Lesson Plan: Reading Phrases, Short Sentences, and Short Stories with Short Vowels (a, e, i, o, u)
Grade Level:
2nd Grade
Duration:
45-60 minutes
Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1. Identify and pronounce words with short vowels (a, e, i, o, u).
2. Read and understand simple phrases, short sentences, and short stories containing short vowel words.
3. Answer Who, What, and Where questions about the text to demonstrate comprehension.
Materials Needed:
Whiteboard and markers
Printed handouts with phrases, short sentences, and short stories
Flashcards with short vowel words and corresponding pictures (e.g., cat, bed, fish, dog, bug)
Chart paper or a large poster for Who, What, Where questions
Pencils and erasers
A short story book or printout (e.g., "Ben and the Big Dog")
Lesson Structure:
1. Warm-Up Activity (10 minutes)
Objective: Review short vowel sounds and practice pronunciation.
Introduce Short Vowels:
o Write the vowels on the board: a, e, i, o, u.
o Say the short sound of each vowel clearly (e.g., "a" in cat, "e" in pen, "i" in pig, "o" in dog, "u" in
bug) and have the students repeat after you.
Flashcard Game:
o Show flashcards of pictures corresponding to short vowel words. For example, cat (short "a"), pen
(short "e"), lid (short "i"), dog (short "o"), bug (short "u").
o Ask students to identify the short vowel sound in each word.
o You can make it a game where students raise their hands to answer or even give each student a
flashcard to hold up and say the word aloud.
Vowel Sound Sorting:
o Provide students with a set of words (e.g., bat, bed, pig, dog, bug).
o Ask them to sort the words into groups based on their vowel sounds (short a, e, i, o, u).
2. Reading Short Sentences with Short Vowel Words (15 minutes)
Objective: Practice reading short sentences that contain words with short vowels.
Model Reading Short Sentences:
o Write a few short sentences on the board:
"The cat is big."
"Ben had a red pen."
"The dog dug in the dirt."
"A bug ran in the mud."
o Read each sentence aloud to the class, emphasizing the short vowel words. Then, have the students
repeat the sentences after you, focusing on pronunciation.
Guided Reading:
o Have the students read the sentences aloud in small groups or pairs. As they read, ask them to identify
and underline words with short vowel sounds.
o Walk around and listen to the groups, providing support where needed.
Comprehension Check:
o After reading the sentences, ask some basic questions:
What is the cat doing? (Answer: The cat is big.)
What color is Ben's pen? (Answer: Red)
What did the dog do? (Answer: Dug in the dirt)
Where did the bug run? (Answer: In the mud)
3. Short Story Reading (15 minutes)
Objective: Read a short story with short vowel words and answer comprehension questions.
Introduction to the Short Story:
o Read a simple short story aloud to the class, such as "Ben and the Big Dog" or another short story
with words containing short vowels. The story could be something like:
Story Example: "Ben had a big dog. The dog ran fast. It dug in the dirt. Ben saw the dog and laughed. Ben
had a hat. He ran to the dog and put on his hat."
o Read the story aloud, making sure to pause and emphasize the short vowel words. Encourage students
to repeat parts of the story after you.
Comprehension Questions: After reading the story, ask students the following questions:
o Who is in the story? (Answer: Ben and the dog)
o What happens in the story? (Answer: The dog runs fast and digs. Ben laughs and puts on his hat.)
o Where does the story take place? (Answer: Outside, in the yard)
Class Discussion:
o Write the questions Who, What, and Where on the board.
o Discuss with the students how to answer these questions using complete sentences. Model answers
for them.
Student Practice:
o Have students answer the questions in pairs or small groups, and then share their answers with the
class.
4. Independent Practice: Answering Who, What, and Where Questions (10 minutes)
Objective: Students will answer Who, What, and Where questions based on a new short sentence or story.
Provide a New Short Story or Sentence:
o Give students a new short sentence or story that contains short vowels. For example:
o "The pig ran in the mud. It dug with its feet."
Answer the Questions:
o Ask students to work individually or in pairs to answer the Who, What, and Where questions based
on the new text.
Who is in the story? (Answer: The pig)
What happens in the story? (Answer: The pig runs and digs with its feet.)
Where does the story take place? (Answer: In the mud)
Sharing Answers:
o Invite students to share their answers aloud with the class.
5. Conclusion and Reflection (5-10 minutes)
Objective: To review key concepts and assess understanding.
Review:
o Quickly review the short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) by saying a few words aloud and asking students
to identify the vowel sound.
o Revisit the Who, What, and Where questions with the class, ensuring students understand how to
answer them based on a text.
Exit Ticket:
o Have each student write one short sentence using a short vowel word (e.g., "The dog is big.").
o Then, ask them to answer one question about their sentence (Who, What, or Where). For example:
Sentence: "The cat ran in the yard."
Question: Where did the cat run? (Answer: In the yard)
Assessment:
Formative Assessment:
o Monitor students' participation in the flashcard game, reading practice, and group activities. Ensure
that they can correctly identify and pronounce short vowel words.
o Observe students' answers to the Who, What, and Where questions to assess comprehension.
Summative Assessment:
o Evaluate the students' exit tickets to ensure they can use short vowel words in sentences and answer
questions about them.
