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 sound analogy (zipping a jacket) 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: Primary paper and pencil; chart with “Zeke the zebra zoomed zig-zag in the zoo.”; drawing paper and crayons; Dr. Seuss’s ABC (Random House, 1963); word cards with ZAP, ZOO, CAT, ZIP, FOG, and ZOOM; assessment worksheet writing the letter z and drawing pictures of items that begin with z. (URL below).

 

Procedures: 1. Say: Our written language is a secret code. The tricky part is learning what sounds letters stand for – the way our mouth moves as we say words. Today we’re going to work on figuring out the way the mouth moves for /z/. We spell /z/ with letter Z. Z looks like a zig-zag, and /z/ sounds like zipping up a jacket.

 

2. Let’s pretend to zip up our jacket, /z/, /z/, /z/. [Pantomime zipping a jacket] Notice the way you move your mouth to make the zipping sound? (Teeth closed with tongue against top and bottom teeth). When we say /z/, we make a vibrating sound with our tongue against our teeth. Saying /z/ is like saying /s/ but using your voice.

 

3. Let me show you how to find /z/ in the word buzz. I’m going to stretch buzz out in super slow motion and I want you to listen for my zipper. Bb-u-u-zzz. Slower: Bbb-uu-u--u-zzzz. There it was! I felt my tongue touch my teeth and used my voice. Zipper /z/ is in buzz.

 

4. Let’s try a tongue tickler [on chart]. Zeke the zebra zoomed zig-zag in the zoo. Zack zipped his jacket and zoomed after the zebra. Zack had zero luck keeping Zeke out of the no-zebra zone. Here’s our tickler: “Zeke the zebra zoomed zig-zag in the zoo”. Let’s say it three times together. Now say it again, and this time, stretch the /z/ at the beginning of the words. “Zzzeke the zzzzebra zzzzoomed zzzig-zzzzag in the zzzzoo.” Try it again, and this time break it off the word: “/z/eke the /z/ebra /z/oomed /z/ig-/z/ag in the /z/oo.”

 

5. [Have students take out primary paper and pencil]. We use letter Z to spell /z/. Capital Z looks like a zig-zag. Let’s write the lowercase letter z. Start at the fence and draw a short line on the fence. Then draw a crooked line from the end of the first line you drew to the sidewalk. After that, draw another short line on the sidewalk. I want to see everybody’s z. After I put a smile on it, I want you to make nine more just like it.

 

6. Ask students to tell how they knew: Do you hear /z/ in zombie or man? zip or close? zoo or park? zebra or horse? buzz or sing? Say: Let’s see if you can spot the mouth move /z/ in some words. Zip your jacket if you hear /z/: Ham, zoom, fuzz, dog, Zack, zap, red, bumblebee, zoom, buzz.

 

7. Say: “Let’s look at an alphabet book. Dr. Seuss tells us about a fuzzy creature called a zizzer-zazzer-zuzz!” Read page 24, drawing out /z/. Ask the students if they can think of other words with /z/. Ask them to make up a silly creature name like zizzer-zazzer-zuzz. Then have each student write their silly name with invented spelling and draw a picture of their silly creature. Display their work.

 

8. Show ZAP and model how to decide if it is cap or zap: The Z tells me to zip my jacket, /z/, so this word is zzz-a-p, zap. You try some: ZOO: boo or zoo? CAT: fat or cat? ZIP: hip or zip? FOG: fog or dog? ZOOM: boom or zoom?

 

9. For assessment, distribute the worksheet. Students write the letter z and draw 2 objects that begin with the letter z. Call on students to read the phonetic cue words from step #8.

 

Reference: Kacey Kilgore, Zipping with Z

https://kaceykilgore5.wixsite.com/literacydesigns/emergent-literacy

Assessment worksheet: https://www.education.com/worksheet/article/alphabet-practice-z/

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