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 zipper) and the letter symbol Z, practicing 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 “Zally the Zebra Zaps Zombies at the Zoo”; drawing paper and crayons; View at the Zoo (WorthyKids, 2010); word cards with ZIP, ZAP, SING, ZOOM, LAKE, and ZERO; assessment worksheet identifying letter Z and writing words that use /z/ (URL below). 

 

Procedures: 1.  Say: Our written language is a secret code. The tricky part is learning what letters stand for—the mouth moves in certain ways as we say words. Today we are going to work on spotting the mouth move /z/. We spell /z/ with letter Z. Z looks like a zipper, and /z/ sounds like we are zipping a zipper. 

 

2. Let’s pretend we are zipping a zipper, /z/, /z/, /z/. [Pantomime zipping a zipper] Notice where your teeth are? (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 zoom. I’m going to stretch zoom out in super slow motion and listen for the zipper. Zzz-ooo-mmm. Slower: z-z-z-ooo-m-m-m. There it was! I felt my tongue touch my teeth and used my voice. Zipper /z/ is in zoom.

 

4. Let’s try a tongue tickler [on chart]. Zally the zebra zaps zombies at the zoo. The zombies zoom past her on a zeppelin. They make zigzags in the air as they whiz past Zally. Zally the Zebra catches them in her zone and zaps them down. The zombies are gone, Zally can rest! Zzz goes Zally as she sleeps in her fuzzy bed. Here’s our ticklerL “Zally the Zebra zaps zombies at the zoo.” Let’s repeat it three times together. Now say it again, and this time, stretch the /z/ at the beginning of the words. “Zzzally the zzzebra zzzaps zzzombies at the zzzoo.” Try it again, and this time break it off the word: “/z/ally the /z/ebra /z/aps /z/ombies at 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 z. Start at the fence and we are going to make a short line on the fence. Then draw a crooked line from the end of the first line you drew all the way to the sidewalk. After that, let’s 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. Call on students to answer and tell how they knew: Do you hear /z/ in sing or zoom? Zoo or mop? Buzz or moss? Zip or lake? Hero or zero? Let’s see if you can spot the mouth move in /z/ in some words. Zip the zipper if you hear /z/: lake, zoom, zap, meat, sing, zebra, home, zone, yellow, zucchini. 

 

7. Say: “Let’s look at a new book. This book tells all about the funny things animals do at the zoo… and we even learn that the animals are watching US at the zoo!” Read the book, drawing out /z/. Ask children if they can think of any other words with /z/. Ask students to make up a name for a silly Zebra at the Zoo that lives alongside Zally the Zebra. Have each student write their silly name with invented spelling and draw a picture of their zebra. Display their work alongside Zally the Zebra. 

 

8. Show ZERO and model how to decide if it is zero or hero: The Z tells me to zip the zipper, /z/, so this word is zzz-ero, zero. You try some: ZAP: map or zap? ZOO: zoo or too? ZIP: tip or zip? ZOOM: boom or zoom? ZONE: zone or bone? 

 

9. For assessment, distribute the worksheet. Students identify and circle letter Z. Then they will practice writing Z and coming up with words that use /z/. Call students individually to read the phonetic cue words from step #8. 

 

Reference: Emily Tate, Zip Up Your Jacket with Z

 https://emt0020.wixsite.com/literacylessons/emergent-literacy

Assessment Worksheet: https://twistynoodle.com/i-can-write-the-letter-z-4-worksheet/  

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