Lesson 2: m /m/

Optional support for this slideshow. Open this guide when you want words to say, expected responses, or a little extra help. Follow the slide numbers and pause at your child’s pace.

Before you begin: Have paper or a whiteboard, a marker, and letter tiles or homemade letter cards. Read the Say wording aloud. Listen for and Parent tip are notes for you.

Sound reminder: Slashes mean say the sound, not the letter name. /a/ is the short sound in apple. Stretch /m/, /s/, and /f/ briefly; keep /t/ and /p/ quick. Avoid adding “uh.” If your child needs help, model once, try it together, and then let your child try.

Listening activities: Picture pairs in the early slides join or separate word parts. Ear pictures later cue individual sounds. Prompts for ear pictures and listen-and-write slides are supplied here for parents. Adults read example words containing spellings that have not been taught yet.

Slide 1 — Welcome to Lesson 2

Say: “Today we’ll remember a and learn m. We’ll start with a word game.”

Listen for: Gets ready to listen.

Parent tip: Have a marker, whiteboard or paper, and letter cards available.

Slide 2 — Blending Practice

Say: “Listen to my two word parts. Put them together and tell me the whole word.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 3 — Rain plus bow

Say: “Listen to these two word parts: rain … bow. Put them together. What word do they make?”

Listen for: rainbow

Parent tip: Pause before saying the answer. If needed, say “rain … bow, rainbow,” and have your child repeat. Bring two hands together as you join the parts.

Slide 4 — Rainbow

Say: “Yes, rainbow! Say it with me: rainbow. We joined rain and bow to make rainbow.”

Listen for: Says “rainbow.”

Parent tip: This is the answer picture. If your child did not get the previous item, use it to model the answer, then try the two parts again.

Slide 5 — Tooth plus brush

Say: “Listen to these two word parts: tooth … brush. Put them together. What word do they make?”

Listen for: toothbrush

Parent tip: Pause before saying the answer. If needed, say “tooth … brush, toothbrush,” and have your child repeat. Bring two hands together as you join the parts.

Slide 6 — Toothbrush

Say: “Yes, toothbrush! Say it with me: toothbrush. We joined tooth and brush to make toothbrush.”

Listen for: Says “toothbrush.”

Parent tip: This is the answer picture. If your child did not get the previous item, use it to model the answer, then try the two parts again.

Slide 7 — Segmenting Practice

Say: “Now we’ll pull a whole word apart into two word parts.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 8 — Horseshoe

Say: “Say horseshoe. Now pull that word apart into two smaller word parts. What two parts do you hear?”

Listen for: horse … shoe

Parent tip: Move your hands apart. If needed, model “horse … shoe.” These are word parts, not individual speech sounds.

Slide 9 — Horse and shoe

Say: “That’s right: horse … shoe. Those are the two parts in horseshoe. Say the parts, then say the whole word.”

Listen for: horse … shoe; horseshoe.

Parent tip: Point to each picture as you name the two parts.

Slide 10 — Goldfish

Say: “Say goldfish. Now pull that word apart into two smaller word parts. What two parts do you hear?”

Listen for: gold … fish

Parent tip: Move your hands apart. If needed, model “gold … fish.” These are word parts, not individual speech sounds.

Slide 11 — Gold and fish

Say: “That’s right: gold … fish. Those are the two parts in goldfish. Say the parts, then say the whole word.”

Listen for: gold … fish; goldfish.

Parent tip: Point to each picture as you name the two parts.

Slide 12 — Visual Drill

Say: “Look at the letter and tell me the sound we learned.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 13 — Visual drill a

Say: “What sound does this letter spell?”

Listen for: /a/

Parent tip: Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. If needed, say “This is a. It spells /a/. Your turn.”

Slide 14 — Auditory Drill

Say: “Now listen for a sound, say it back, and write the letter that spells it.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 15 — Listen and write

Say: “Listen to my sound. Say it back, then write the letter that spells it.”

Listen for: /a/ → a

Parent tip: Parent prompts supplied for this picture-only slide: say /a/, wait for a. Say one sound at a time, leaving the answer slide hidden. Use a whiteboard or paper; letter cards are an alternative if writing is difficult.

Slide 16 — Check your 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: Matches the written letters to the sounds you gave.

Parent tip: The slide models lowercase a. Show only the relevant part if you are checking one letter at a time. Follow the animation’s starting dots and stroke direction; pause or replay as needed.

Slide 17 — New Concept

Say: “Our new letter is m. Listen to its sound: /mmm/.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 18 — Lowercase m

Say: “This is lowercase m. Its name is M. The sound we are learning is /m/. Say /m/ with me.”

Listen for: /m/

Parent tip: Trace the displayed letter in the air. Keep the letter name and its sound distinct.

Slide 19 — Uppercase M

Say: “This is uppercase M. Its name is M. The sound we are learning is /m/. Say /m/ with me.”

Listen for: /m/

Parent tip: Trace the displayed letter in the air. Keep the letter name and its sound distinct.

Slide 20 — Find different forms of m

Say: “These letters look a little different, but they are all m. Can you find a capital one? Can you find a lowercase one? They can all spell /m/.”

Listen for: Points to uppercase and lowercase forms; says /m/.

Parent tip: Use this as letter recognition practice. There is no need to name every font or trace every example.

Slide 21 — M is a consonant

Say: “M is a consonant. Put your lips together and hum /mmm/. Touch your throat gently. Can you feel it buzzing?”

Listen for: Says /m/ with lips closed.

Parent tip: Keep it /mmm/, without adding “uh.” The vibration is a way to notice the voice, not a test the child must pass.

Slide 22 — Stretch m

Say: “We can keep this sound going: /mmmm/. Say it with me. Now try it on your own.”

Listen for: Sustains /m/.

Parent tip: Keep lips together throughout the sound. If the child says “muh,” model a gentle hum and try again.

Slide 23 — Map and mug

Say: “Say map. Listen to the beginning: /mmm/ap. What sound comes first? Now say mug. Do you hear /m/ at the beginning of mug too?”

Listen for: /m/ at the beginning of both.

Parent tip: Adult names and reads these words. Focus on the highlighted m; do not require independent reading of the other letters.

Slide 24 — Ham and jam

Say: “Say ham. Listen to the end: ha/mmm/. What sound comes last? Now say jam. What sound is at the end?”

Listen for: /m/ at the end of both.

Parent tip: Stretch the final /m/ without adding a vowel. Point to the final m in each word.

Slide 25 — Write uppercase M

Say: “Watch how we write uppercase M. Start where the dot shows us and follow the movement. Now draw it in the air with me. Try it on your board.”

Listen for: Forms M and says its sound.

Parent tip: Play or replay the letter animation. Model once, trace together, then let your child try. Aim for recognizable formation rather than perfect handwriting.

Slide 26 — Write lowercase m

Say: “Watch how we write lowercase m. Start where the dot shows us and follow the movement. Now draw it in the air with me. Try it on your board.”

Listen for: Forms m and says its sound.

Parent tip: Play or replay the letter animation. Model once, trace together, then let your child try. Aim for recognizable formation rather than perfect handwriting.

Slide 27 — Heart Words

Say: “Let’s use our word the. I’ll help with the words we haven’t learned to sound out yet.”

Listen for: Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 28 — The milk and The apple

Say: “Point to the first word. Do you remember it? The. I’ll read the next word: milk. Read with me: The milk. Now try this first word again: The. I’ll read apple. Together: The apple.”

Listen for: Recognizes “The”; joins in reading both phrases.

Parent tip: Supply milk and apple rather than asking the child to guess from the pictures. You may also ask for the first sound in milk and apple: /m/ and /a/.

Slide 29 — Good Bye

Say: “You worked on m today. What sound does it spell? Show me one thing you learned. I noticed how you kept trying. We’re finished for today!”

Listen for: /m/

Parent tip: Choose one specific success to mention, such as hearing a sound, blending a word, or forming a letter. Stop here for the child.

Slide 30 — Copyright and course information

Parent tip: Adult information only. No child-facing script is needed; you may skip this slide during teaching.