Lesson Overview

Grade: 1st
Subject: English Language Arts (ELA)
Duration: 30 minutes
Class Size: 20 students

Lesson Focus

Develop phonological awareness and phonics skills through word building using the SMARTER Literacy Routines framework to boost decoding and spelling ability.

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Learning Objectives (CCSS Alignment)

I can...

• Recognize and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2)
• Blend sounds to read simple words. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2.A)
• Segment spoken words into individual phonemes to spell and write words. (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.2.C)

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Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate success by:

• Clapping out syllables and identifying individual sounds in words.
• Correctly blending sounds to read 3- and 4-letter CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
• Spelling simple words by segmenting sounds they hear.
• Participating actively in group and paired activities.

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Materials Needed

• PowerPoint slides prepared for each step
• Whiteboard and markers
• Elkonin boxes (sound boxes) handouts for each student
• Letter tiles or magnetic letters
• Dyslexia-friendly reading cards (with clear font, high contrast, and spacing)
• Visual supports (pictures for words to build)

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Lesson Plan Breakdown & PowerPoint Structure

Slide 1: Welcome and Objective

• Greet students and introduce today’s goal: "Today, we will play with sounds to build and read words!"
• Display: "I can blend and segment sounds to read and write words."
• Briefly explain how sounds build words (phonological awareness + phonics connection).

Teacher Tip: Use a calm, supportive tone to build engagement and confidence (Executive Functioning: Attention).

Slide 2: Warm-Up – Phonological Awareness Activity (5 minutes)

• Activity: Say a word (e.g., “cat”) and have students clap syllables and then count individual sounds (c/a/t).
• Modeling: Clap once per syllable, fingers snap per phoneme.
• Practice with 3-4 example words, moving from simple to slightly more complex.

Differentiation:

• Provide visual cues (pictures, sound boxes) for struggling learners.
• For advanced learners, include words with blends (e.g., "clip") or digraphs (e.g., "ship").

Slide 3: Sound to Passage Routine – Introduce Letter Tiles (5 minutes)

• Display letter tiles for sounds /c/, /a/, and /t/.
• Model blending: Line up tiles and sound out loud slowly, then speed up to say the word.
• Students repeat blending sounds to say the word.

Dyslexia Friendly: Use clear fonts and color-code vowels and consonants on tiles for visual support.

Slide 4: Write It! Segmenting Sounds (7 minutes)

• Show a picture of a simple CVC word (e.g., “dog”).
• Model segmenting the word into individual sounds using Elkonin boxes.
• Students segment words by placing letter tiles in boxes corresponding to each sound.
• Practice with 3 words; students write/spell with teacher support.

Differentiation:

• Peer pairing to support learners who need extra help.
• Extension: Advanced students write simple sentences using their words.

Slide 5: Executive Functioning 5-Step Routine (3 minutes)

• Guide students using the 5-Steps to self-regulate the activity:
  1. What is my goal? (To build and read words)
  2. How am I feeling? (Encourage naming emotions)
  3. Where is my attention? (Focus on the tiles and sounds)
  4. What are my steps? (Hear sounds, build word, say word, write word)
  5. How did I do? (Reflect on if they read/spelled correctly)

Slide 6: Fluency and Comprehension Game (5 minutes)

• Read aloud several built words, then use them in simple sentences. For example: "The cat is on the mat."
• Students echo read together (choral reading) – focusing on smooth, confident reading.
• Discuss meaning of sentences to connect comprehension.

Extension: Challenge students to create their own sentence with the word.

Slide 7: Wrap-up & Reflection (5 minutes)

• Recap learning: "I can blend sounds, segment words, and write simple words."
• Success check: Quick thumbs up/thumbs down for confidence with word building.
• Invite a few students to share their favorite word they built or spelled today.

Teacher notes: Celebrate all efforts. Recognize progress, not perfection.

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Differentiation Strategies

Learner Type	Strategy
Struggling readers	Use multisensory tools (tiles, tapping sounds), extra modeling, small groups
ELL students	Provide visuals, model clearly, allow use of first language support if appropriate
Advanced learners	Challenge with blends, digraphs, and simple sentences
Dyslexic learners	Use dyslexia-friendly materials (clear fonts, spacing, color-coded letters), extra processing time, oral directions

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Assessment

• Formative: Observe participation in activities, oral blending and segmenting, and individual word spelling attempts.
• Informal: Use exit questions and thumbs up/down for self-assessment.
• Feedback: Prompt and clear praise, specific to student performance (e.g., “Great job hearing all the sounds in ‘cat’!”).

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Teacher Reflection

• Did students engage and maintain attention?
• Which students needed more support or extension?
• Plan to revisit and reinforce blending and segmenting in the next lesson.

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PowerPoint Slide Layout (Summary)

Slide #	Title	Key Content	Visuals / Engagement
1	Welcome and Objective	I can statements and goal	Bright, welcoming graphics, goal statement
2	Warm-Up: Clapping Sounds	Phonological awareness activity	Hand-clapping visuals, example words
3	Blending Sounds with Tiles	Introduce letter tiles, blending	Images of tiles, letters highlighted
4	Writing With Elkonin Boxes	Segment sounds, spelling words	Picture clues, boxes with letters
5	Self-Regulation with 5 Steps	Executive function support	Icons representing each step, simple text
6	Fluency and Comprehension Game	Read sentences, echo reading	Simple sentence visuals, engaging backgrounds
7	Wrap-up and Reflection	Review and student sharing	Happy faces, thumbs up/down graphics

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This lesson plan is designed to integrate the SMARTER Literacy Routines framework mentioned in the provided resource and align precisely with 1st grade Common Core State Standards for phonics and phonological awareness. The use of multisensory tools, executive function scaffolds, and dyslexia-friendly materials supports diverse learners and encourages student independence in reading skill mastery.