I Spy

Onset and Rime Awareness Procedure 1. Optional: Read Each Peach Pear Plum, a book in which well-known story and nursery rhyme characters are hidden in the pictures on each page . 2. Tell children you are going to play “I Spy .” They will be detectives and use clues to figure out what you spy . Provide each child with one or two cardboard tubes (such as empty paper towel rolls, shortened by cutting in half) or rolled paper to serve as spyglasses or binoculars . 3. Think of an object with a single-syllable name, either indoors or outdoors, that is within children’s line of vision . (See suggestions on the next page .) Tell children, “I spy with my little eye something that sounds like this: _____ .” Finish the statement by providing the name of the object segmented into its onset and rime . Have children blend the units together to figure out what you spy . For example, you might say, “/r/—/ŭg/ .” Children should then respond, “Rug!” Provide feedback, explaining why a response is correct . Differentiate or Extend ▲ Extend this activity by only providing the onset . If the word is shoe, say “I spy something that starts like this: /sh/ .” Or make the rime the clue . If the word is doll, say, “I spy something that ends like this: /ôl/ . ” ▲ After children have demonstrated success with blending, ask them to provide the segmented clue . Support them as needed, perhaps even whispering the clue for them to share with their peers . I Spy Objective Students will blend onsets and rimes into words and segment words into onsets and rimes . Overview The teacher spies an object in the room or outdoors and does not tell children what it is . Instead, the teacher provides a clue by segmenting the name of the object into onset and rime units . Children identify the object by blending the segmented units . Materials cardboard spyglasses made from empty toilet paper rolls or rolled paper; Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg (2004) (optional) School-Home Connection Encourage children to play “I Spy” at home with their families . Send home the spyglasses . sample sample 124

Onset and Rime Awareness

Sample Objects

Onset-Rime Units Blended Word

/b/—/ook/ /d/—/ĕsk/ /fl/—/ăg/ /g/—/ām/ /h/—/ook/ /m/—/ăp/ /p/—/ĕn/ /s/—/ănd/ /sl/—/īd/ /bl/—/ŏks/

book desk flag game hook map pen sand slide blocks

Additional words are provided in Lists E–J of the Word List section of the Appendix. I Spy (cont.) sample