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DODO Learning
Think Once. In Both Languages.
Lesson 18
Little DODO · Phase 3

Tricky Blends in Cricket Chaos

Mouse Soup · pp. 34-43 · Format B · Disposition: Reasoning with Evidence · 25 min
Mouse Soup
Pages this lesson: 34-43
Fluency · Tongue Twisters
Students practice fluent reading of tricky consonant blends (shr-, thr-, str-, spl-) through playful tongue twisters.
Consonant Blends · Fluency Practice · Articulation · Repeated Reading
Introduce

Vocabulary Exploration· 5 min

Sound focus: consonant blends shr-, thr-, str-
Target words
  1. shouted 42: “"Please!" shouted the mouse.”
  2. three 39: “Soon there were three crickets chirping.”
  3. stop 40: “"Stop!" cried the mouse.”
  4. cried 40: “"Stop!" cried the mouse.”
Today we hunt for tricky letter teams that stick together when we read. Listen for the sounds at the start of these words — they blend into one smooth sound. Let's practice saying them together.
Exploration steps
  1. Sound the target blends alone first — 'shr', 'thr', 'str' — then blend into the full words.
  2. Hunt the words on each page; chorus together while tracing the blend letters.
  3. Students whisper-read each word three times, then say it quickly to a partner.
Expected responses
  • sh-sh-shouted
  • thr-thr-three
  • I hear the 'st' in stop
Differentiation

Fast finishers: find more blend words on other pages. Quiet kids: pair with chorus partner.

Transition cue

Tap your nose three times — Reading Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't rush the blend practice — slow articulation first, then speed.

Why this matters: Blends are hard — chorus protects kids who can't yet sound them alone.

Reading in Class· 10 min

Required reading pages: 34-43
Opening move: Point to the cricket outside the window on page 34 — the music-maker who can't hear.
This mouse has a problem — the crickets can't hear her when they chirp. Every time she tries to tell them to stop, they think she wants MORE music. Let's chorus the cricket's question together each time we see it.
Read-aloud steps
  1. Picture-walk pages 34-43: mouse trying to sleep, crickets chirping louder and louder, finally the mouse shouts loud enough to be heard.
  2. Read aloud once at storytelling pace, emphasizing the repeated question 'What did you say?'
  3. Read again with students chorusing the cricket's question each time it appears.
Call-and-response refrains
  1. What did you say? 34: “"What did you say?" asked a cricket.”
  2. You want more music? 36: “"What did you say?" asked the cricket. "You want more music? I will find a friend."”
Expected responses
  • What did you say?
  • The cricket can't hear because he's making music
Differentiation

Struggling readers: follow along with finger on the refrain words. Fast finishers: count how many times the question appears.

Transition cue

Hold up ten fingers — Questions Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let the refrain become background noise — pause and wait for full chorus each time.

Why this matters: The refrain rhythm carries kids who can't yet decode independently.

Questions Time· 7 min

Comprehension questions
  1. Which word on this page has the 'str' blend at the start? 40: “"Stop!" cried the mouse.”
  2. Find the word that starts with 'shr' — what does the mouse do? 42: “"Please!" shouted the mouse.”
Extension

Use 'stop' in your own sentence.

40: “"Stop!" cried the mouse.”

What students produce: One sentence using a blend word from the story.

Now we hunt for our tricky blends in the story. Look at the page — can you spot the blend word? Point to it, then read it aloud. After we find the blends, you'll make your own sentence using one.
Expected responses
  • stop — I see the 'st'
  • shouted — that's the 'sh' sound
  • Stop jumping on the bed
Differentiation

Quiet kids: draw the sentence first, then say it. Fast finishers: use two blend words in one sentence.

Transition cue

Clap twice — Wrap-Up Time.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't accept pointing without sounding — kids must say the blend aloud.

Why this matters: Picture prompt prevents blend difficulty from blocking kids who can't yet read independently.

Conclusion· 3 min

Routine: Evidence Hunt · Disposition: Reasoning with Evidence
Student-facing prompts
Recap: I found the blend in...
Take-home: Tonight hunt for blend words at home — write three you find.
Today we hunted for tricky blends in Mouse Soup. You found them, you sounded them, you used them in sentences. That's evidence work — finding the proof right on the page.
Expected responses
  • I found the blend in 'stop'
  • I found 'shouted' on page 42
Differentiation

Quiet kids: share with one partner first. Fast finishers: share two blend words instead of one.

Anticipated pitfalls

Don't let kids name blends without showing the page — evidence requires the source.

Why this matters: Same close every day so kids own the evidence-finding move.