Early Reading Lesson • Episode 30
Sounds for Students to Blend
Note
Teach this lesson to the whole class or small
groups once students have finished Episode 30
of Headsprout Early Reading. Students will have
learned the sounds and words below in previous
Headsprout episodes, so this lesson focuses on
practicing them with different activities.
Materials
• Sound Cards (projectable and printable)
• Word Cards (projectable and printable)
• High-Frequency Word Cards (projectable
and printable)
• Projectable book Hands and Wings, found here:
www.headsprout.com/main/BookDetail/id/2735/
from/hsbooks
Part 1. Review (Optional)
Cumulative review is built in during the online
Headsprout episodes. However, students may benefit
from reviewing previously learned skills in class,
especially if it has been some time since their last
Headsprout lesson. Pull up the last lesson completed
(the lesson for Episode 20) and start with the last
section, Read a Book. If students have difficulty reading
the book, use the section Practice Words with students
to review those skills.
Once students are reading the words confidently and
correctly, move on to Part 2 of this lesson, below.
Part 2. Phonemic Awareness
1. Say: You’ve been learning a lot of sounds in
Headsprout. Let’s see if you can put those sounds
together to make words. I’ll do one for you.
Get ready. /S/ /an/. San. Now I’ll say more sounds,
and you’ll put them together to make a word.
Get ready.
2. Say the sounds below clearly and slowly. Call on a
student to say the word or have students call out
the word chorally.
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
/sh/ /out/ /s/ /s/ /c/ /out/
/f/ /ish/ /h/ /and/ /s/
/sh/ /ee/ /p/ /w/ /ing/ /s/
/sh/ /ip/ /sw/ /ing/
/f/ /old/ /s/ /f/ /l/ /ing/
/h/ /and/ /h/ /old/ /s/
/c/ /old/ /p/ /ee/ /l/
Part 3. Practice Sound-Symbol
Relations
Materials: projectable Sound Cards, print Sound Cards
1. Say: Now we’re going to practice the sounds you
have learned in Headsprout. Say each sound when
I point to it. Remember to stretch out the sounds,
like this: /sssss/.
2. Use the projectable Sound Cards to review each
sound-symbol relation. Point to each sound and ask
students to say the sound chorally. Move back and
forth through the sounds so students practice each
sound several times in a different order. After a few
rounds, increase the pace so students have to say
each sound chorally and quickly.
3. Have students pair up. Distribute a set of print
Sound Cards to each pair and have students take
turns as one member of each pair says the sound
on each card while the other checks for accuracy.
Repeat this activity for as many rounds as needed
until students are saying the sounds correctly and
confidently. Remind students to switch roles and
shuffle the cards each time.
Sound Fluency Building
If students struggle to remember these sound-
symbol relations, they may benefit from fluency-
building practice. To build fluency with sounds,
use the first three pages of the materials found
here after locating the correct pack for the
Headsprout episode that the student is working on:
www.headsprout.com/main/HeadSproutTeacher/
View/HeadsproutFluencyBuilding
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 Early Reading Lesson • Episode 30
Part 4. Practice Words
Materials: projectable Word Cards, print Word Cards
Say: Now that we’ve practiced the sounds, let’s put
them together to read words.
1. Use the projectable Word Cards to model sounding
out words. Point to the first word (shouts) and say,
I’ll say each sound as my finger touches it. Then I’ll
say the word fast.
2. Slide your finger under the first sound and say /sh/.
Stretch the sound out—do not say it quickly.
3. Slide your finger under the second sound and say
/out/, stretching out the sound.
4. Slide your finger under the third sound and say /s/,
stretching out the sound.
5. Slide your finger under the entire word and say
shouts quickly, as a single word.
6. Repeat the process above for two or three
additional words or call on students to come
to the front to model sounding out more words.
7. Have students pair up. Distribute a set of print
Word Cards to each pair and have students take
turns as one member of each pair sounds out
the word on each card while the other checks for
accuracy. Repeat this activity for as many rounds
as needed until students are sounding out the
words correctly and confidently. Remind students
to switch roles and shuffle the cards each time.
Word Fluency Building
If students struggle to sound out words, they may
benefit from fluency-building practice. To build
fluency with these words, use the second three
pages of the materials found here after locating
the correct pack for the Headsprout episode that the
student is working on: www.headsprout.com/main/
HeadSproutTeacher/View/HeadsproutFluencyBuilding
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
Part 5. Read and Write
High-Frequency Words
Materials: projectable High-Frequency Word Cards,
paper, writing tools (markers, crayons, and so on.)
1. Say: We’re going to play a game about words that
you have learned in Headsprout. But first, let’s
practice the words.
2. Use the projectable High-Frequency Word Cards
to review each word. Point to each word and ask
students to say it chorally. Move back and forth
through the words so students practice each word
several times in a different order. After a few
rounds, increase the pace so students have to say
each word chorally and quickly.
3. Say: For this game, you’ll work in pairs. One
person from each pair is the reader. The other
person is the writer. Writers, please get a piece
of paper and turn your back to the board so you
can’t see the words. Make sure all writers are
facing the other way. Then say, Readers, look
at this word. Point to a randomly chosen word
on the projectable.
4. Say: Readers, tell your writers what the word
is, quietly. Writers, write down the word as best
you can.
5. When the writers have written the word, have them
raise their paper to show it and check their writing
against the word being projected. If desired, award
points for correctly written words.
6. Have readers and writers switch roles and repeat
the activity for the remaining words.
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 Early Reading Lesson • Episode 30
Part 6. Read a Book
Materials: projectable book Hands and Wings, found
here: www.headsprout.com/main/BookDetail/id/2735/
from/hsbooks
1. Project the book Hands and Wings so all students
can read it.
2. Say: Now we’re going to read a book together.
Call on students to take turns reading a phrase
or sentence in the book, or read the book chorally.
3. Check for comprehension by asking students the
following questions during or after reading. Flip
the book pages as needed so students can find
the answers in the book.
• Which two friends does Scout see?
(Answer: Trish and Fling)
• What does Fling hold?
(Answer: his hands)
• What can Scout do with his wings?
(Answer: swing)
Optional: Have students draw a picture of their
favorite part of the story and then explain their
picture to a partner.
Connected Text Fluency Building
If students struggle with oral reading fluency, they
may benefit from fluency-building practice. To build
fluency with connected text, use the last three pages
of the materials found here after locating the correct
pack for the Headsprout episode that the student
is working on: www.headsprout.com/main/
HeadSproutTeacher/View/HeadsproutFluencyBuilding
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
Part 7. Make Sentences
Materials: print Word Cards, print High-Frequency
Word Cards
1. Say: Now you’ll get to build sentences with words.
Distribute a set of print Word Cards and a set of
High-Frequency Word Cards to individual students,
pairs, or small groups. You may add an optional
competition element by telling students that the
individual or group that builds the sentence first
will win extra points.
2. Say: I’m going to say a sentence. Your job is to
build that sentence by putting together the right
cards in the right order. Get ready! Say one of
the sentences below:
• Scout folds his wings.
• The sheep is cold.
• I fling the peel.
• The peel is old.
• The fish shouts.
• Fling holds the ship.
3. Repeat with additional sentences from the list
above. At the end of the activity, give bonus points
if a competition element was added.
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 Sound Cards

h sw ing

old w

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 Word Cards

shouts fish

sheep ship

folds hand

cold Scout

hands wings
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 Word Cards

swing Fling

fling holds

peel wing

vanish pout

ships reefs
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved. 6 www.headsprout.com
 High-Frequency Word Cards

the and

I out

old is

his

© Learning A–Z All rights reserved. 7 www.headsprout.com