Sound Detectives Lesson Plan
Sound Detectives Lesson Plan
mCLASS DIBELS Practice • 30-Minute Tier 1 / Tier 2 Protocol
Kindergarten
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Full 30-Minute Master Pacing Breakdown Page 1 (Min 0–20) • Page 2 (Min 20–30)
5 Min 1. Warm-Up
7 Min 2. I Do Model
8 Min 3. We Do Tap
7 Min 4. Practice Sheet
3 Min 5. Exit Check
Target DIBELS Measures
FSF (First Sound Fluency)
PSF (Phoneme Segmentation)
Focus Sound Structures
2-Sound Words (VC: /u/ /n/)
3-Sound Words (CVC: /s/ /u/ /n/)
Materials Included
Display Slides, Tap Sheet,
Exit Quick Check Tracker
Measurable Learning Objectives
- First Sound Fluency: Students isolate and produce initial phonemes in spoken words with 80%+ accuracy.
- Phoneme Segmentation: Students orally segment spoken 2- and 3-phoneme words into individual discrete sounds using tactile arm tapping and Elkonin sound boxes.
Part 1: Whole-Group Direct Instruction (Minutes 00:00 – 20:00) Phases 1, 2 & 3 • 20 Total Minutes
00:00 - 05:00 • 5 Min Phase 1: Mystery Sound Warm-Up (FSF)
Activate phonemic listening using the "Mystery Detective Bag" routine.
Teacher Script: "Detectives, turn on your superpower ears! What is the very first sound you hear in the word sun? Listen: /s/... sun. What sound?" (Students respond: "/s/"). Repeat with: fish (/f/), map (/m/), rug (/r/).
05:00 - 12:00 • 7 Min Phase 2: Explicit Modeling - "Arm Tapping & Sound Boxes" (I Do)
Introduce the core DIBELS PSF kinesthetic routine: tapping sounds from left to right along the arm.
Arm Tap Technique: Extend left arm. Touch shoulder for sound 1, elbow crease for sound 2, wrist for sound 3. Sweep down arm to blend.
Teacher Model: "Watch me break apart CAT: shoulder gets /k/, elbow gets /æ/, wrist gets /t/. /k/ - /æ/ - /t/. Three sounds!" Point to 3 visual sound boxes on slide.
12:00 - 20:00 • 8 Min Phase 3: Guided Practice - "Choral Tapping" (We Do)
Whole group practice with immediate corrective feedback and gradual release.
Word 1: MOP /m/ • /ɒ/ • /p/ (3 sounds)
Word 2: BED /b/ • /e/ • /d/ (3 sounds)
Word 3: UP (2-Sound) /ʌ/ • /p/ (2 sounds)
mCLASS DIBELS Kindergarten Protocol • Part 1 (Minutes 0–20) See Page 2 for Part 2: Independent Practice & Diagnostic Check (Minutes 20–30)
Part 2: Application & Diagnostic Exit (Minutes 20–30)
Final 10 Minutes: Independent Practice & Rapid 1-on-1 Scoring
10 Min Total
20:00 - 27:00 • 7 Min Phase 4: Independent & Partner Practice - "Sound Tap Sheet" (You Do)
Students transition to their seats or carpet spots with the companion Sound Tap Practice Sheet. Working independently or with an elbow buddy, students name the picture, say the word slow like a snail, and dab/color one bubble for each distinct phoneme.
Teacher Action: Circulate with clipboard. Listen for pure sound production (avoiding "schwa" like saying /buh/ instead of clean /b/). Prompt individual students: "Tap and say each sound for Clue 1."
27:00 - 30:00 • 3 Min Phase 5: Rapid 1-on-1 Exit Quick Check & Wrap-Up
Conduct rapid 30-second 1-on-1 diagnostic checks with 4-5 focus students using the companion DIBELS Skills Quick Check tracker while the remaining students color their Detective Badges.
Wrap-Up Cheer (Last 60 Sec): Whole group choral celebration: "We are Sound Detectives—we crack the sound code!" Collect practice sheets.
DIBELS Common Misconceptions & Rapid Corrective Feedback
Adding Schwa (/buh/): Remind students to make "clipped, crisp sounds." Model clipping breath: "/b/ not /buh/."
Letter Names instead of Sounds: If child says "C - A - T", prompt: "Those are letter names! Tell me the sounds: /k/ /æ/ /t/."
Onset-Rime Partial Segmentation: If child says "/c/ - /at/", DIBELS gives partial credit (2 pts). Prompt: "Can you break /at/ into more sounds?"
Support / Intervention (Tier 2/3)
- Provide 3 physical foam blocks to push into boxes as they say sounds.
- Begin with 2-sound words with continuous initials (e.g., on, in, up).
- Exaggerate vowel duration (/ssss-uuu-nnnn/).
Extension / Enrichment
- Introduce 4-sound words with consonant blends (e.g., stop, frog).
- Sound substitution: "What word do we get if we change /k/ in cat to /b/?"
| Student Response to "sun" | DIBELS PSF Scoring | Diagnostic Meaning |
|---|
| /s/ /u/ /n/ | 3 phonemes (Full Credit) | Mastered phoneme isolation and complete segmentation |
| /s/ /un/ or /su/ /n/ | 2 phonemes (Partial Credit) | Onset-rime mastery; needs practice isolating medial vowels |
| /sun/ (no segmentation) | 0 phonemes (No Credit) | Needs tactile sound box manipulation and continuous modeling |
mCLASS DIBELS Kindergarten Protocol • Part 2 (Minutes 20–30) Total Lesson Duration: 30 Minutes
Sound Detectives Instructional Slides
mCLASS DIBELS Mission
Kindergarten Phonics
Sound Detectives!
Listen close, catch the first sound, and break words into pieces!
1
First Sound Fluency
•
2
Phoneme Segmentation
Warm-Up: Catch the First Sound!
DIBELS FSF
Turn on your detective ears! What is the very first sound?
☀️
SUN
First Sound: /s/
🐟
FISH
First Sound: /f/
🌙
MOON
First Sound: /m/
Say only the clean starting sound: no "schwa" at the end!
The Detective Tool: Arm Tapping
Body Phonics
1
Shoulder
Tap your shoulder for the first sound.
2
Elbow
Tap your inside elbow for the middle sound.
3
Wrist
Tap your wrist for the last sound.
Then sweep down your arm to blend the whole word together!
Teacher Model: Watch & Listen
I Do
☀️
SUN
Stretch the sounds across 3 sound boxes:
Sound 1 (Shoulder) /s/
Sound 2 (Elbow) /u/
Sound 3 (Wrist) /n/
/s/ ... /u/ ... /n/ = 3 sounds in SUN!
Let's Do It Together: CAT
We Do
🐱
CAT
Ready your tapping arm! Tap each sound with me:
Shoulder /k/
Elbow /æ/
Wrist /t/
Say it together: /k/ ... /æ/ ... /t/ = CAT!
Let's Practice: MOP
We Do
🧹
MOP
Stretch it like stretchy bubble gum!
Sound 1 /m/
Sound 2 /ɒ/
Sound 3 /p/
Tap and pop each bubble: /m/ ... /ɒ/ ... /p/!
Detective Challenge: Partner Turn
You Do
🐷
PIG
Turn to your partner! Tap and say each sound:
First Sound
?
Middle Sound
?
Last Sound
?
Partner check: Did you hear /p/ ... /ɪ/ ... /g/?
DIBELS Skills Quick Check
DIBELS Skills Quick Check
Kindergarten Diagnostic Tracker • FSF & PSF 1-on-1 Sampling
Teacher Form
Date: ____________
Exact 30-Second Administration Script
Task 1: First Sound Fluency (FSF)
"Listen: What is the first sound in fish?"
Correct: /f/ (1 pt). Error if letter name "F" or /fɪ/.
Task 2: Phoneme Segmentation (PSF)
"Tell me all the sounds in the word bed."
Correct: /b/ /e/ /d/ (3 pts). Slash underline each sound produced.
| Student Name | FSF: fish
(/f/ = 1 pt) | PSF 1: bed
/b/ /e/ /d/ (3) | PSF 2: mop
/m/ /ɒ/ /p/ (3) | PSF 3: sun
/s/ /ʌ/ /n/ (3) | PSF 4: in
/ɪ/ /n/ (2) | Total / 12
Benchmark: 9+ |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | [ 0 ] [ 1 ] | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ | ___ / 12 |
| 2. | [ 0 ] [ 1 ] | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ | ___ / 12 |
| 3. | [ 0 ] [ 1 ] | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ | ___ / 12 |
| 4. | [ 0 ] [ 1 ] | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ | ___ / 12 |
| 5. | [ 0 ] [ 1 ] | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ / _ | _ / _ | ___ / 12 |
Error Diagnostic Codes
SCH Added schwa (/buh/ instead of clean /b/)
LET Gave letter names (B-E-D instead of sounds)
ONS Onset-rime only (/b/ - /ed/, 2 phonemes)
REP Repeated entire word without breaking sounds
Instructional Grouping Action
10 - 12 Pts (At/Above Benchmark): Ready for blend words
7 - 9 Pts (Strategic / Tier 2): Guided arm tapping daily
0 - 6 Pts (Intensive / Tier 3): Tactile manipulative boxes
Teacher Diagnostic Notes & Small-Group Follow-Up:
mCLASS DIBELS Progress Monitoring • Kindergarten Assessment Form Tier 1 / Tier 2 Quick Diagnostic