Lesson 7: f /f/

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 7

SAY
Today we’ll practice our sounds and learn f. Then we’ll read words and a sentence together.

LISTEN FOR
Gets ready.

PARENT TIP
Have the known letter tiles and f ready. Introduce f when you reach the New Concept 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 /a/ /t/? Now /m/ /a/ /p/. Now /t/ /a/ /p/. Now /p/ /a/ /t/.

LISTEN FOR
at; map; tap; pat.

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

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 map. Tell me its sounds. Now do tap. Now do pat.

LISTEN FOR
map: /m/ /a/ /p/; tap: /t/ /a/ /p/; pat: /p/ /a/ /t/.

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 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 s

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/s/

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

Slide 10 — Visual drill t

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/t/

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

Slide 11 — Visual drill p

SAY
What sound does this letter spell?

LISTEN FOR
/p/

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.

Slide 17 — Read tap map and pat

SAY
Read the top row: /t/ /a/ /p/, tap. Now read /m/ /a/ /p/, map. Finally, read /p/ /a/ /t/, pat. Say the sounds, then blend each word.

LISTEN FOR
Reads tap, map, and pat in the order shown.

PARENT TIP
Use your own tiles to build each word, then compare with the slide. Tap and map differ in their first sound. To change map to pat, change both the first and last sounds; do not describe this as a one-sound change.

Slide 18 — New Concept

SAY
Our new letter is f. Listen: /fff/. We can keep this sound going.

LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 19 — Meet f

SAY
This is uppercase F and lowercase f. The letter f spells /f/. Say the sound with me.

LISTEN FOR
/f/

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 f

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

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

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

Slide 21 — F is a consonant

SAY
F is a consonant. Rest your top teeth lightly on your bottom lip and blow air: /fff/. Your voice is off. Try it with me.

LISTEN FOR
Makes unvoiced /f/.

PARENT TIP
Keep the contact gentle. Avoid “fuh” and voiced /v/. Unlike /p/ and /t/, /f/ can be stretched.

Slide 22 — Fence and fox

SAY
Say fence. What sound is at the beginning? Now say fox. What sound comes first?

LISTEN FOR
/f/ in both words.

PARENT TIP
Read the words aloud. Focus on the initial f; the other spellings have not all been taught.

Slide 23 — F at the end of cuff

SAY
This part of a sleeve is a cuff. Say cuff. Listen to the last sound: cu/fff/. What sound do you hear at the end?

LISTEN FOR
/f/.

PARENT TIP
Point to ff and say “These two f letters spell one /f/ sound here.” Adult supplies the word; the short u spelling has not been taught.

Slide 24 — F in the middle of muffin

SAY
This is a muffin. Say muffin. Listen slowly: mu/fff/in. Can you hear /f/ inside the word? Say it again with me.

LISTEN FOR
Hears /f/ within muffin.

PARENT TIP
The ff spelling represents one /f/ sound. Do not require the child to decode muffin or learn the complete spelling rule now.

Slide 25 — Blend fat

SAY
Touch each dot and say the sound: /f/ /a/ /t/. Now slide the sounds together: /fffaaa/t/, fat. Your turn.

LISTEN FOR
Reads “fat.”

PARENT TIP
Keep /f/ connected to the vowel and /t/ brief. Touch one dot per sound, then sweep under the word.

Slide 26 — Write lowercase f

SAY
Watch how we write lowercase f. 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 f 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 — Write uppercase F

SAY
Watch how we write uppercase F. 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 F 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 28 — Heart Words

SAY
Let’s learn a word made with a letter we know. This letter can sound different when it is a word all by itself.

LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 29 — The word a

SAY
This word is a. When we name it by itself, we can say “ay.” In a phrase like a map, we usually say it softly: “uh map.” Listen: a map, a mat. Read the little word with me: a.

LISTEN FOR
Recognizes a as a word and reads it with help.

PARENT TIP
Distinguish the word a from the short /a/ sound in apple. Model your natural pronunciation in a phrase; accept either common pronunciation, “uh” or “ay.” Explain that we have not learned this vowel use yet, so you will help with it.

Slide 30 — Reading

SAY
Let’s read with the sounds and words we know. We’ll sound out a word when we need to and then reread smoothly.

LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.

Slide 31 — I pat a map

SAY
Read I. Sound out pat: /p/ /a/ /t/. Here is our new word a. Now blend map: /m/ /a/ /p/. Read the whole sentence: I pat a map. What does the person pat?

LISTEN FOR
Reads “I pat a map.” Answers “a map.”

PARENT TIP
Supply the word a if needed, then have the child reread the sentence. Use the period as a cue to stop. Pat and map use different letter orders; point through every letter.

Slide 32 — Sentence dictation — listen and write

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

LISTEN FOR
I pat a fat 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 33 — 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 pat a fat 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 34 — Good Bye

SAY
You worked on f 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
/f/

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 35 — Copyright and course information

PARENT TIP
Adult information only. No child-facing script is needed; you may skip this slide during teaching.