Sound Detectives Teacher Guide
Scaffolded Tier 2 30 Minutes
Sound Detectives Lesson Plan
Small Group (3–5 Students)
2-Sound & Articulation Scaffold
Scaffolded Target Skills
1. Isolate continuous first sounds (/m/, /s/, /f/) using mouth feeling.
2. Segment 2-sound words (e.g., in, at, up, me) with 2 sound boxes.
Materials Needed
• 2 sound chips/counters per child
• Scaffolded 2-box Activity Mats
• Slides with mouth-shape photos
• Small hand mirrors (optional)
Why Continuous Sounds?
Continuous sounds (/m/, /s/, /f/) can be stretched for 2–3 seconds without distortion, eliminating the confusing "schwa" (like "muh" or "buh").
Articulatory Anchors: "Feel Your Mouth Move!"
👄 Humming Lips: /m/
"Close your two lips tight and hum. Feel your lips buzz!" (Hold: /mmmm/).
😁 Smiling Hiss: /s/
"Smile and tap your teeth together like a friendly snake." (Hold: /ssss/).
🐰 Bunny Wind: /f/
"Top teeth touch bottom lip and blow soft wind." (Hold: /ffff/).
Step 1 • Warm-Up (5 Minutes) Slides 1–2
Detective Mouth Tune-Up: Stretch & Hold First Sounds
Teacher: "Sound Detectives, touch your lips! Words are made of sounds that our mouths make. Today we are going to look and feel what our mouths do."
Model (I Do): "Watch my lips: mmmm-oon. My lips press shut: /m/. Say /m/ and feel your lips vibrate." (Students touch lips and hum).
Guided (We Do): "Let's say ssss-un. Show your smile: /ssss/! What is the first sound? /s/!"
Quick Contrast: Have students compare lips shut (/m/) vs teeth smiling (/s/). Tactile physical feedback builds immediate phonemic clarity!
Step 2 • Direct Instruction (10 Minutes) Slides 3–4
Continuous Sound Match: Feel the Match Showdown
Objective: Match words that start with the same continuous sound (/m/, /s/, or /f/) by holding the sound.
Teacher Script: "Listen and stretch: mmmm-ap and mmmm-ilk. Did your mouth do the exact same thing? Yes! Both start with /m/!"
Non-Example Script: "Now listen: mmmm-ap and ssss-un. Map has humming lips /m/, but sun has smiling snake /s/. Not the same!"
Student Turns (Hold the sound 2 seconds):
fish & fan (Match: /f/) sun & sock (Match: /s/) mop & soap (Different: /m/ vs /s/)
Kindergarten Literacy Intervention • Phonemic Awareness Page 1 of 2
2
2-Sound Segmenting & Assessment
Scaffolded Protocol
Step 3 • Guided Practice (10 Minutes) Slides 5–6 + 2-Box Mats
The 2-Sound Push Routine (VC Words)
Why 2 Sounds First? Eliminates middle vowel confusion and cuts processing load in half!
- Say the Whole Word: Teacher says: "The word is in. Say in." Students echo: "in."
- Pull the 2-Sound Stretcher: Stretch hands apart once: "/i/ ... /n/".
- Push 2 Sound Chips: Push one counter into Box 1, one counter into Box 2: Box 1: /i/ → Box 2: /n/
- Slide to Read: Swipe finger underneath: "in!"
Core 2-Sound Practice Words:
• in (/i/ /n/) • at (/a/ /t/)
• up (/u/ /p/) • on (/o/ /n/)
Continuous Ending Words (Extra Gentle):
• am (/a/ /m/) • if (/i/ /f/)
• us (/u/ /s/) • me (/m/ /e/)
Step 4 • Review & Check (5 Minutes) Quick Check Sheet
1-on-1 Micro Check
Check each child on 1 continuous initial sound probe and 1 two-sound segmentation probe while peers complete their 2-dot finger tap track on the activity mat. Praise effort and give explicit praise for mouth awareness!
Immediate "Save the Lesson" Scaffolding Moves
If student is still silent or overwhelmed:
Move: Touch their own lips. Say: "Watch my mouth: /m/. Put your lips together like mine. Let's make the hum together: /mmm/." Physical mimicry removes verbal anxiety.
If student merges the 2 sounds together (e.g. saying "up" instead of "/u/ ... /p/"):
Move: Use hand-to-hand tap. Left hand touches left shoulder for /u/, right hand touches right shoulder for /p/. Separate the sounds across their body!
Scaffolded Pacing Checklist
2-sound words only (no 3-sound CVC yet) Continuous initial sounds emphasized Mouth articulatory feeling practiced Zero print letters shown (auditory/tactile only)
Kindergarten Literacy Intervention • Phonemic Awareness Page 2 of 2
Sound Detectives Slides
Mouth & Sound Detectives
Gentle 2-Sound Scaffold
Step-by-Step Sound Lab
Sound Detectives!
Watch how our mouth moves and stretch words into 2 easy sounds!
Look at the Mouth
Stretch Continuous Sounds
Push 2 Sound Boxes
Warm-Up
Feel Your Mouth Move!
Touch your lips & feel the sound
👄
/m/
Humming Lips
Lips press shut tight: "mmmm"
😁
/s/
Smiling Snake
Smile and hiss: "ssss"
🐰
/f/
Bunny Wind
Teeth on lip: "ffff"
Keep stretching! We can hold these sounds long: "mmmm..." and "ssss..."
Step 2
Do Our Mouths Do the Same?
Stretch the first sound!
SAME MOUTH SHAPE! MATCH 👍
🌙
moon
"mmmm-oon"
🥛
milk
"mmmm-ilk"
Both use humming lips: /m/!
DIFFERENT MOUTHS! NO MATCH 👎
🌙
moon
"mmmm-oon"
≠
☀️
sun
"ssss-un"
/m/ lips ≠ /s/ smile!
Touch your lips: Did your lips shut both times? Or did your mouth change?
Step 3
The 2-Sound Stretcher!
Just 2 sounds!
Gentle 2-Sound Routine
We only have to listen for 2 sounds!
1
First Sound
Left hand out
2
Last Sound
Right hand out
Clap hands together: Say the whole word fast!
2-Sound Box 1
Stretch and Push: "in"
📥
Push 2 chips into the 2 boxes:
Sound 1 /i/
Sound 2 /n/
Slide finger left to right: "/i/ ... /n/ → IN!"
On your mat: push chip 1 (/i/), push chip 2 (/n/)!
2-Sound Box 2
More 2-Sound Words!
Just 2 sound chips
⬆️
up
2 sounds to catch
Sound 1
Sound Box Activity Mat
Sound Detectives Activity Mat
2-Sound & Mouth Detective Practice
Name:
Date:
Part 1 First Sound Match: Feel your mouth! Circle the picture with the SAME first sound.
👄 Look at mouth
🌙
moon
👄 /m/ Lips Shut
→
🥛
milk
🚗
car
🐟
fish
☀️
sun
😁 /s/ Smiling Hiss
→
🥪
sandwich
🐱
cat
🍕
pizza
🐟
fish
🐰 /f/ Bunny Wind
→
🍎
apple
🪭
fan
🎩
hat
Part 2 2-Sound Box Station: Put 2 chips on start dots, push UP into boxes!
Push each sound chip UP ↑
Sound 1
1
First Sound
Sound 2
2
Last Sound
Chip Start:
●
●
Slide finger left to right →
Sound Detectives Intervention • 2-Sound Scaffold Mat Page 1 of 2
2-Sound Finger Touch Tracks
Touch Dot 1, touch Dot 2, then slide to say the word fast!
Part 3 • 2 Dots Only
📥 in
Sound 1 (/i/)
Sound 2 (/n/)
Slide finger → Say whole word: "IN!"
⬆️ up
Sound 1 (/u/)
Sound 2 (/p/)
Slide finger → Say whole word: "UP!"
🎯 at
Sound 1 (/a/)
Sound 2 (/t/)
Slide finger → Say whole word: "AT!"
🙋 me
Sound 1 (/m/)
Sound 2 (/e/)
Slide finger → Say whole word: "ME!"
⭐
Super Mouth & Sound Detective Badge
I felt my mouth move and stretched words into 2 sounds!
Teacher Signature
Sound Detectives Intervention • 2-Sound Scaffold Mat Page 2 of 2
Sound Check Quick Assessment
Scaffolded Check Tier 2 Routine
Sound Check Quick Assessment
Group / Date: _____________________
Assessor: _____________________
Scaffolded Oral Prompt: "Watch my mouth as I say the word. Feel your own mouth and tell me the sounds you hear!" Individual administration (1–2 minutes per child). Check for continuous sound elongation without added schwa.
Task 1 Continuous Initial Sounds ("What is the first sound you feel in...")
4 Points Possible
| Student Name | moon 👄 /m/ | sun 😁 /s/ | fish 🐰 /f/ | ring 🦁 /r/ | Total /4 | Mouth Cue Notes |
|---|
| 1. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | /4 | |
| 2. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | /4 | |
| 3. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | /4 | |
| 4. | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ | /4 | |
Task 2 2-Sound Segmentation ("Stretch the 2 sounds in...")
8 Sounds Possible (2 per word)
| Student Name | in /i/ - /n/ | up /u/ - /p/ | at /a/ - /t/ | me /m/ - /e/ | Total /8 | Push Chip Notes |
|---|
| 1. | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | /8 | |
| 2. | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | /8 | |
| 3. | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | /8 | |
| 4. | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | ○ ○ | /8 | |
Ready for 3-Sound CVC
First Sound: 4/4
2-Sound Seg: 7–8/8
Next Step: Introduce 3-box CVC words with continuous sounds (e.g., sun).
Solidifying 2-Sound Words
First Sound: 3/4
2-Sound Seg: 5–6/8
Next Step: Continue with 2 sound boxes; use physical chips and body tapping.
