Students will improve early reading and writing skills as they learn about the life of a ranching family. These skills include the following: solidifying letter/sound relationships, using letter blends, rhyming, sight word development, decoding multi-syllabic words, comprehension activities, composing/writing a sentence, and vocabulary/language acquisition. Specific goals include:

1. The student will strengthen letter/sound relationships and be able to use letter blends when decoding a word.
2. The student will gain experience in breaking up multi-syllabic words and putting them together.
3. The student will understand that they need to read and write beginning on the left and proceeding to the right using voice-print match to self-monitor and self-correct.
4. The student will use visual information in pictures to cross check print.
5. The student will add to their sight word vocabulary.
6. The student will remember and discuss what was learned from reading a book.
7. The student will make predictions for a story and connections between the book and their own lives.

Lesson 1: Students will be introduced to the ranching family characters.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete rhyming, sight word practice, blending, word breaking, comprehension and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (u, y), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (day, today, play).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "Kip's Birthday Present" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting of the book on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.

Note: Learners come to this class at different levels of proficiency, and the first lesson may not exactly match where they are academically. Instruction will be adjusted to better fit the learners in subsequent lessons.

Lesson 2: Students will learn more about the family and their ranch.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete rhyming, sight word practice, blending, inflectional -s, silent b, and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (k, v), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (get, this, give, want).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "Taking Care of My Lambs" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting of the book on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.

Lesson 3: Students will be learn more about the family and their ranch.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete rhyming, sight word practice, blending, inflectional -ing, and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (f, r), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (they, did, find).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "Finding Fossils" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.

Lesson 4: Students will be introduced to the Appleman family and their ranch.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete phonics, rhyming, sight word practice, blending, changing the onset of a word, and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (d, g, q), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (put, off, where, from).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "Branding Calves" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting of the book on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.

Lesson 5: Students will be continue to learn about the family and their ranch.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete rhyming, sight word practice, blending, the -ack word family, and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (p, g), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (to, be, take, back, black).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "My Pigs" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.

Lesson 6: Students will continue to learn about the family and their ranch.
10 minutes - Using ranch photos, students will complete rhyming, sight word practice, blending, changing the endings of 'sh' words, and vocabulary activities utilizing video chat.
  5 minutes - Slides will be used for letter identification (k, j, h), word decoding/blending, and sight word practice (all, some, friend, show).
10 minutes - With instructor guidance, students will read the book, "At the Fair" from the Meet the Applemans series, and locate the setting on the ranch map.
 5 minutes - Discussion questions will be asked and students will be encouraged to provide complete responses. They will utilize the video chat to interact with the instructor and each other.
10 minutes - Students will compose a short sentence prompted from the information/structure presented in the text. The instructor will guide the students using the on-line whiteboard as they write their sentence on paper. Students will learn to check their sentences for accurate standard conventions and will be invited to share their work during the video chat.