Buzz with Bees using Z's
Emergent Literacy Design
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 (buzzing like a 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:
--picture of
bumblebee and /z/
--poster or paper
with tongue twister "Zigmund Zane zig-zagged through the zany zoo zone"
--primary paper
(enough for each student)
--pencils (enough
for each student)
--individual
flashcards with pictures of: zebra, zipper, maze, wizard, zoo
--individual
flashcards with words in all capital letters: ZAG, ZERO, BOOM, NED, ZANY
--worksheet
containing pictures containing /z/ and one without (enough for each
student)
Procedure:
1. Say, "Today we
are going to learn about the letter 'z' and the sound it makes, /z/.
To me, /z/ sounds a bit like the sound a bumblebee makes
/z/z/z/z/ when it is buzzing (pantomime a buzzing bumblebee). When we
say /z/, the tip of our tongues touch above the tops of our teeth.
From now on, every time we hear /z/ or see a
z, we will be bumblebees."
2. Say, "I'm going
to show you how to find /z/ in some different words. Listen while I
stretch out the word
crazy. C-r-a-z-y. Slower: cc-rr-aa-zz-yy.
Did everyone hear the bumblebee buzz in
crazy? It was towards the end.
What about in the word buzz? B-u-zz. Slower:
bb-uu-zz. Way to go! It was at the very
end."
3. Say: "Now let us
try a tongue twister: (display on paper or poster) Zigmund Zane
zig-zagged through the zany zoo zone. Let's
practice saying that together while we buzz like bumblebees when we
hear /z/. (say it once). Now let's say
again, this time stretching the z's at the beginning
of each word. Zzz-igmund Zzz-ane zzz-ig-zzz-agged through the zzz-any
zzz-oo zzz-one. This time, let's say it
with a pause between each /z/ sound and the rest of the word. /z/
igmund /z/ ane /z/
ig-/z/ agged through the /z/
any /z/ oo /z/
one."
4.
Say: ''Let's practice writing the letter Z to spell /z/.
(Give every student primary paper and a
pencil). Capital
Z and lowercase
z look the same, but capital Z is just a little
bigger than lowercase z.
Let's write the capital Z first.
Start on the rooftop and make a short straight line.
Next, draw a line through the fence to the
sidewalk like you are going to make the number 7.
Now, keep your pencil down and draw a short
straight line on sidewalk. I want to see
everyone's capital Z's. Then, you
can make ten more. Now, let's practice the lowercase z.
Start on the fence this time, and make a
small straight line. Draw a line to the
sidewalk like you are going to make a 7. From
the end of the 7, draw a straight line on the sidewalk.
Now you've made a lowercase z!
Practice those on your paper and I will
come around and check them.''
5.
Say: ''In the next activity, I am going to show you some pictures.
The things in the pictures contain Z's that
make the sound /z/. I want you to show me
how you can make the /z/ sound when you say the word.
I'll do one first to show you.
(Show picture of a zebra.) This is a
zzzzz-ebra. Now it's your turn.''
(Show students pictures of a zipper, a
maze, a wizard, and a zoo, and have them say the appropriate name for
each picture with emphasis on the letter Z).
6.
Say: "Each of you are doing an excellent job of hearing the sound /z/,
so I am going to say a few words and you can tell me which ones contain
the bumblebee buzz: do you hear /z/ in zap or
map?
Zip or
lip?
Zone or
phone?"
7. Say: "I am going
to say a sentence and I want to see your bumblebees each time I say/z/.
Zachary's zebra Zoe has zero fuzzy zippers."
8.
Say: ''Now, I am going to show you some flashcards with a word on it,
like this one.
(Show ZAG.) I will give you two
words and say, 'Is this word zag or rag?'
(Model I will decide whether the word is
zag or
rag.)
The Z tells me to buzz like a bumblebee,
/z/. So, this word has to be zzzzz-ag. Zag.
It's your turn to try:
ZERO: Is this
hero or
zero?
BOOM:
zoom or
boom?
NED:
ned or
zed?
ZANY:
brainy or
zany?"
Assessment:
As an
individual assessment, provide a worksheet with pictures of both words
containing the /z/ sound and others that do not.
Have students color the pictures that do contain the /z/ sound
and 'x' out the pictures that do not. Take
up papers to see who did and did not comprehend the lesson.
Reference:
Murray,
Bruce. (2008). Brush Your Teeth with F.
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/sightings/murrayel.html
Terry, Meg. (2009).
Zipping Up Z!
http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/projects/terryel.html
The Teachers' Desk.
(1997).
http://www.teachersdesk.org/vocabtong.html