Camp Counselor Lesson Plan
Tier 2/3 Intervention
Camp Counselor Lesson Plan
Focus: Short Vowel CVC Word Segmenting & Blending (1st Grade)
CVC Camp
Total Duration 20 Minutes
Group Size 3-5 Students
Materials Needed Slide Deck, Task Cards, Reader Kit
Learning Goal Students will isolate & blend CVC sounds.
Lesson Routine & Scripted Flow
1. Camp Fire Warm-Up: Phoneme Isolation
3 Min
Isolate beginning, medial, and final sounds in spoken CVC words.
Script: "Campers, listen closely. The word is cat. /k/ /a/ /t/. What is the middle sound in cat?" (Wait for /a/). "Excellent! Let's do another..."
Target Words: map, hen, dig, rot, tub, pin
2. Trail Blending: Explicit Slide Deck Work
5 Min
Use the Interactive Slide Deck. Group scans visual markers to map sounds to letters.
Script: "Look at the slide. Sound by sound, touch the trees as we say them: /b/ - /u/ - /g/. Now sweep your arm underneath! What is the word? Bug! Great work!"
Strategy: Tap each finger for individual sounds, then make a fist and sweep.
3. Map & Match: Pocket Blenders Task Cards
5 Min
Physical card practice. Students place markers on sound dots, then blend.
Script: "Take your first card. Tap each circle with your pointer finger and make the sounds. /m/ ... /a/ ... /p/. Now, push your chips/markers up into the squares as we say them again. Map!"
4. Campfire Tales: Decodable Reader Passage
5 Min
Apply skills to connected text. Whisper read while teacher listens/records.
Script: "It's time for our campfire tale! Put your finder under the first word of the passage. Point and whisper read. I will tap your card when it's your turn to read aloud to me."
CRITICAL INTERVENTION RULE: Avoid Blending Slur
Ensure students are keeping vowels short and consonants clean. When blending, stop them from saying "cuuuuh-aaaaah-teeee" which distorts letters. Teach continuous vocalization of continuous sounds (e.g., mmmmaaaap) and rapid execution of stop sounds (e.g., c-a-t).
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Scaffolding & Responsive Feedback
How to intervene immediately when a camper makes an error.
Scaffold Matrix
| If student struggles to... | Immediate Teacher Scaffold | Example Intervention Routine |
|---|
| Identify a letter sound | Provide a key-word picture card. Trace the letter on the desk with two fingers. | "This is 'm'. Think of the yummy camp food! /m/ like marshmallows. Say /m/ while tracing it on the table." |
| Blend the sounds together | Model "continuous blending" where you do not stop speaking between sounds. | "Watch my finger stretch the sound: 'sssuuuunnn'. Now say it fast. Sun!" |
| Segment into individual sounds | Use visual dots or colored chips. Tap one chip for each sound to isolate them physically. | "Let's count the sounds in 'huff'. Watch: /h/ (tap chip), /u/ (tap chip), /f/ (tap chip). How many camp blocks is that?" |
Intervention Camp Word Bank
Short a
cat
map
sad
bag
tap
Short e
hen
net
leg
bed
wet
Short i
pig
dig
fin
lip
wig
Short o
rot
pot
mop
log
fox
Short u
bug
sun
tub
mug
run
Small Group Session Tracker
Camper Name
Letter Sound Fluency
Continuous Blending
Passage Accuracy
1. __________________
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
___% Acc. | ______ wpm
2. __________________
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
___% Acc. | ______ wpm
3. __________________
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
___% Acc. | ______ wpm
4. __________________
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
[ ] Emerging [ ] Mastered
___% Acc. | ______ wpm
Retention Tip: After finishing, have each student physically build one word they struggled with using sound-block manipulatives. Physical touch solidifies phoneme-grapheme mapping instantly!
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CVC Camp Slides
Tier 2/3 Intervention
1st Grade Literacy
Welcome to CVC Camp!
Let's hike the word trails, light the sound campfires, and read together!
Grab your pointer fingers and sound blocks! Slide 1 of 8
Campfire Warm-Up
Say the Sounds!
m /m/
a Short /a/
t /t/
p /p/
b /b/
u Short /u/
g /g/
n /n/
Point to each letter and make its sound. Keep vowels loud! Slide 2 of 8
Word Trail: 1
Tap the Trees & Blend!
c
/k/
a
/a/
t
/t/
Slide & Blend: cat
1. Say individual sounds | 2. Sweep finger left-to-right | 3. Say whole word! Slide 3 of 8
Word Trail: 2
Tap the Trees & Blend!
b
/b/
u
/u/
g
/g/
Slide & Blend: bug
1. Say individual sounds | 2. Sweep finger left-to-right | 3. Say whole word! Slide 4 of 8
Word Trail: 3
Tap the Trees & Blend!
f
/f/
i
/i/
n
/n/
Slide & Blend: fin
1. Say individual sounds | 2. Sweep finger left-to-right | 3. Say whole word! Slide 5 of 8
Sound Swap Showdown!
What's the New Word?
Start Word
c a t
"cat"
Swap c for m
New Word
m a t
"mat!"
How does changing the first sound make a completely new word? Let's trace it! Slide 6 of 8
Sound Swap Showdown!
What's the New Word?
Start Word
m a t
"mat"
Swap t for p
New Word
m a p
"map!"
Now we changed the ending sound! Say /m/ - /a/ - /p/. Map! Slide 7 of 8
The Sound Campfire
Our Word Achievements
Can you read these without stopping?
cat
bug
fin
mat
map
Awesome work, Campers! You hit the trails!
Campfire Tales Decodables
Campfire Tales
Name:
Date:
Camper Reading Goal: Read the story 3 times. Color a badge after each read!
1st Read
2nd Read
3rd Read
Kip and the Big Bug
Short vowels: i, u, a, o | High-frequency words: see, the, on, has, is, he
Kip is a big kid. Kip has a red bag. Kip can run on the trail.
Kip can see a bug. The bug is big! The big bug sits on a red cot.
"Shoo, bug!" says Kip. The big bug did hop! It did hop in a tin pot.
Now the big bug is sad. Kip can tip the pot. Go, bug, go!
Word Detective: Highlight & Color
Find three CVC words in the story that match the vowel sounds below. Write them on the lines.
Short Vowel /i/
Short Vowel /u/
Short Vowel /o/
Campfire Challenge: What did the bug do when Kip said "Shoo"?
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Campfire Discussion Cards
Cut along the dotted lines for portable literacy discussion cards.
Phonics Check
Sound isolation in "Kip"
Let's look at the first character: Kip.
- What is the first sound you hear in Kip?
- What is the middle vowel sound?
- Change the /p/ sound in Kip to /d/. What is the new camp word?
Counselor Prompt: Guide students to tap their arm or fingers for each phoneme.
Comprehension
Story Sequence Check
Where does the bug go throughout our short campfire story?
- Where is the bug when Kip first sees him?
- Where does the bug hop next?
- How does the story end for the bug?
Counselor Prompt: Have students turn back to the text to point to the answers.
Vocabulary
Camp Tools & Words
Our story contains items you might find in a backpack or tent.
- What is a cot? How do we use it at camp?
- What does it mean to tip a pot? Can you act out "tipping"?
- What is a tin pot? Why do campers use tin pots?
Counselor Prompt: Use visual objects in the classroom if available to explain "cot" or "tin".
Connect
Personal Camp Experience
Let's connect Kip's campfire tale to our own experiences!
Pocket Blenders Task Cards
Pocket Blenders Task Cards (Part 1)
Tap, Map & Write
Directions: Cut out cards. Student says the word, taps the sound dots, pushes chips into the Elkonin boxes, and writes each sound in the boxes.
Card 1: Short /a/
Read & Say map
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 2: Short /e/
Read & Say hen
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 3: Short /i/
Read & Say dig
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 4: Short /o/
Read & Say rot
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
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Pocket Blenders Task Cards (Part 2)
Tap, Map & Write
Directions: Cut out cards. Student says the word, taps the sound dots, pushes chips into the Elkonin boxes, and writes each sound in the boxes.
Card 5: Short /u/
Read & Say bug
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 6: Short /i/
Read & Say fin
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 7: Short /e/
Read & Say wet
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
Card 8: Short /o/
Read & Say log
Map with Chips
Tap the Sounds
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