Pig Pit - Tip Sheet

an image of the cover of the book "Pig Pit" showing a cartoon pig holding a shovel while digging a hole
- IT IS ESSENTIAL TO PRE-TEACH THE CONCEPTS INTRODUCED IN EACH BOOK PRIOR TO READING! -

Pig Pit - Teacher Tip Sheet

Yellow Series - Book 2 - Pig Pit

Grapheme/Phoneme Correspondence

Tips and Activities to Try

Introduced in This Book

  • short <i>/ĭ/, short <u>/ŭ/
  • <s>/z/ voiced, <b>/b/, <f>/f/

Previously Introduced

Vowels

  • short <a>/ă/, short <o>/ŏ/

Consonants

  • <c>/k/, <g>/g/, <s>/s/ unvoiced, <d>/d/, <h>/h/, <m>/m/, <n>/n/, <p>/p/, <t>/t/

Note: Once a grapheme and corresponding phoneme have been introduced, they will be listed in this section. Not all concepts will be included in every subsequent book, but they can be included in “Words and Phrases for Reading and Writing” for consolidation.

Key Concepts to Understand

  • vowel phonemes are continuous, voiced, and have unobstructed air flow
  • the shape of the mouth, tongue and lips distinguish the articulation of one vowel phoneme from the other
  • the grapheme <s> can represent /s/ (unvoiced - as in sit) and /z/ (voiced, as in has) (a reminder - don’t say <s> says /s/)
  • letter formation should be taught as a pathway (e.g., “magic <c>, up, down → <d>”), which can help students distinguish between the grapheme <b> and <d>, which are formed very differently

Words and Phrases for Reading and Writing

Here is a list of words that can be used for phonemic awareness activities, reading, dictation, games cards, etc.:

  • it, sit, sip, mid, fad, fig, fin, is, fan, pit, big, pin, nab, pig, has, hid, dig, his, up, sun, hut, cut, hug, nut, cub, bun, dug, tug, hum, mug, nab, bug

Here is a word chain you could complete with blending cards:

  • it→ sit→ sip→ dip→ dim→ him → hum → sum → sun → bun → fun → fan → ban → bat → bit → bin → ban

Here are phrases that can be used for reading and/or dictation practice. These phrases can be combined to create sentences.

Noun Phrases

Verb Phrases

Prepositional Phrases

his hut

can hug

up on top

a fun hug

had a sip

on a pot

his fat pig

can dig a pit

in a big bin

a hot bun

cut a fig

at a big hut

 

Punctuation/Text Features

Tips and Activities to Try

  • comma

Key Concepts to Understand

  • students need to understand that attending to punctuation is important when reading
  • if a comma is in the text, students need to pause, then continue reading

Comprehension Corner - Pig Pit

Vocabulary Development

  • What is a pit?
  • What is Pig holding in her hand on Page 14?

Making Connections

  • Have you ever dug a pit or built something in the sand? In the grass?
  • What activities do you like to do on hot summer days?

Inferencing

  • Why do you think Pig dug the pit?
  • How do you think Pig is feeling at the end of the book?

Retelling/Summarizing

  • Can you retell the story?

 

Tip Sheet written by Shari Kudsia and Helen Maclean - April 2023 - ©SyllaSense Inc.