Lesson 20: -s /s/
Overview
Focus: Ending -s that says /s/; four-sound words
Graphemes and Heart Words
New grapheme: none (practice lesson)
New heart words: none
Heart words so far: the, I, and, a, is, as, said, to, do, of, see
Word List
Words: pot, maps, taps, gets, cuts, mops, pits, pets, pit, pat, at, mat, sat, sit, sits, its, fits, cups, cup, pup, pups, pops, pop, cat, cats, map, pots, bat, bats, nut, nuts
Sentences
- Dad pats the cats.
- Ten caps sit on the bed.
- The pup sips and naps.
- Mom sets the pots on the mat.
- The pup naps.
Parent guide: what to say for each slide
Use only previously taught letters and sounds during review. Have paper, a marker, and letter tiles ready. Slashes mean say the sound. Today’s Practice develops fluency with known letters; New Concept introduces a new sound pattern. During sentence dictation, show the goose and read the sentence aloud. Reveal the sentence only after writing.
Slide 1 — Welcome to Lesson 20
SAY
Today we’ll practice reading words that end with s, where the s says /s/. There is no new letter or new heart word today.
LISTEN FOR
Gets ready.
PARENT TIP
Have your letter tiles ready for the word building section.
Slide 2 — Blending Practice
SAY
Listen to my sounds. Put them together to tell me the whole word.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
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.
Slide 4 — Segmenting Practice
SAY
Now listen to a whole word and tell me each sound you hear.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
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
Tell me the sound of each letter as it appears.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 7 — 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 8 — Visual drill c
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/k/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 9 — Visual drill g
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/g/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 10 — Visual drill b
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/b/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 11 — Visual drill e
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/ĕ/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 12 — Auditory Drill
SAY
Listen, say the sound back, and write the letter that spells it.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
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
Let’s use our known letters to build and read.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 16 — Get the letter tiles ready
SAY
Put your letter tiles where you can reach them. I’ll say a word. You’ll say the sounds, choose the letters, and read the word you built.
LISTEN FOR
Gets the known letters ready.
PARENT TIP
The board picture is a cue to use your own tiles or letter cards. Use the letters your child has learned; the decorative letters in the picture are not the word list. Set out an s tile as well.
Slide 17 — Build words with tiles
SAY
I’ll say a word. Say each sound, choose the letters, and read the word you built. Our review words are cat, map, cup.
LISTEN FOR
cat: /k/ /ă/ /t/; map: /m/ /ă/ /p/; cup: /k/ /ŭ/ /p/.
PARENT TIP
Use only letters and sounds from earlier lessons. Keep today’s new concept out of this review; introduce it in the New Concept section.
Slide 18 — New Concept: -s ending /s/
SAY
Before we read, listen to cat and cats. The ending -s can mean more than one. After a quiet sound like /t/, /p/, or /k/, this ending says /s/. Say cat, cats; map, maps; cup, cups. Now we’ll read sentences with this ending.
LISTEN FOR
Keeps the final /s/ in cats, maps, and cups.
PARENT TIP
Teach this ending here, after the review activities and before sentence reading.
Slide 19 — Sentence 1
SAY
Touch under each word and read the sentence.
LISTEN FOR
Dad pats the cats.
PARENT TIP
Let your child sound out any word they need to, then read the whole sentence smoothly. Listen for the s at the end of pats and cats.
Slide 20 — Sentence 2
SAY
Touch under each word and read the sentence.
LISTEN FOR
The pup sips and naps.
PARENT TIP
Let your child sound out any word they need to, then read the whole sentence smoothly. Listen for the s at the end of sips and naps.
Slide 21 — Sentence dictation — listen and write
SAY
Listen to this sentence: Mom sets the pots on the mat. Say the whole sentence back to me. Now write it.
LISTEN FOR
Mom sets the pots on the 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 22 — Sentence reveal and check
SAY
Now let’s check the sentence you wrote. Read your writing, then compare it with this sentence.
LISTEN FOR
Mom sets the pots on the 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 23 — Good Bye
SAY
Great work today. See you next time.
LISTEN FOR
Your child saying goodbye.
Slide 24 — Copyright
Adult information only. No child-facing script is needed; you may skip this slide during teaching.
Workbook Pages
Letter sort
Do: Cut out the letter cards. Glue every S and s under ✓, even when it looks different. Glue the letters that are not s under ✗.
Missing sound
Do: Name the picture. Say the word slowly and listen for the last sound. Circle the letter that makes it, write it in the empty box, then read the word.
If stuck: "Say the picture name slowly. What sound is at the end?"
Heart word review
Do: Start at the top left. Draw a line through the boxes that say see. Read the word out loud in every box you step on. You can move up, down, left, or right to reach Finish.
If stuck: "Is this a heart word, or can we sound it out?" Say it, spell it aloud, read it again.
Word search
Do: Read each word in the box. Find it in the puzzle. Words go across or down. Circle the word, then tick it in the box.
If stuck: "Read the word in the box. What letter does it start with? Look for that letter."
Reading fluency
Do: Read the heart words, then the phrases, then the sentences. Tick each sentence box after reading it. Read the page again the next day and listen for smoother reading.
Word ladder
Do: Read the ladder from the bottom up. Only one sound changes each step. Then write the words your grown-up says (Teacher's Guide).
Say: Dictate in order: cups → cup → pup → pups → pops → pop.
If stuck: "What changed? Which sound is different from the word before?"
Picture and word
Do: Look at each picture. Is there one or more than one? Circle the word that matches. The first one is done for you.
If stuck: "Is there one, or more than one? Which word tells us that?"
Dictation
Do: Read each sentence from the Teacher's Guide two times. The child says it back, counts the words on their fingers, then writes it on the lines. Check for a capital letter, spaces between words, and an end mark.
Say: Dictate: 1. "Mom sets the pots on the mat." 2. "The pup naps."
Watch For
- Dropping the final s when reading.
- Writing four sounds in three boxes.
Game: Snap on the s
Materials
- Clothespins with the letter s written on each one
- Word cards: cat, map, cup, pet, tip, cap, nut
How to play
- Lay the word cards out in a row.
- The learner reads a word, then clips a clothespin to the end of the card to add an s.
- They read the new word, making the /s/ sound at the end: cat, cats.
- Ask the learner to say a short sentence with the new word.
- Keep going until every card has an s.
Word list
cats, maps, cups, pets, tips, caps, nuts