CHAPTER 3

Unpacking the Lessons

Design of the Lesson Plan

Each lesson follows a consistent design in terms of both its
instructional and physical design. On the pages that follow, we
have included a sample lesson accompanied by a key that
describes each lesson component. But first, here are some
general notes about the lesson design and optimal instruction:

Lesson Design
• Lessons follow a three-part design with each part (Introducing,
Applying, and Consolidating) taking approximately 10 minutes,
for a total of 30 minutes per lesson.
• The lessons and the order of activities within the lesson are
sequential. It is important to follow the lesson design, although
it may be tempting to edit some of the sections. In the case of
phonics, the repetition of the design, and the scripts contained
within it, support students’ learning.
• The lessons are multimodal in nature—students see, hear, and
manipulate materials as they learn.
• Each lesson addresses content at three levels: sound, word, and
connected text.
Tips for Optimal Instruction
• Be explicit in what you expect your students to do during the
various activities. We provide explicit instruction on how to
carry out each lesson, and giving this same type of instruction
to students can support their learning—they have a clear
understanding of what is expected of them.
• Give students multiple opportunities to practise and engage in
all of the lesson components, from the Getting Started review
through consolidation.
• While our goal is to have students use their phonics skills to
read words, encourage them where possible to write words to
demonstrate their knowledge of letter-sound correspondences.
Reading and writing go hand in hand, and we have evidence that they
each support the other’s development (e.g., Georgiou et al., 2020). For
example, if your students have whiteboards, they can spell a word
instead of (or in addition to) using their letter squares to sound it out.
Unpacking the Lessons 21
Exploring Parts of the Lesson

LESSON 28

SLP
Final Consonant s (/z/)
VIDEO
A Target Words: digs, wigs, pins, pans, fans, cans
Challenge Words: rags, rods, fangs, frogs

C Getting Started: Review with students what they learned in Lesson 27.
B MATERIALS Invite them to name the letter combination ng, say the /ŋ/ sound, and
• LMs 28.1a–28.3b read the lesson’s target words.
• a text with decodable
words in which s makes
the /z/ sound, such as Introducing Final Consonant s (/z/)
The Fox and the Ducks
from Bug Club Phonics D The SLP Corner: /z/
Raise tongue to almost touch bumpy ridge behind top front teeth. Sides
of tongue touch upper teeth. | Be sure to keep tongue close to ridge
behind top front teeth. Turn voice on as air slowly moves over small
E FYI
groove in middle of tongue toward front teeth: /z/ pins.
The final s is pronounced
/z/ when a word ends with
a voiced consonant (e.g., F Modelling
b, d, g, l, m, n, ng, r, v) or a
vowel sound (as in shoes Write or display the letter s. Say: When the letter s is at the end of a
and flees). word, it often makes the sound /z/. Invite students to practise saying
the sound with you. Then say: We hear the /z/ sound at the end of
the words digs and frogs.

Display the target word cards (LMs 28.1a–28.1b) one at a time. Say
each word aloud, emphasizing the /z/ sound. Invite students to say
each word after you. Continue with any challenge words (LM 28.1b)
you have chosen to include.

G Blending to Read

d i g s
1. Provide each student with the Lesson 28 letter squares for the
target words and any challenge words you have introduced
(LM 28.2). Start with the target word digs. Ask students to find the
letter squares with d, i, g, and s.
2. Invite students to use their letter squares to make the word digs.
Then, write or display digs to confirm the correct spelling.
3. Model blending the sounds /d/, /ĭ/, /g/, and /z/ to say digs. Begin

digs
with your finger under the d as you say the sound /d/. Glide your
finger to the i as you say the sound /ĭ/, then to the g as you say
the sound /g/, and then to the s as you say the sound /z/. Repeat
several times, inviting students to read the word with you.
Use the same procedure to blend the remaining target words, in
the order shown in the target words list, and then continue with any
challenge words you have introduced.
The Phonics Companion ©P

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22 The Phonics Companion

A Target and Challenge Words
Each lesson contains target and challenge words, unique to the lesson, that exemplify the lesson focus.
Typically, there is a maximum of six target words and four challenge words. The words are also provided on line
masters, allowing you to display words digitally, one at a time.

B Materials List
In this list you will see the line masters needed for the lesson and any additional materials required. In most
lessons, a suggested decodable book (that is part of the Bug Club Phonics collection) is also listed. As much
as possible, we have supplied materials you will need for each lesson. In a number of instances, you may
substitute student notebooks or whiteboards for the line masters supplied. We encourage this substitution
wherever and whenever possible.

C Getting Started
We suggest that you do a quick review of the previous lesson by asking students to say the letter or letter
combination and the corresponding sound, and then read the related target words, which can be displayed
digitally or written on the board.

D The SLP Corner

This component of the lesson design comprises two parts: text within the lesson that describes the position
of the mouth and tongue when making a particular sound, and a related short video that features a practising
speech-language pathologist modelling how to make the sound. If you have a touch screen, you can zoom in on
the videos to see mouth positions more clearly.

Each video is delivered in clear language that can be shared with your students, and includes closed-captioning
for students who have hearing challenges. A QR code links directly to each video, and the videos are also
included on the website (Lesson Resources card).

E FYI
This is an occasional feature that we use to highlight interesting facts and observations about the English
language. In some lessons, we have substituted a Connections feature in place of the FYI box. The feature,
included where appropriate, prompts you to encourage your students to make connections to prior
learning—other sounds the lesson’s letter or letter combination can make, and/or other letters or letter
combinations that can also make the sound taught in the lesson.

F Modelling
This activity always introduces the lesson’s target words and any challenge words you wish to include. Begin by
writing the letter(s) for the sound on a board. We encourage you to use the script supplied (in red) each time you
deliver this component. Target and challenge words can be displayed digitally, and students sound them out as
a large group.

G Blending to Read
This section, like the modelling section, should be delivered as outlined in the lesson. The activity helps
students to develop critical understandings of how sounds blend in a word. Included for every lesson is a
line master that provides copies of the letters and letter combinations students will need to make target and
challenge words, including additional copies of repeating letters.

Unpacking the Lessons 23

 Applying
H Sort the Sounds Final s Final s
Use this activity to provide students with practice in identifying the says s says z
sounds /s/ and /z/ in words that end with s. (Note: Instead of using cats dogs
line masters for this activity, you could read aloud the word on each lips cubs
word card and ask students to use hand signals, such as thumb up if kicks paws
s makes the /s/ sound, and thumb down if s makes the /z/ sound.) locks shoes
1. Provide each student with LM 28.3a and word cards cut out from sings
LM 28.3b. Explain that students will place words that end with the smells
/s/ sound in the “Final s says s” column on LM 28.3a. Words that
end with the /z/ sound will be placed in the “Final s says z” column.
2. Focus students’ attention on the word card with dogs. Ask: What
sound does the s say? Invite students to say dogs with you. Ask:
Differentiating
Learning
I
Do we hear the /s/ sound or the /z/ sound at the end of dogs?
Yes, we hear the /z/ sound at the end of dogs, so we put the word Support: For Sort the
under “Final s says /z/.” Sounds, pronounce each
3. Students continue sorting the remaining words. word for students and
ask them to repeat the
word back several times,

Consolidating emphasizing the difference

in the sounds.
Challenge: Ask students to
J Confirming Learning suggest additional words
that end with s. Write each
Show students the letter s. Invite them to say the sound /z/. Display
word on scrap paper and
the lesson’s target words (and any challenge words taught) and invite
ask students to sort the
students to read them aloud. words according to the final
sound, /s/ or /z/.
K Reading Final Consonant s (/z/) Words in Text
Use The Fox and the Ducks from Bug Club Phonics, or another
text with decodable final letter s words. As you read the text
aloud, pause in appropriate places to invite students to identify and
read words in which final consonant s makes the /z/ sound. (See the
description of Interactive Reading on page 26.)

L Unit Review
Before teaching the next lesson, spend a Phonics session reviewing with students the sounds
taught in Lessons 25 to 28. For more on unit review activities, see page 29 and the Assessments
and Teacher Tools card on the website.

©P Lesson 28: Final Consonant s (/z/)

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24 The Phonics Companion

H Applying Activity
Each lesson has one Applying activity that is drawn from a bank of more than 20 word
games and activities (e.g., Word Bingo, Roll and Read/Write, Search and Sort,
Tic-tac-toe Words, Four in a Row, and Look Around the Room). Line masters, some
with game boards, are supplied for each activity where required. Whenever and
wherever possible, we encourage providing students with opportunities to practise
and apply what they have learned in phonics across the broader literacy context.

I Differentiating Learning
Each Applying activity is accompanied by suggestions that will help scaffold the
activity for students who need extra support, as well as suggestions to make the
activity more challenging for those students who are ready to extend their learning.
See the Assessments and Teacher Tools card on the website for general strategies
that can be implemented across activities to scaffold or extend students’ learning.

J Confirming Learning
This activity mimics the review activity done at the lesson’s start with words from
the previous lesson, but instead uses the target and any challenge words you
have chosen to include from the present lesson. This review provides an ideal
time to identify students who may need extra support or who are ready for more
challenging activities.

K Reading Words in a Text

In most lessons, we suggest a title from the Bug Club Phonics collection that
supports the focus of the lesson. Where we cannot suggest a Bug Club Phonics book,
we provide decodable sample text for you. The text is typically a few sentences that
you can read with the students. As another option, if you have access to a different
series of decodable texts at your school or you have been using something else
to teach that specific letter-sound correspondence (e.g., a poem), continue to use
it. The key point in selecting a text for interactive reading is to choose one that
provides multiple opportunities for students to identify and practise that particular
letter-sound correspondence. For more on interactive reading, see pages 26–28.

L Unit Review
Every four lessons, we recommend that students complete a review that revisits
the letters or letter combinations and the words that have been taught in the
previous four lessons. The review is intended to provide additional practice, but it
can also be used to extend learning for students who are ready to apply their skills
to reading and writing challenge words. You can select one or more focuses for
these reviews based on anecdotal observations you have made over the previous
days. Note that there is a full lesson plan template that you can use for the unit
reviews (Teacher Tool 14b), as well as suggested aligned activities on the website
(Assessments and Teacher Tools card).

Unpacking the Lessons 25