Word Detectives Slides
🕵️♂️ CASE FILE: RLA LESSON 1 TEKS 2.2.A.i & 2.2.B.i
Word Detectives
Warm-Up Mission: Crack the Rhyme! Change the first sound of pie.
🎯 l + ie = lie 🎯 m + ie = my 🔎 sh + y = shy 🔎 cr + y = cry
🕵️♀️ Rhyme Challenge #2
How many rhyming words can you hunt down for the secret word:
bake
(Hint: Change the /b/ sound but keep the /ake/!)
TEACHER PATH
Say: "What is the first sound in 'pie'? What is the ending sound? Close your eyes and say /p/ /ie/." Lead students to make new rhymes using consonants, blends, or digraphs. Repeat for bake.
🕵️♂️ CODE FILE: VOWELS Individual Code Chart
Vowel Sound (Green)
/a/ as in hat
Spelled with the letter ‘a’.
SPELLING POWER BAR (Commonality):
Very long power bar! This is the most common spelling!
Vowel Sound (Green)
/i/ as in it
Spelled with the letter ‘i’.
SPELLING POWER BAR (Commonality):
Very long power bar! This is the primary spelling!
EMERGENT BILINGUAL PATH
Vowels are green because we open our mouth and let air "go". EB Tip: Put hands under chins. For /i/, open a little. For /a/, open wider. Trace 'a' and 'i' on Code Chart page 7 using a green marker!
🕵️♂️ CODE FILE: CONSONANTS Unvoiced vs. Voiced Pairs
The Lip Poppers Red on spelling cards
/p/ - Unvoiced (pot)
No throat buzz! Pure air.
/b/ - Voiced (bat)
Your throat vibrates!
The Tongue Tappers Blocked Air
/t/ - Unvoiced (top)
Quiet tap behind teeth!
/d/ - Voiced (dot)
Voice box is turned on!
EB BUZZ TEST
Put hands on throats. Whisper /p/ (quiet) then say /b/. Do they feel the throat vibration? That's voicing! Trace 'p', 'b', 't', and 'd' in red marker on Code Chart page 1.
🧩 ACTIVE MISSION: THE CHAINING BOARD TEKS 2.2.A.iii
Chaining Detective Strategy
✍️
Writing Steps: Segment the sounds: /a/... /t/ (two sounds). Write 'a' first, then 't'.
🗣️
Reading Steps: Start at the left. Sound out each letter. Blend them together: /a/ + /t/ = at!
🔥 Chain Challenge #1
at ➡️ ad ➡️ dad ➡️ pad ➡️ tad
🔥 Chain Challenge #2
it ➡️ bit ➡️ pit ➡️ pat ➡️ bat
TEACHER PATH
Write at. Erase 't' and write 'd'. Ask: "If this is at, what is this?" Encourage rapid choral responses as you build out the chains.
📝 FORMATIVE EVALUATION Dictation Journal
Prepare Your Journals! 🔍
Your teacher is going to dictate three mystery words. Refer to your Individual Code Charts to spell them correctly!
Self-Correction Rule: It is normal to make mistakes! If you make a mistake, simply cross it out with a clean line and write the correct spelling right next to it.
🔒 Mission Words (To Reveal)
bat
pad
tap
Remember to trace paths on your Code Charts if you get stuck!
DICTATION PROCEDURE
Read first word: bat. Use in sentence: "He held the baseball bat." Read word once more. Repeat for pad and tap. Reveal answers and model self-correction!
📖 READ-ALOUD MISSION TEKS 2.6.B & 2.4
Kate Visits Doba
We are going to read a story about a Navajo girl named Kate visiting her Doba (grandmother).
The Navajo are a Native American tribe originally from the Southwestern United States.
cabin (Noun) A small house, built in a simple or rough way.
offer (Noun) An idea or item that you present to be accepted or refused.
💡 Detective Clue Hunter
Can you use context clues to define dull in paragraph 2?
"The cabin had no TV. Kate thought it would be dull."
Antonym Hint: The opposite of dull is fun! "If fun is the opposite of dull, then dull means boring."
TEACHER PATH
Ask students what they call their grandmothers. List names on board, then add Doba. Preview vocabulary words (cabin, offer) and target the dull context clue challenge.
🗣️ INTERACTIVE READING ROUTINE Head Tap & Point Mechanic
How We Read:
💆♂️
Teacher Taps Head Teacher reads aloud. Students follow along silently.
👉
Teacher Points to Class Students choral read with fluent expression!
📂 PRACTICE PASSAGE
[💆♂️ Teacher Reads]: "Kate ran to greet her grandmother."
[👉 Class Reads]: "She gave Doba a big hug! The cabin was built next to a tall red cliff."
[💆♂️ Teacher Reads]: "Doba made an offer to hike to the canyon."
TEACHER PATH
Model the tap/point mechanic first. Conduct the interactive reading of "Kate Visits Doba" with appropriate speed and accuracy. Ensure student voices group words together smoothly.
🏆 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED CASE EVALUATION
Case Solved, Word Detectives!
You analyzed the code, completed the chains, solved the dictated codes, and navigated Doba's cabin.
Main Character Diagnostic:
Hold up the finger count matching the main character in today's story!
1️⃣ Doba 2️⃣ Kate ⭐ 3️⃣ The cabin
Activity Page 1.2 Checkout
- 1 Complete the Story Questions on Activity Page 1.2.
- 2 Check your dictation spellings (bat, pad, tap).
- 3 Share your Navajo vocabulary word with a partner!
ASSESSMENT CHECK
Collect Activity Page 1.2 (literal comprehension check). Record data in the Observation Dictation Journal for students who failed to spell basic sounds correctly on the first trial.
Word Detectives Teacher Guide
CASE FILE: FOUNDATIONAL-1
Word Detectives Guide
Back-to-School: Lesson 1 Code Review
Standards TEKS 2.2.A/B/C
Focus Sounds /a/, /i/, /p/, /b/, /t/, /d/
Oral Activity Rhyme Production
EB Strategy ELPS 1.B (Mouth-Feel)
Phase 1: Rhyme Production Routine
• Target Word 'Pie': Ask students to isolate the first and ending sounds of pie (/p/ /ie/). Have students close eyes and repeat.
• Rhyme Instruction: Tell students that to find rhyming words, they change the first sound but keep the ending sound (e.g., lie, my). Encourage blends & digraphs (e.g., shy, fry, try, dry).
• Challenge Word 'Bake': Repeat this exact procedure with the word bake. Have students use the classroom alphabet wall as a reference.
Phase 2: Flip Book & Spelling Card Review
🟢 Green Vowels (/a/ and /i/)
• Mouth Mechanics: Explain that vowel sounds are written in green because we open our mouth, letting the air "go".
• Power Bar Code: Point out the bar below spelling cards. A long bar indicates a very common spelling.
• Student Action: Open Code Chart page 7. Use a green marker to trace the rectangular card outlines and letters 'a' and 'i'.
🔴 Red Consonants (/p/, /b/, /t/, /d/)
• Mouth Mechanics: Consonants are red because parts of our mouth touch or close, blocking or "stopping" the air.
• The Buzz Test: Place hands on throats. Whispering /p/ vs. /b/ and /t/ vs. /d/ reveals unvoiced vs. voiced vibrates.
• Student Action: Open Code Chart page 1. Use a red marker to trace the outline cards and letters 'p', 'b', 't', and 'd'.
Phase 3: Teacher Chaining Script (10 Min)
TARGET CHAINS TEKS 2.2.A.iii
1. at ➔ ad ➔ dad ➔ pad ➔ tad ➔ bad ➔ bat
2. it ➔ bit ➔ pit ➔ pat ➔ bat ➔ bad
Think Aloud Writing: "I want to write 'at'. I hear two sounds: /a/... /t/. I first write 'a' because it's first, then I write 't' because it's next."
Think Aloud Reading: Start at the left, look at the first letter, say its sound. Move to next, say its sound. Blend: /a/... /t/ = at.
Active Phoneme Change: Erase 't', write 'd'. Ask: "If this is at, what is this?" (Choral response: "ad!").
TEXAS BLUEBONNET CORES: LESSON 1 FOUNDATIONAL PAGE 1 OF 2
Word Detectives Activity Sheet
OFFICIAL EVIDENCE PAGE
Word Detective Agency
RLA Case File Activity 1.2
RANK: JUNIOR AGENT
AGENT NAME: ___________________________
DATE: __________________
A Rhyme Hunt: The Code Changes!
Change the first sound of the secret words below to make new rhyming code words. You can use your classroom alphabet wall for ideas!
BASE WORD: p + ie = pie
-
____ + ie = _________________
-
____ + ie = _________________
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____ + ie = _________________
BASE WORD: b + ake = bake
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____ + ake = ________________
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____ + ake = ________________
-
____ + ake = ________________
B Observation Dictation Journal
Listen to the words your teacher says. Spell them carefully inside the evidence logs.
Clue Word #1
Clue Word #2
Clue Word #3
💡 Detective Self-Correction: When your teacher reveals the correct spelling, look closely at your logs. If you made an error, draw a line through it like this and write the correct spelling next to it!
TEXAS BLUEBONNET RLA JUNIOR CODES PAGE 1 OF 2
CASE ANALYSIS REPORT
Kate Visits Doba Case File
Evaluating details read to determine key ideas • TEKS 2.6.G & 2.6.A
C Story Clue Checkpoints
1. Who is the main character in the story "Kate Visits Doba"?
A) Doba
B) Kate
C) The cabin
2. Where do the Navajo people live today?
A) Only in cabins
B) In red cliffs
C) All over the U.S.
3. Paragraph 2 says the cabin has no TV and Kate thinks it will be dull. What does dull mean?
A) Boring
B) Exciting
C) Safe
D Open-Response Investigation Log
Write or draw two exciting things Kate and Doba plan to do on their camping trip in the canyons.
LOG 1: __________________________________________________________________________________
LOG 2: __________________________________________________________________________________
TEXAS BLUEBONNET RLA JUNIOR CODES PAGE 2 OF 2
