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Lift-Off for Early Literacy Directed Reading Opportunities for Struggling Students

About the Authors

Susan Lloyd Lattimore, Ed.M., M.S. has worked with Baltimore City Public School children since 1975 as a special educator, reading specialist, and early literacy teacher leader. Her concern for the plight of struggling readers led her to launch Project Early ID, a response to intervention pilot program that became the basis for this book. From 2005 to 2010, she served as Director of the project, which identifies and addresses early indicators of reading difficulties.

Inspired by her older brother, who has intellectual challenges, Ms. Lattimore has spent much of her life learning about and implementing best practices in special education and reading resource programs. She holds a master’s degree in special education from Temple University and Certificates in Educational Technology and Outdoor Education from the University of Maryland. In 2001, Ms. Lattimore was honored as a Porter Scholar by the American Federation of Teachers, which led to a master of science degree with a concentration in reading from Johns Hopkins University.

Charlene Iannone-Campbell, M.A., C.A.S.E., NBCT is Director of Early Learning for Baltimore City Public Schools. She is dedicated to urban education and is passionate about providing excellent preschool resources to Baltimore’s youngest learners and their families. She has served as a classroom teacher, special educator, department head, reading specialist, and mentor-teacher.

Both authors have collaborated to research, develop, and disseminate early literacy best practices, and they have presented their strategies and results at professional conferences.

Rhyme Awareness

Overview

Goal and Emphasis of the Rhyme Awareness Lessons
The goal of Activity Sets 1.1–1.3 is to saturate your students in rhyming songs, fingerplays, movement, and rhyming books. The “Rhyming Exercise Song,” a short snappy song and large muscle exercise, has become a mainstay of our rhyming instruction and is emphasized in all Activity Sets. Always exaggerate and emphasize the rhyming words—make them as clear as possible for the students to hear.

Student Objectives

• Know how to listen carefully to the sounds of rhyming words and develop an awareness of rhyme by repeating rhyming fingerplays and songs.
• Accurately predict the rhyming word in an interactive rhyming book.

Teacher Objectives

• Emphasize the sounds of words that rhyme so students can clearly hear that the endings of rhyming words are the same.
• Ensure that students feel comfortable and safe to take risks, learn, and grow.

Activity Sets

ACTIVITY SET 1.1 - Sound Chips

Materials Needed

• Book: Hop on Pop (LeSieg, 1963)
• Tokens for behavior/participation

LESSON 1: Sound Chips

OBJECTIVES

Student will

• Identify everyday sounds.
• Develop an awareness of rhyme by repeating rhyming fingerplays and songs.

TASK 1: Transition Fingerplay
Model the fingerplay with exaggerated movements to engage students.

LESSON 2: Mary Had a Little Lamb

OBJECTIVES

Student will

• Know how to listen to the sounds of rhyming words.

TASK 1: Transition Fingerplay
Introduce the nursery rhyme and guide students through engaging in the content.

LESSON 3: Hop on Pop

OBJECTIVES

Student will

• Accurately predict the rhyming word in the story through engagement with the text.

LESSON 4: Rhyme Awareness Review

OBJECTIVES

Student will

• Reinforce their understanding of rhymes and significantly engage with interactive rhyming books to enhance their learning experience.

General Tips for Implementing Activity Sets

• Incorporate the “Rhyming Exercise Song” into every part of your day.
• Encourage students to anticipate and predict the rhyming words as you read aloud.

Assessment Outcome: The student is aware that two familiar words rhyme and can identify additional rhyming words accurately.