A Gnat Nags
Emergent Literacy
Rationale: This lesson will help children better identify the phoneme /n/, represented by the letter N with phonetic cue reading. With better recognition of the phoneme /n/, students will be able to recognize the letter N through meaningful representation (the nagging gnat). They will also practice finding /n/ words while applying the learned awareness of the phoneme in phonetic cue reading by distinguishing rhyming words from beginning letters.
Materials:
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Primary paper and pencil; chart with “The gnat nagged Nancy”
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Drawing paper and crayons or markers
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Nuts in my Nest (URL below)
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Assessment worksheets identifying words with /n/ (URL below)
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Word cards with NAP, NOT, NEED, NEST, NOSE, NINE.
Procedures:
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Say: Our written language is a secret code. The tricky part is learning what letters stand for- the mouth moves to the sounds we make as we say words. Watch how my mouth moves and try to spot what it does when I say /n/. We spell /n/ with the letter N which sounds like a g-n-at n-a-gg-ing.
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Let’s all pretend to sound like a gnat that is nagging. /n/, /n/, /n/. (distinctively and dramatically say the phoneme). When we say the letter N (/n/), we move the tongue from the roof of our mouths to the bottom.
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How can we use this letter? I will show you an example. I am going to say a word slowly and we will try to find the letter. Let’s use the word note. Nnn-o-t-e. Slower. Nnn-oo-tt-ee. When I say the letter n in note, I can feel my tongue moving from the roof of my mouth going to the bottom of my mouth.
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Say: A tongue tickler tale. “One day, a young girl named Nancy was taking a nap. She was having a nice nap, and then a gnat suddenly began to nag her. The gnat was nagging her so much, that Nancy woke up from her nap. Nancy was not happy that the gnat was nagging her because she was enjoying her nap. She told the gnat that he should go and nag another person.”
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Now, let’s try a tongue tickler to use the letter N in a sentence. “The gnat nagged Nancy”. Let’s all say it together three times. Let’s stretch out the /n/ in the tongue twister. “The gnnnat nnnagged nnnannncy”. Now, let’s try the same tongue twister but let’s break the letter off of the word. “The g/n/at /n/agged /n/ancy”.
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(Have students take out the primary paper and pencil). We use the letter N to spell /n/. N sounds like a nagging gnat buzzing all around. The gnat goes up to the rooftop, then goes back down to the sidewalk, and then back up to the rooftop, buzzing all around. Just like the gnat, the letter N goes from the sidewalk, up to the rooftop, then back down to the sidewalk, then back up. To write the lower case n, the gnat starts at the sidewalk, goes up to the fence, then on its way back down, stops just below the fence and curves downwards toward the sidewalk again. I am going to walk around the room so I can see how everyone’s gnats are flying around! After I put a smile on it, I want you to make nnn-ine (emphasize the n) more like it!
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Ask students to raise their hands when they hear /n/ in the following words. Do you hear /n/ in nap or fight? In box or nickel? In night or box? In nail or cake? Let’s look if you can spot the mouth move /n/ in these words! Make the sound a gnnnnat would make nnnagging at someone if you hear /n/: “There is no need to nap with a night light”.
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Say: Let’s look at the book “Nuts in my Nest”. Nuts in my Nest is about a Nightingale who is confused why there is so many nuts in his nest! Read page 3, and draw out /n/ on all of the words that include the letter N. Ask the children if they can think of any words with /n/ that may not be in the book. Let the children get creative here! Have the children come up with a word that includes /n/ and let them come up with an object, dance, song, creature, of their choice. Have them present it to the class!
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Show the word NEED. Model how to decide if it is NEED or BLEED. The N tells us that we need to nag like a gnat. The word is nnn-ee-d, need. Let’s all try some: NAP: nap or cap? NOT: lot or not? NOSE: chose or nose? NINE: nine or fine? NEST: rest or nest?
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For assessment, pass out the worksheet attached. Students should color the pictures that begin with the letter N. Call on students individually to read the phonetic cue words from step above. Collect the worksheet and take it for a grade.
Worksheet:
https://www.kidzone.ws/prek_wrksht/learning-letters/n.htm
Book:
https://www.readinga-z.com/book.php?id=431
Lesson Reference:
Bailey Burns, Hissing Like a Snake with the Letter “S” https://sites.google.com/site/lessondesignsbaileyburns/el-design
Images:
Google Images