Lesson 12: o /ŏ/

Use only previously taught letters and sounds during review before New Concept. Have paper, a marker, and letter tiles ready. Say sounds where slashes appear. For sentence dictation, keep the goose slide showing, read the sentence aloud, and reveal the next slide only after writing.

Slide 1 — Welcome to Lesson 12

SAY
Today we are learning the letter o and its short sound, /ŏ/. We will practice what we know first, then meet the new letter.

LISTEN FOR
Your child is ready and listening.

PARENT TIP
Sit beside your child with a pencil and paper or a small whiteboard nearby. Go at your child's pace and take breaks when needed.

Slide 2 — Blending Practice

SAY
I will say the sounds of a word slowly. You put them together and tell me the word. For example, /s/ /a/ /t/. What is the word?

LISTEN FOR
Puts the separate sounds together into the whole word.

PARENT TIP
Pause about one second between sounds and say each sound only, with no extra "uh". Try a few more words your child knows, then move on.

Slide 3 — Listen and blend

SAY
What word is /ĭ/ /t/? Now /s/ /ĭ/ /t/. Now /s/ /ĭ/ /p/. Now /t/ /ĭ/ /p/.

LISTEN FOR
it; sit; sip; tip.

PARENT TIP
Parent-supplied prompts for the ear picture. These words use letters already taught. Do not introduce /ŏ/ during this review.

Slide 4 — Segmenting Practice

SAY
Now we will do the opposite. I say a word, and you say each sound in it. For example, the word is sat. What are the sounds?

LISTEN FOR
Says each sound separately, in order.

PARENT TIP
Have your child tap one finger for each sound as they say it. Say the word once more at the end.

Slide 5 — Listen and segment

SAY
Say pit. Tell me its sounds. Now do fit. Now do tap.

LISTEN FOR
pit: /p/ /ĭ/ /t/; fit: /f/ /ĭ/ /t/; tap: /t/ /a/ /p/.

PARENT TIP
Parent-supplied prompts for the ear picture. Tap one finger per sound. These three words each have three sounds.

Slide 6 — Visual Drill

SAY
I will show you letters one at a time. Say the sound each letter makes.

LISTEN FOR
Says the correct sound for each letter quickly.

PARENT TIP
If your child does not know a letter, tell them the sound and have them repeat it. Keep a steady, relaxed pace.

Slide 7 — Visual drill a

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/ă/

PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.

Slide 8 — Visual drill m

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/m/

PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.

Slide 9 — Visual drill f

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/f/

PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.

Slide 10 — Visual drill i

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/ĭ/

PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.

Slide 11 — Visual drill n

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/n/

PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.

Slide 12 — Auditory Drill

SAY
Now I will say a sound, and you tell me the letter that spells it. You can also write it.

LISTEN FOR
Names or writes the letter that matches each sound.

PARENT TIP
Say the sound only, with no extra "uh". Use the sounds from the visual drill: a, s, p, m, t, n, i.

Slide 13 — Listen and write three letters

SAY
Listen to my sound. Say it back, then write the letter that spells it.

LISTEN FOR
/t/ → t; /s/ → s; /p/ → p

PARENT TIP
Give only three sounds, one at a time, in this order: /t/, /s/, /p/. Keep the answer slide hidden until your child has written the letters.

Slide 14 — Check your three letters

SAY
Let’s check your writing. Point to each letter and tell me its sound. Watch how the letter is made, then try it once more.

LISTEN FOR
t, s, p

PARENT TIP
These are the three letters shown. Pause or replay the formation animations as needed.

Slide 15 — Word Building

SAY
Now we will build words with letter tiles. Listen to each sound, then put the letters together.

LISTEN FOR
Matches each sound to a letter and reads the word.

PARENT TIP
Keep the tiles in a line from left to right, and point under each letter as your child says its sound.

Slide 16 — Letter tiles

SAY
Here are the letter tiles. Use them to build the words I say.

LISTEN FOR
Chooses the right tile for each sound.

PARENT TIP
If you do not have physical tiles, letters on small pieces of paper work well.

Slide 17 — Build and read the words

SAY
Read each word. Say each sound, then blend the sounds together. The words are sat, pip, and fin.

LISTEN FOR
Says each sound, then blends them into the word.

PARENT TIP
Point under each letter as your child says its sound, then sweep your finger under the whole word.

Slide 18 — New Concept

SAY
Today we are learning a new letter and its sound.

LISTEN FOR
Your child is ready and listening.

PARENT TIP
Keep this moment light and welcoming. The new letter is introduced on the next slide.

Slide 19 — Meet o

SAY
This is uppercase O and lowercase o. The letter o spells /ŏ/. Say the sound with me.

LISTEN FOR
/ŏ/

PARENT TIP
Point to both letter forms in the supplied paired-letter image. The animated formation practice comes later in this lesson.

Slide 20 — Find different forms of o

SAY
These letters look a little different, but they are all o. Can you find a capital one? Can you find a lowercase one? They can all spell /ŏ/.

LISTEN FOR
Points to uppercase and lowercase forms; says /ŏ/.

PARENT TIP
Use this as letter recognition practice. There is no need to name every font or trace every example.

Slide 21 — O is a vowel

SAY
O is a vowel. Say /ŏ/ and notice your mouth. Your mouth opens wide, and your voice is on. Feel your throat with your hand.

LISTEN FOR
Says /ŏ/ with the voice on.

PARENT TIP
Use the mouth picture to model the sound. /ŏ/ is a voiced sound, so your child should feel a buzz when a hand rests on the throat. Say the sound only, without adding anything extra.

Slide 22 — O at the beginning

SAY
Listen for /ŏ/ at the beginning of the word. Octopus. Say the word and tell me the first sound.

LISTEN FOR
/ŏ/ at the start of octopus.

PARENT TIP
Stretch the first sound, like ŏŏŏoctopus, then say the whole word. Stay on the beginning sound only.

Slide 23 — O in the middle

SAY
Now listen for /ŏ/ in the middle of a word. Pot. What sound do you hear in the middle?

LISTEN FOR
/ŏ/ in the middle of pot.

PARENT TIP
Say the word slowly and let the middle sound linger. Have your child tap three fingers, one for each sound: /p/ /ŏ/ /t/.

Slide 24 — Blend with o

SAY
Let’s blend. Say each sound, then slide them together to read the word.

LISTEN FOR
Blends the sounds smoothly into a word.

PARENT TIP
Point under each letter as your child says its sound, then sweep your finger under the whole word. The word on the slide is top.

Slide 25 — Write lowercase o

SAY
Let’s write the lowercase o. Watch the animation, then write it yourself while you say /ŏ/.

LISTEN FOR
Says /ŏ/ while writing.

PARENT TIP
Follow the animation’s starting dot and stroke direction. Pause or replay as needed. Paper or a whiteboard both work.

Slide 26 — Write uppercase O

SAY
Now let’s write the uppercase O. Watch the animation, then write it yourself while you say /ŏ/.

LISTEN FOR
Says /ŏ/ while writing.

PARENT TIP
Follow the animation’s starting dot and stroke direction. Pause or replay as needed. Paper or a whiteboard both work.

Slide 27 — Reading

SAY
Now we will read sentences. Sound out each word, then read the whole sentence smoothly.

LISTEN FOR
Sounds out the words and reads with growing smoothness.

PARENT TIP
Let your child point under each word. If a word is tricky, say the sounds together and then read it again.

Slide 28 — Sentence 1

SAY
Read this sentence. Sound out any word you need to, then read it smoothly.

LISTEN FOR
Reads: I am on top.

PARENT TIP
Let your child point under each word. Praise careful reading, and read it together if needed.

Slide 29 — Sentence 2

SAY
Read this sentence. Sound out any word you need to, then read it smoothly.

LISTEN FOR
Reads: Tom is on top.

PARENT TIP
Point out the capital letter at the start and the period at the end.

Slide 30 — Sentence dictation — listen and write

SAY
Listen to this sentence: I am on a mat. Say the whole sentence back to me. Now write it.

LISTEN FOR
I am on a mat.

PARENT TIP
Do not show the sentence before dictating it. Keep the goose-writing cue on screen. Say the sentence twice at a natural pace. Let your child repeat it, write it, and reread their own writing. Check the new concept, capitals, spaces, and punctuation. Then go to the NEXT slide to reveal the sentence and check together.

Slide 31 — Sentence reveal and check

SAY
Now let’s check the sentence you wrote. Read your writing, then compare it with this sentence.

LISTEN FOR
I am on a mat.

PARENT TIP
This is the first time your child sees the complete dictation sentence. Check the new concept, capitals, spaces, and punctuation. Help with previously taught heart words as needed.

Slide 32 — Good Bye

SAY
Great work today. We learned the letter o and the sound /ŏ/. See you next time.

LISTEN FOR
Your child can tell you the new letter and its sound.

PARENT TIP
Ask your child to tell you one thing they learned today. Celebrate the effort.

Slide 33 — Copyright

This slide shows the copyright notice. Nothing to do here.