Introduce the pronunciation and spelling patterns for the consonants
s, g, r, and f and continue with the short sound of the vowel a.
General Instructions
Point with a sharpened pencil to each of the large black letters listed across
the top of the page: S s, G g, R r, and F f. Ask your student to say each letter’s sound: s says |s|; g says |g| (not |gŭŭŭh|) (shorten the |ŭh| sound as much as possible); r says |r|; f says |f| (not |fŭh|).
Have your student read the four words in row I (Sam, sat, mass, and pass).
Discuss each word’s meaning. “Sam sat in my class.” “The cafeteria has a mass of spaghetti.” “Did you pass James in the hall today?” “Please pass the papers to the front of the row.” “Did you pass the test?” When your student has correctly read all four words, mark the completion chart.
Call out (dictate) the four words at Roman numeral I and have your student spell them on notebook paper. Discuss the meaning of these words. Remind your student that we always spell from LEFT to RIGHT. Two of the words end with double consonants (mass, pass). Often, the letter s is doubled at the end of short-vowel words. (One word in Roman numeral II is spelled with one s: gas.) When your student has spelled all four words correctly, mark his chart.
Have your student read, discuss the meaning of, and spell all of the words in rows II and III. As each set of words is correctly completed, record this on the progress chart.
II PRACTICE gas, gab, gal, gap, gag, bag, lag, nag, sag, and tag. Be sure your student shortens the |ŭh| sound in g as much as possible. Inexact pronunciation is a common student error that can hinder understanding of the meaning of words. Encourage your student to blend the first two letters of gas, |gă|, then pronounce the last letter in the word, as such: |gă| . . . |s| → |găs|. Illustrate the other words in sentences. “Did Joey fill the car with gas?” “Cade loves to gab about sports.” “Marianne is a sweet, smart gal.” “Did Kolt go outside to see the gap the earthquake caused in the pavement?” “Oh my, did you gag?” “We left the bag in the car.” “Hurry, hurry, don’t lag behind!” “I’ll clean my room. Please don’t nag me about it.” “Did you see the sag in the old wooden floor?” “A sad day may cause one’s spirits to sag.” “Look at the tag and see how much the shirt costs.” “Tag! You’re it!” Tag can function as a noun (price tag) or a verb (tag that person). The meaning depends on what the writer or speaker intends, and the sentence will provide context clues. This is another reason it is important to discuss the meaning of words.
III PRACTICE ram, rat, ran, and rag. The letter r can be difficult for some students to pronounce. The sound of r is sometimes described as a growl, like a puppy makes |rrr|. Now is not the time to be a perfectionist about speech, however. Relax. Just be sure your student recognizes the letter and can say and write it. “A ram is a male sheep.” “Let’s ram the castle gate!” “The rat ran into the hole with a rag.”
PRACTICE fan and fat. The sound of f is |f|, not |fŭh|. Do not say |ŭh|. “It’s hot. Please turn on the fan.” “Isaac is a fan of that baseball team.” Cody cut the fat off of the steak.”
Review
IV REVIEW pal, gap, sat, lap, sag, mat, tag, gal, tan, at.
V REVIEW bag, map, ram, pat, nap, pan, fan, lab, man, tat.
VI REVIEW rag, fat, am, lag, gas, ran, tab, mass, bat, pass.
Lesson Sound Chart
|s|
sun
|g|
guitar
|r|
run
|f|
fish