Rationale: This lesson will help children identify /z/, the phoneme represented by Z. Students will learn to recognize /z/ in spoken words by learning a meaningful representation (a buzzing bee) 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:  Primary paper and pencils; chart paper with “Zebras zig-zag and zoom around the zoo” on it; word cards:  ZOOM, HAT, BUZZ, SIT, FUZZY, RUN, ZIP; Put Me in the Zoo (Robert Lopshire); assessment worksheet

 

Procedures:

1. Say: “Our written language is a secret code. Learning what letters stand for and say can be a little tricky. By moving our mouths as we say each word, we can find out what each letter stands for. Today, we’re going to work on spotting the mouth move for /z/. We spell /z/ with the letter Z. Have you ever heard bees buzz with the letter Z? The letter Z sounds just like a buzzing bee.

2. Say:  “Let’s pretend that we are busy bees, buzzing around a field looking for flowers.  Now say, “/z/ /z/ /z/.”  Did you notice how your tongue touched the top of your mouth, and did you feel the vibrations?  That’s what happens when we say the letter /z/.”

3. Say: “Now I’ll show you how to find /z/ in the word zoom. I’m going to stretch zoom out in slow motion and listen for the vibrations. Zzz-oo-m. Slower: Zzzz-o-o-o-m-m. I heard the vibrations! I felt my tongue at the top of my mouth! I can feel the /z/ in zoom!

4. Say: “Now let’s try a tongue tickler. The zebras at the zoo have gotten loose!  They are running around everywhere, and the zookeepers can't catch them!  So for our tongue tickler, we might say, 'Zebras zig-zag and zoom around the zoo.'  You try!  Okay, that was really good, but this time let’s try and stretch out the /z/ at the beginning of each word. “Zzzebras zzzig-zzzzag and zzzoom around the zzzoo.” This time, let’s try and break the /z/ off the word. “/Z/ ebras /z/ ig /z/ ag and /z/ oom around the /z/ oo.”

5. (Prompt students to take out primary paper and pencil).  “We use the letter Z to spell /z/. Let’s practice drawing the letter /z/. We are going to use this special paper and make a zig-zag, just like a bee does when it’s buzzing around looking for flowers.  We’ll start at the rooftop and make a big zig-zag to the sidewalk.  Take your pencil and make a super straight line to the right, and then down and across to the sidewalk, and then another super straight line to the right. Do you see how your /z/ makes a zig-zag? The big Z you wrote is called a capital Z. Now we’re going to practice writing a lowercase or little z, which is just a smaller version of the one you just wrote. What you’re going to do is start at the fence, which is in the middle, and make a straight line to the right, like you just did. Then you’re going to draw a line down and across to the sidewalk. Then you’re going to draw another straight line.  Raise your hand when you’re done, so that I can come around check it to make sure you’re right on track.  After I’ve checked your work, I want you to try to write it nine more times!”

6. Call on students to answer and tell how they know the correct answer. Say: “Do you hear /z/ in zap or tap? zoom or boom? hat or jazz? Say: “Let’s practice this tongue tickler, and if you here /z/ I want you to buzz like a bee and move your finger around in the air, like it is a bee flying around. “Fuzzy zebras zipped and zoomed the zippers.” Now can you feel your tongue at the roof of your mouth when you say those words?  Do you feel the vibrations?  You’re making the sound /z/!

7. Say:  “Now we’re going to read the book, “Put Me in the Zoo.”  This book is about an animal who wants to live in the zoo so badly, he’ll do just about anything!  In order to impress everyone and hopefully be allowed to live in the zoo, the animal does some really cool tricks with his spots.  But, will it be enough?  Will he ever get to live in the zoo?  I’m going to read the book now, and when you her the /z/ sound, I want you to wave you finger in the air like a busy bee.  Once everyone is doing it, we’ll all draw a Z in the air, and then we’ll make the /z/ sound.”  After we have finished the book, the children will get a chance to draw their own creature who can do cool tricks.  Say:  “I want all of you to draw an animal that looks like a zebra, but this zebra is special.  I want this zebra to be able to do cool tricks like the animal in the story!  Maybe your zebra can do something with his stripes, or his tail, or his mane.  However, make sure the trick starts with the /z/ sound.  Draw your animal doing his or her trick, and then I want you to share and explain your picture to the class!”

8.  Show ZOOM and model how to decipher whether it is zoom or boom. Say “The /z/ tells me to buzzzzz like a bee, so this word is z-z-zoom. How about you try some? Hat: jazz or hat?, Buzz: buzz or nut?, Sit: sit or zit? Zip: zip or trip?, Fuzzy:  fuzzy or bunny?, Run:  run or zun?”

9. For assessment, distribute the worksheet. Students are to color the pictures that start with the letter /z/ pink and all other pictures grey. Call on students individually to read the phonetic cue words from step #8.

 

References: 

Nix, Lauren. “Buzz Like a Bee with the Letter Z.”

https://sites.google.com/site/mylessondesigns/home

 

Webb, Kailyn. “Buzz Buzz Goes the Bee with the Letter Z.”

 http://kjw0020.wix.com/bruceclasswebsite#!gallery/c1b0d

 

Robert Lopshire. Put Me in the Zoo. Random House Publishers. 1960.

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning Sound Zz

Point to the zipper in the corner and say its name to your child.  Emphasize the z sound.  Have your child find the pictures in the scene that start with the same sound and practice naming them aloud.