue the independent practice.
Assessment Strategies:

Observe students' performance as they independently segment, blend, isolate, and distinguish phonemes. Mastery is achieved when students attain at least 80% accuracy in distinguishing long and short vowels.
Advanced Preparation:

Print a copy of the Short and Long Vowel Flashcards or Anchor Chart with coding marks Saxon Phonics for use in the introductory activity.

Print and laminate a teacher copy plus one copy for each student of the Basic 4 box Elkonin Boxes tool. Secure enough counters for each student to have four, plus four counters for teacher use.
Variation Tips (optional):

The tool Short and Long Vowel Chart can be printed and placed in a plastic sleeve for student reference in the classroom or additional copies can be placed in the students' notebooks/folders for reference as needed.
Notes or Recommendations (optional):

This lesson is best suited for small group instruction.
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: distinguish vowel sounds, long vowels, multisensory, phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, short vowels