Module 6: Short u- Language Arts 1 - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module, learners will focus on the short /u/ sound, learning to recognize the letter Uu and the sound it makes in words like cup and sun. They will practice blending sounds and syllables to build and read short /u/ words, developing strong decoding skills. Learners will explore key story elements by identifying the beginning, middle, and end of a story and organizing details in order. They will also learn about topic sentences and practice constructing them to start a paragraph. In addition, learners will define and identify verbs, choosing the correct verb to fit sentences. They will develop phonological awareness by counting syllables and modifying words by adding, deleting, or substituting syllables. Learners will also focus on proper sentence punctuation and will demonstrate fluency by independently reading a decodable book with short /u/ words. By the end of this module, learners will confidently read and write short /u/ words, understand story structure, and compose clear topic sentences.

Module Materials:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Material(s)
1	6.1 Short u	Spelling Notebook Handwriting Notebook Journal Notebook Words of the Week Notebook Sound Notebook scissors glue Book: Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music By: Margarita Engle (optional)
2	6.2 Short u	Spelling Notebook Handwriting Notebook Journal Notebook scissors glue modeling clay blue and red crayons or markers
3	6.3 Short u	Handwriting Notebook Spelling Notebook Journal Notebook sensory bag a red crayon sand
4	6.4 Short u	Handwriting Notebook Spelling Notebook Journal Notebook crayons or colored pencils (assorted colors)
5	6.5 Short u	Handwriting Notebook Spelling Notebook Journal Notebook

Module Objectives:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Objective(s)
1	6.1 Short u	Distinguish the initial phoneme in words with the /u/ sound. Identify the letter Uu and the short u phoneme. Differentiate between the beginning, middle, and end of a story. Define what a topic sentence is.
2	6.2 Short u	Construct a word by blending two syllables. Distinguish the middle phoneme in CVC words with the /u/ sound. Define and identify verbs.
3	6.3 Short u	Identify rhyming words with the short u sound. Recognize, decode, and read short u words. Organize parts of a story in order from beginning, middle, and end. Distinguish which verb best fits the sentence.
4	6.4 Short u	Identify the number of syllables in words. Modify words by adding a syllable. Organize details from a story by their occurrence in the beginning, middle, and end. Construct a topic sentence.
5	6.5 Short u	Modify words by deleting the final syllable. Modify words by substituting the initial syllable. Identify the correct ending punctuation for a sentence. Demonstrate the ability to independently read the decodable book with fluency.

Module Key Words:

Key Words	Words of the Week	Spelling Words	Vocabulary Words
phoneme: /u/ grapheme: u heart words context clues topic sentence CVC words grapheme: u vowel consonant verbs rhyming words syllables story structure	by know thank many look	fun sun hut bump rug tub trip mop hot wet	travel cave cozy thick mountain

Module Assignments:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Page #	Assignment Title
2	6.2 Short u	5	Build Words
3	6.3 Short u	10	Grammar
4	6.4 Short u	10	Reading

Learning Coach Notes:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Notes
1	6.1 Short u	Practice words that start with the short /u/ sound, like up and umbrella, and ask your learner to identify the sound. Help them find the letter Uu in books or around the house and say its sound. When reading, discuss the beginning, middle, and end of the story by asking simple questions or having your learner retell the parts. Explain that a topic sentence is the first sentence that tells what a paragraph is about, and practice creating one together.
2	6.2 Short u	Help learners build words by blending two syllables together. For example, say “sun” and “shine” separately, then blend them to say “sunshine.” Practice with simple two-syllable words to make it fun and clear. Practice distinguishing the middle sound in CVC words with the short /u/ sound. Say words like cup, bug, and sun slowly, emphasizing the middle /u/ sound, and ask your learner to identify it. Introduce verbs by explaining they are action words, like run, jump, or play. Read sentences together and ask your learner to find the action word. You can also act out verbs and have your learner guess which verb you are doing.
3	6.3 Short u	In this lesson, students will practice decoding short /u/ words. If your learner is struggling with decoding, write the individual graphemes on cards and practice each phoneme before blending. Once your learner is able to decode the words independently, practice reading the words in sentences. Repeated readings of decodable texts can provide great fluency practice. To reinforce knowledge of story structure, ask your learner to point out or recall details from the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
4	6.4 Short u	Have your learner practice reading their Words of the Week aloud. If they struggle to decode the Words of the Week, write each word on a notecard. Review each grapheme and the corresponding phoneme. Circle or put a heart around the parts you learner needs to know by heart of the word. Save the notecards to review throughout the week. Review older modules’ Words of the Week as well. Use the words often in speaking and writing. Point them out in stories read aloud or in written text. If your learner has mastered the Words of the Week, encourage them to think of words that have similar spellings or sounds. Investigate the similar sounding or spelled words to see if they have the same parts to learn by heart, like the words my and spy. Practice recalling story details after reading aloud. Have your learner organize the details by when they occurred in the story: the beginning, middle, or end. Read sentences with incorrect subject-verb agreement and ask your learner to orally correct the verb form.
5	6.5 Short u	To build phonics skills, a great activity to do with your learner is word building with short vowel CVC words. Word building is creating words one grapheme/phoneme at a time. Cut notecards in half or in thirds to create smaller cards. Then, write a letter on each card. Ask your learner to place certain letters or sounds in front of them to create a word. Then, modify the words and sounds to create new words. Ask your learner to read the words they build. Review Heart Words from this module and previous modules. Point these words out in text whenever they are present. Write the words on flashcards and have your learner practice decoding the words. Ask your learner to use the words in a sentence.

Guiding Questions
Suggested Books

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title	Question
6.1 Short u	What is a topic sentence?
6.2 Short u	What is a verb?
6.3 Short u	What are the parts of a story?
6.5 Short u	How do you delete the final syllable?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title	Video	Question

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

What is the main idea?
What are three things new you learned?
How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

#	Book	Author	Lexile Level
1	The Cut-ups	James Marshall	500L
2	Great Day for Up!	Dr. Seuss	230L
3	Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!	Candace Fleming	AD560L
4	One Duck Stuck: A Mucky Ducky Counting Book	Phyllis Root	210L
5	Uptown	Bryan Collier	AD620L
6	Little Grunt and the Big Egg	Tomie dePaola	520L

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

#	Outing
1	Take some time to have some fun in the sun this week to celebrate the short u sound. If you have a beach nearby, visit a beach or just go to a local park and do some fun outdoor activities.