Lesson 21: s /z/
Step 1: Phonemic Awareness
No letters, no writing. Ears only.

Part A: Blending
"I am going to say some sounds one at a time. Squish them together into a word. Ready?"
/f/ /i/ /n/ /z/  -> fins
/p/ /i/ /g/ /z/  -> pigs
/b/ /u/ /g/ /z/  -> bugs
/b/ /e/ /d/ /z/  -> beds
/d/ /o/ /g/ /z/  -> dogs

Part B: Segmenting
"Now I will say a word. Break it into its sounds and count them on your fingers. Ready?"
fins  -> /f-i-n-z/  (4 sounds)
pigs  -> /p-i-g-z/  (4 sounds)
bugs  -> /b-u-g-z/  (4 sounds)
beds  -> /b-e-d-z/  (4 sounds)
dogs  -> /d-o-g-z/  (4 sounds)

Step 3: Auditory Drill
"I will say a sound and you write the letter as fast as you can. Ready?"
Say: /a/   ->   Write: A
Say: /i/   ->   Write: I
Say: /o/   ->   Write: O
Say: /u/   ->   Write: U
Say: /e/   ->   Write: E
Say: /m/   ->   Write: M
Say: /s/   ->   Write: S
Say: /t/   ->   Write: T
Say: /p/   ->   Write: P
Say: /f/   ->   Write: F
Say: /n/   ->   Write: N
Say: /d/   ->   Write: D
Say: /k/   ->   Write: C
Say: /g/   ->   Write: G
Say: /b/   ->   Write: B

If they write the wrong letter: give the correct answer, have them write it while saying the sound, then move on.

Step 5: Word Building
"I will say a word. Listen for all the sounds, then build it or write it. Then look at it, cover it up, and write it again."
Say: "fins"
Say: "pigs"
Say: "bugs"
Say: "dogs"
After all words: go back and spot-check any that were spelled incorrectly. Say the sounds out loud together, then have your child try again.

Step 6: New Concept and Letter Formation

Slide: The Spelling Rule
"The S ending can also say /z/ when it comes after a voiced sound."
"Put your hand on your throat. Say fins. Feel the buzz at the end? That is the /z/ sound, but we still spell it with S."

"Listen for the difference: cats /s/ ... dogs /z/. Let us read these: fins, pigs, bugs, beds, dogs."

No letter formation today.
S has already been introduced. Review its formation if needed.

Day 2  |  Step 10: Dictated Sentence
"Now I will say a sentence. Listen carefully, then write it down."
"I got the bags."
"When you are done, let us check it together using CAPS."
C = Capital letter at the start.  |  A = Appearance.  |  P = Punctuation at the end.  |  S = Spelling.