The Cat Can Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
UFLI Lesson 14 Adaptation
The Cat Can: C /k/ & Glued Sounds -an, -am
The End Goal (Backwards Plan)
Student Objective
Students will be able to decode and encode words containing the letter C /k/ and nasalized vowels -an and -am in isolation and within the context of the story "The Cat Can".
Evidence of Learning
Accurate blending of can, Cam, cat, cot, mat, nap .
Successful dictation of the sentence: "Cam can nap on the mat."
Fluent reading of the lesson text with 95%+ accuracy.
Instructional Script & Steps
1
Visual Drill & Phonemic Awareness
"We are going to look at our letters and say their sounds. Then, we'll listen for the nasal sounds in words."
Review: a /ă/, m /m/, n /n/, t /t/, p /p/, f /f/.Phonemic Awareness: Listen to fan, ham, can . Does the /ă/ sound normal or "whiny"? (Explain that /n/ and /m/ make /ă/ sound nasalized).
2
New Concept: Letter C /k/
"Our new letter is C. C says /k/ like in cat. To make this sound, the back of your tongue touches the roof of your mouth."
Sky Writing: Practice the letter C in the air (start at 2 o'clock, curve up and around).Keyword: Cat /k/.
3
Word Work & Blending
"Let's blend some words with our new sound and our 'glued' sounds -an and -am."
c - a - n
C - a - m
c - a - t
c - o - t
j - a - m
h - a - m
4
Connected Text: "The Cat Can"
"Now we will read about Cam and a cat. Look for words that start with C and words that have -an."
Echo Read: Teacher reads a line, students repeat.Choral Read: Read together at a steady pace.Comprehension: Where does the cat nap? Where does Cam nap? Why couldn't Cam fit on the cot?
Common Misconceptions & Tips
Nasalization: Students might struggle to hear the difference between /ă/ and /a/ in -an/-am. Use the "nose-pinch" trick: Have students say /ă/ while pinching their nose (it sounds clear), then try saying "an" (it vibrates/sounds blocked).
Letter C vs K: Explain that C usually says /k/ before a, o, and u. In this lesson, we focus on C before a and o (cat, cot, can).
Scaffolding (Support)
Use Elkonin boxes for mapping "can" and "ham".
Highlight the -an and -am chunks in the text before reading.
Provide a tactile surface (sandpaper, carpet) for C handwriting.
Extension (Challenge)
Have students generate more -an and -am words (tan, fan, pan, ram).
Write a new sentence using "Cam" and "cat".
Introduce the heart word "the" in a sentence.
The Cat Can Reader Worksheet The Cat Can
Phonics: C /k/ and Glued Sounds -an, -am
NAME:
DATE:
1 Trace and Write the Letter C
C c /k/ as in cat
C C c c
2 Map the Whiny Sounds
Listen for the nasal sounds in these words. Draw a dot for each sound!
c a n
C a m
3 Read and Illustrate
Illustrate the story here:
Can Cam fit on the cot?
Cam can not fit on the cot.
Can the cat fit on the cot?
The cat can fit on the cot.
The cat can nap on the cot.
Cam can not nap on the cot.
Cam can nap on the mat.
I can read this!
I know the /k/ sound!
The Cat Can Slides The Cat Can
UFLI Lesson 14: C /k/ & Glued Sounds
C /k/ -an -am
Visual Drill: Say the Sound!
a
m
n
t
p
f
New Sound!
Cc
/k/
Keyword
Cat
Articulator Check:
Open your mouth slightly. The back of your tongue kicks up to touch the roof of your mouth.
Whiny (Nasal) Sounds
-an
as in can
-am
as in Cam
"The /a/ sound gets whiny because of the /n/ and /m/!"
Blending Board
c-a-n
c-a-t
C-a-m
c-o-t
Read with Me
Part 1
Can Cam fit on the cot?
Cam can not fit on the cot.
Can the cat fit on the cot?
Read with Me
Part 2
The cat can fit on the cot.
The cat can nap on the cot.
Cam can not nap on the cot.
Cam can nap on the mat.
Dictation Time!
Listen carefully and write...
Cam can nap on the mat.
The Cat Can Answer Key Answer Key
The Cat Can Phonics Worksheet
Teacher Resource
UFLI Lesson 14
1
Trace and Write the Letter C
Verify that students start at the 2 o'clock position, curve up to the top line, and curve around to the bottom line. Letter 'c' should remain between the midline and baseline.
Correct formation
Sitting on the baseline
2
Map the Whiny Sounds
c - a - n
/k/
/ă/
/n/
Students should recognize that /ă/ and /n/ are "glued" or "nasalized" (the whiny part).
C - a - m
/k/
/ă/
/m/
Cam is capitalized because it is a proper name.
3
Read and Illustrate
Illustration Success Criteria:
Draws a cat on a cot (since the cat can fit).
Draws Cam on a mat (since he can't fit on the cot).
Shows the cat napping .
Note: At this stage (Lesson 14), focus more on decoding accuracy than complex illustration details. Ensure they understand the setting (cot/mat) and characters (Cam/cat).
The Cat Can Assessment Document Phonics Checkup
Lesson 14: C /k/ & Glued Sounds
NAME:
DATE:
1
Word Reading
can
cat
Cam
cot
nap
mat
fan
jam
2
Dictation
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Write the sentence:
3
Think and Circle
Who can fit on the cot?
Cam
The Cat
Where can Cam nap?
on the mat
on the cot
Word Reading
____ / 8
Dictation
____ / 4
Comprehension
____ / 2
Total Accuracy
______%
The Cat Can Assessment Key Scoring Guide
Lesson 14 Phonics Assessment
Teacher Guide
UFLI Lesson 14
1
Word Reading (8 Points)
Have the student read the words horizontally. Mark a check for correct, 'SC' for self-correct, or write the error.
can /k/ /ă/ /n/ ____
cat /k/ /ă/ /t/ ____
Cam /k/ /ă/ /m/ ____
cot /k/ /ŏ/ /t/ ____
nap /n/ /ă/ /p/ ____
mat /m/ /ă/ /t/ ____
fan /f/ /ă/ /n/ ____
jam /j/ /ă/ /m/ ____
2
Dictation Script & Scoring
Part A: Words
Say: "Write the word..." (Wait for student to write)
cat (Check for C /k/)
can (Check for -an)
ham (Check for -am)
Part B: Sentence
Read the whole sentence. Read it again word by word. Have the student repeat it before writing.
"Cam can nap on the mat."
Capital 'C' in Cam
-an in can
-at in mat
Punctuation at end
3
Comprehension Answers
1. Who can fit on the cot? The Cat
2. Where can Cam nap? on the mat
The Cat Can Visual Slides Plus The Cat Can
UFLI Lesson 14
Sound Review
Say the sound!
a
m
n
t
p
f
C
/k/
Keyword
CAT
Cup
Car
Cake
Can
Word Match!
Point to the C words!
Jam
Cat
Fan
Car
Cake
Mat
Cup
Ham
Whiny Sounds
Nose Power!
-an
can
fan
pan
van
-am
jam
ham
Cam
ram
Picture
Story
Part 1
Can Cam fit on the cot ?
Cam can not fit on the cot.
Can the cat fit on the cot?
Big
Finish!
End
The cat can fit on the cot.
The cat can nap on the cot.
Cam can nap on the mat .
Write it!
Pencils Ready
Cam can nap on the mat.
