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Zipping Up with Z

Zipper.gif

Rationale:

This lesson will help children identify /z/, the phoneme represented by Z. Students will learn to recognize /z/ in spoke words by learning a sound analogy (“zzzzzzzzip” like zipping up a zipper) and the letter symbol Z, practice finding /z/ in words, and apply phoneme awareness with /z/ in phonetic cue reading by distinguishing rhyming words from beginning letters.

 

Materials:  

 

Procedures: 

1. Say: Today we are going to be learning all about the letter Z! We are going to learn how to move our mouths to make Z’s sound /z/, how to spot the mouth move, /z/, in words, and how to write the letter Z. We spell the sound /z/ with the letter Z. The letter Z looks like a zig-zag and we can remember Z by thinking of zipping a zipper in a zigzag!

 

2. Say: Have you ever zipped up your coat and heard the “zzzzzip” sound? Well, zipping a zipper can help us remember the /z/ sound. Let’s pretend we’re zipping up our coats (model zippin up a coat), /z/, /z/, /z/, “zzzzzzip.” When we say /z/, our teeth are together and the tip of our tongue touches above our top teeth. We turn our voice boxes on and feel vibration. Let’s zip up our coats one more time but in a zigzag way (model zipping in a zigzag), /z/, /z/, /z/, “zzzzip!” 

 

3. Say: Let me show you how to find /z/ in the word zap. I’m going to say zap super slow and stretched out and listen for my /z/, /z/, zipper sound. Zzz-a-a-a-ppp. Slower: zzzzz-a-a-a-a-ppp. There it was at the beginning! I felt the vibration behind my teeth!

 

4. Say: Now, let’s try a tongue tickler! Tongue ticklers are silly sentences that can help us remember sounds. There once was a zebra at the zoo. The zebra was super fast and loved to run around in the zoo! The zebra would always run around in circles until one day he got dizzy and didn’t want to run in circles anymore. So the next day, he decided to run zig-zag, like a Z! Here’s our tongue tickler: zebra zoomed zig-zag in the zoo! Now let’s say our tickler together three times (say it three times). Now let’s say it again, but this time, let’s stretch out every /z/ sound we hear. “Zzzzzebra zzzzzoomed zzzzigzzzag in the zzzzzzoo.” Try it again, and this time break /z/ off the word: “/z/ ebra /z/oomed /z/ig-/z/ag in the /z/oo.” Great job!

 

5. [Have the students take out primary paper and pencil]. Say: We use the letter Z to spell /z/. Z looks like the zig-zag our zebra ran (draw Z in the air). Let’s write a lowercase z.  Put your pencil on the fence, go to the right and make a little 7 down to the sidewalk. Once you have your little 7, you’re going to stay on the sidewalk and then go back. I want to see everyone write a lowercase z. Once I see your z and put a smiley face on it, I want you to make nine more just like it.

 

6. Say: Now we are going to see if you can hear /z/ in some words! [Call on students to answer and tell how they knew]. Do you hear /z/ in tip or zip? Zoo or toe? Zebra or elephant? Cup or zero? Zag or bag? Now I’m going to say some words and I want you to zip up your coat if you hear /z/(model zipping up coat). The, zebra, at, the, zoo, ate, zucchini, that, cost, zero, dollars. 

 

7. Show ZAP and model how to decide if it is zap or tap. Say: The Z tells me that I need to /z/, /z/, zzzzip up my coat (model zipping up coat). So, this word is zap, zzzz-ap. Now I want you to try some. ZOOM: zoom or boom? ZONE: zone or cone? ZAX: zax or max? ZAG: zag or rag?  

 

8. Say: Let’s look at this book that has the /z/, /z/, “zzzzip” sound in it! This book is called Zack the Lazy Zebra. Zack the zebra lives at the zoo and does the same thing all day long! Let’s read it to see what he does all day. [Read the short story and ask students engaging questions throughout]. [Go to pages 14 and 15] Let’s see how many things we can find that start with /z/! What do you see? [Call on students and let them answer]. Now, I want you to come up with something that starts with /z/ that you could use to try to wake up Zack the zebra! [Hand out drawing paper and crayons] Write your item on your paper and draw a picture of it. [Display student’s work].

 

9. For assessment, hand out worksheets and crayons. Students circle the words that start with Z and then color the pictures that start with the letter Z. As students are working, call students up to read phonetic cue word cards from #7. 

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Resources:

Letter Z Worksheet

https://www.kids-pages.com/folders/worksheets/Alphabet/page26.htm

Zack the Lazy Zebra

https://shop.scholastic.com/teachers-ecommerce/teacher/books/alphatales-z-zack-the-lazy-zebra-9780545370271.html 

Elizabeth Kate Welch, This Macaroni is Mm Mmm Good!

https://elizabethkatewelch.wixsite.com/my-site-2/emergent-literacy-design 

Reading Genie, Mouth Moves

http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/teaching-ideas/mouthmoves/

Reading Genie, Teaching Letter Recognition

http://wp.auburn.edu/rdggenie/home/lessons/letters/

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