Sound Switchers Activity
Sound Switchers
Minimal Pairs Discrimination • Initial /s/ vs. /ʃ/ ("sh")
Name:
Date:
/s/ "S"
Hissing Snake Sound (tongue behind teeth)
Smile wide, teeth gently together, blowing a skinny stream of cool air.
VS
/ʃ/ "SH"
Quiet Whisper Sound (lips rounded)
Round lips into an "O", push lips forward, blowing a soft, warm breeze.
1 Sound Check: Listen & Circle the Initial Sound
Teacher/therapist speaks the target word
Listen closely as each word is spoken. Circle the sound you hear at the very beginning of the word.
1 Word Pair: sea / she
/s/
/ʃ/
2 Word Pair: sock / shock
/s/
/ʃ/
3 Word Pair: sip / ship
/s/
/ʃ/
4 Word Pair: sore / shore
/s/
/ʃ/
5 Word Pair: sell / shell
/s/
/ʃ/
6 Word Pair: seat / sheet
/s/
/ʃ/
2 Minimal Pair Showdown: Which Word Did You Hear?
Listen and circle the exact word called
Changing the first sound changes the entire meaning! Circle the word that matches the spoken clue.
PAIR A
sip
vs
ship
Drink gently Ocean boat
PAIR B
sock
vs
shock
Footwear Big surprise
PAIR C
sue
vs
shoe
A girl's name Foot gear
PAIR D
sell
vs
shell
Trade for cash Beach find
PAIR E
sign
vs
shine
Street notice Bright glow
PAIR F
save
vs
shave
Keep safely Trim hair
Listening Score (Part 1 & 2): ______ / 12 correct
Listener Rating:
Sound Switchers • Discrimination in Action
Part 3: Silly Sentences & Word Sorting
Page 2
3 Silly Sentence Fix-Up: Choose the Word That Fits!
Read and circle the correct word
One minimal pair word makes perfect sense, but the other creates a silly mistake! Circle the correct word.
1
The captain steered his giant ______ across the deep ocean waves.
sip ship
2
Before running outside, Liam pulled a warm woolen ______ onto his foot.
sock shock
3
Walking along the sandy beach, Maya discovered a smooth pink ______.
sell shell
4
On sunny summer afternoons, you can watch the bright light ______ through the trees.
sign shine
5
Caleb tied the laces tightly on his right ______ so he could run fast.
sue shoe
4 Sound Detective Sort
Say each word aloud, then write it in the right column
Word Bank (10 Words)
shock seat shore sock sheet sore shelf self shave save
S Starts with /s/ (Snake Sound) (5 words)
1. __________________
2. __________________
3. __________________
4. __________________
5. __________________
SH Starts with /ʃ/ (Quiet Sound) (5 words)
1. __________________
2. __________________
3. __________________
4. __________________
5. __________________
Clinician / Facilitator Prompt Guide:
Cover mouth with a paper or card if assessing pure auditory discrimination without visual lip reading cues. If the child substitutes [s] for [ʃ] (depalatalization), remind: "Round your lips like a donut for the quiet sound!"
Target Mastery 80%+ Accuracy
Met Practicing