Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 5
Lesson 5.3 ff, ll, ss and zz
Written for the parent. Read the Say this lines aloud as they are, or in your own words. Answers for you are marked Listen for.
At a glance
- Time
- 5 sessions of 15–20 minutes
- Goal
- I can say /f/ when I see ff (as in puff ), and write it. I can say /l/ when I see ll (as in hill ), and write it. I can say /s/ when I see ss (as in kiss ), and write it. I can say /z/ when I see zz (as in buzz ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as hill , fill , bell . I can read the heart words into , two , says and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Jack and Jill” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few cups
- Sound cards (printables pack)
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (4:21) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Listen to the end: hill, mess, puff, buzz. What sound is at the end?
Do this: New sound: ff. Show the card and say: “This says /f/, as in puff.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /f/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: ll. Show the card and say: “This says /l/, as in hill.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /l/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: ss. Show the card and say: “This says /s/, as in kiss.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /s/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: zz. Show the card and say: “This says /z/, as in buzz.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /z/ is in the word.
Do this: Tap and blend. For each word your child touches each letter (or letter team) and says its sound, then sweeps a finger under the whole word and says it smoothly. Never guess from the first letter or a picture. If a word is misread, point to the part that was missed and blend again from the start.
Do this: Spell it. Say a word. Your child says it back, taps the sounds on his or her fingers, then writes one letter (or letter team) for each sound. Check together, sound by sound.
Do this: Heart words. A heart word is mostly regular. We tap it like any other word, and draw a heart over the one part that does not follow the rules we know yet. Practise the heart words on cards every day this week (see the table below).
Do this: The week at a glance. Day 1: warm-up, new sound, handwriting. Day 2: card review, word lists, spelling. Day 3: second new sound or more words, heart words. Day 4: read the story, talk about it. Day 5: reread the story for fluency, play the game, quick check (10 words, 1 sentence, 5 spelling words). Read the read-aloud at another time of day.
New cards:
- ff says /f/, as in puff. Make a sound card: write ff on the front and draw a puff on the back.
- ll says /l/, as in hill. Make a sound card: write ll on the front and draw a hill on the back.
- ss says /s/, as in kiss. Make a sound card: write ss on the front and draw a kiss on the back.
- zz says /z/, as in buzz. Make a sound card: write zz on the front and draw a buzz on the back.
Show: Blend hill.
Say this: “Touch and say: /h/ /i/ /ll/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: hill . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: hill
Show: Blend fill.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /i/ /ll/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: fill . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: fill
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: hill · fill · bell · well
Listen for: hill = h | i | ll; fill = f | i | ll; bell = b | e | ll; well = w | e | ll
Ask: Read: doll · puff · off · cuff
Listen for: doll = d | o | ll; puff = p | u | ff; off = o | ff; cuff = c | u | ff
Ask: Read: mess · kiss · pass · buzz
Listen for: mess = m | e | ss; kiss = k | i | ss; pass = p | a | ss; buzz = b | u | zz
6 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Capital letters J F L. Copy: Jill fell.
- Use the ball-and-stick lines: tall letters touch the top line, short letters touch the middle line, tails go below the base line.
Copywork: Write each word once, saying the sounds as you write: hill, fill, bell, well, doll, puff.
Word Sounds Heart part into /ĭ/ /n/ /t/ /oo/ ♥ o says /oo/ two /t/ /oo/ ♥ w is silent; o says /oo/ says /s/ /ĕ/ /z/ ♥ ay says /ĕ/, s says /z/ Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill ran up a hill. They had a tin can to fill.
Jack fell. Jill fell. Off went the can! It ran to the end of the hill.
Jill says, "I am a mess!" Jack says, "I am a mess as well!"
Mom gets Jack and Jill. A kiss and a hug, and it is all well.
Retold from the Mother Goose rhyme. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jack, Jill.
Every word in this story uses only the sounds and heart words taught so far (checked by the School Launch decodability checker). Read a page a day on Days 3 and 4, and the whole story on Day 5.
- Why did Jack and Jill go up the hill?
Answer
To fill a can (a pail) with water.
- What happened?
Answer
They fell down.
- Who helped at the end?
Answer
Mom.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Why did Jack and Jill go up the hill?
Mother Goose: "Jack and Jill". Say the rhyme together and act it out.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Short words with one short vowel double f, l, s and z at the end. Find them in today’s story: hill, fill, fell, off, mess, kiss, well.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /f/ when I see ff (as in puff ), and write it.; I can say /l/ when I see ll (as in hill ), and write it.; I can say /s/ when I see ss (as in kiss ), and write it.; I can say /z/ when I see zz (as in buzz ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as hill , fill , bell .; I can read the heart words into , two , says and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Jack and Jill” and tell it back.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
This week: Steady pace. Do not race. Take a breath at the end of each line, then go on.
- Day 1: The teacher says it twice; the child echoes it one line at a time.
- Days 2–4: Say it together each morning; drop one line of help each day.
- Day 5: Say the reference, then the verse, then the reference again. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
When we fall, our help comes from the Lord.
Spread over the week
5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
- Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
- Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
- Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
- Session 5. Quick check: narration and a few practice items. Move on when it is mostly right.
For you
For families. Keep each session short and cheerful: 15 to 20 minutes, then stop. If your child is tired or frustrated, stop and finish tomorrow. A lesson can take more than a week; move on when the quick check on Day 5 is mostly “Got it.”