Lesson 3 — The Letter SNew concept: S — /s/    Keyword: Sun
Where this sound appears: S can appear at the beginning or end of a word (sun, bus).

Quick Tip:  S makes a hissing sound — like a snake. Make sure your child does not add an 'uh' sound after it (/s/, not /suh/). Keep it clean and short.

Extra practice worksheets (preview at bottom of page)

Step 1: Phonemic Awareness
No letters, no writing. Ears only.

Part A: Blending
"I am going to say some words one at a time. Squish them together into a bigger word. Ready?"
butter + fly -> butterfly
peanut + butter -> peanut butter

Part B: Segmenting
"Now I will say a word. Break it into its smaller words and count them on your fingers. Ready?"
pancake -> pan + cake

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: /m/   ->   Write: M
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: "am"
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

Uppercase and Lowercase
"This is the uppercase S and the lowercase s. The name of this letter is S. Let us say the letter name together: S."

Different Ways to See This Letter
"Look at all the different ways you might see the letter S. It can look a little different in different books or on signs, but it is always the same letter. Can you find them all?"

ASL Sign
"This is the ASL hand sign for the letter S. Let us make it together."
"Hold up your hand and try to copy the shape on the screen. Great!"

Keyword, Mouth, Voiced or Unvoiced
"Our keyword for this sound is sun. Say it with me: sun."
"Now watch my mouth when I make this sound: /s/. Your teeth come close together. Air slides through the middle. Like a snake hissing."
"This is an unvoiced sound. Put your hand on your throat and say /s/. Your voice box stays quiet. Only air comes out."
Where the Sound Appears
"Listen while I tell you where you can hear this sound in words. You hear the S sound at the beginning of words like sun and sat. You also hear it at the end of words, like in bus and gas."

How We Form the Letter
"Now let us learn how to write the letter S. Watch me first."

"Start just below the top. Curve up to the left, around and down, then curve the other way at the bottom."

"First, let us sky write it together. Hold up your writing finger and write it big in the air. Ready? Go."

"Now trace it on your paper or whiteboard."

"Now write it on your own. Say /s/ each time you write it."

Day 2  |  Step 10: Dictated Sentence
No dictated sentence for this lesson. There are not yet enough words for a complete sentence.