Eddy Intro Slides Eddy Elephant's Exercise
Sound Detective Case #1
Pre-K Phonics
Meet Eddy!
This is Eddy Elephant. Eddy loves his exercise!
"He makes a very quiet sound. Can you hear it?"
🐘
/e/
The Secret Sound
Put your elephant ears on!
👂
Listen
📢
Repeat
"E-E-Eddy says... /e/ /e/ /e/!"
Eddy's Exercise Words
💪
Elbow
🚂
Engine
🚪
Exit
Mission: Start!
Let's practice making our elephant ears and listening for Eddy's secret sound!
Are you ready, detectives?
Eddy Ear Craft Elephant Listening Ears
Sound Detective Case #1: /e/ Sound
Name:
Date:
Detective Instructions
Eddy Elephant needs your help! Color these big elephant ears, cut them out, and tape them to a headband. Put them on to help you catch that tricky short /e/ sound!
LEFT EAR
Decorate with /e/ words!
Cut along the dotted line
RIGHT EAR
Decorate with /e/ words!
Cut along the dotted line
Ear Power Check
I can hear Eddy's sound.
I can say /e/ /e/ elephant!
Eddy Exercise Guide Teacher Resource Lesson 1 of 5
Eddy Elephant's Exercise
Case File: The Mystery of the Quiet Sound
Objective
Students will identify the short /e/ sound in the initial position and produce the sound in isolation and within words.
Materials Needed
Eddy Intro Slides
Elephant Ear Templates
Paper Headbands or Cardstock strips
Markers, scissors, and glue/tape
Detective Tips
The short /e/ is a "quiet" sound. Encourage students to drop their jaw just a little bit and make a short, crisp sound. Avoid "ayyy" or "eee".
The Lesson Plan
01
The Hook (5 mins)
Introduce Eddy Elephant. Tell students that Eddy is very shy and has a very quiet sound. "Can you put on your imaginary elephant ears to hear him?" Model the sound /e/.
02
Intro Slides (10 mins)
Use the Eddy Intro Slides. Practice the echo game. You say "Eddy says elbow," and students repeat. Focus on the /e/ sound at the start of: elbow, engine, exit, egg.
03
The Ear Craft (15 mins)
Distribute the ear templates. While students color and cut, walk around and ask them to tell you the /e/ sound. Attach the ears to headbands.
04
Detective Training (10 mins)
With their "Elephant Ears" on, play a listening game. Call out words. If they hear Eddy's sound (/e/) at the start, they flap their elephant ears! Use words like: Egg, Apple, Elephant, Elbow, Ant.
Key Questions
"How does your mouth feel when you say /e/?"
"Why do we need our big elephant ears to hear Eddy?"
Cracking Egg Slides 🍳
Cracking the Egg Sound
Sound Detective Case #2
Pre-K Phonics
What's Cooking?
We are cooking up short /e/ sounds for breakfast today!
"Crack the eggs to find the words. If it sounds like 'egg', it goes in the pan!"
🥚
🍳
🥚
🍳
The Sorting Rules
🍳
The Pan
For words that have the /e/ sound in the middle.
🧺
The Basket
If it doesn't sound like /e/, put it back!
Practice Crack!
🛏️
Bed
Pan or Basket?
🐱
Cat
Pan or Basket?
Ready to Cook?
Grab an egg, listen for the middle sound, and decide where it belongs!
Good luck, Detectives!
Egg Sorting Mat The Egg Sorting Mat
Sound Detective Case #2: Pan or Basket?
Name:
The /e/ Pan
🍳
Cook /e/ Words Here
The Basket
🧺
Other Sounds Go Here
I found an /e/ sound!
This sound is a trickster.
Cracking Egg Guide Teacher Resource Lesson 2 of 5
Cracking the Egg Sound
Case File: The Great Breakfast Mix-Up
Objective
Students will discriminate between the short /e/ sound and other vowel sounds by sorting objects or pictures into categories.
Materials Needed
Plastic Eggs (12-24)
Small objects or pictures: (/e/: pen, net, bed, hen, jet) (Others: dog, hat, pig, sun)
Egg Sorting Mats
Detective Tip
Watch for the /a/ vs /e/ confusion (e.g., bat vs bet). Have students stretch the middle sound: "B-e-e-e-d" vs "B-a-a-a-t".
The Lesson Plan
01
The Setup (5 mins)
Set out the basket of plastic eggs. Tell students: "Our breakfast got mixed up! Some of these eggs have /e/ sounds inside, and some have tricksters. We only want to cook the /e/ sounds in our pan."
02
Visual Sort (10 mins)
Use the Cracking Egg Slides to practice together. Show a 'Bed'. Ask: "Does Bed sound like Egg?" (Yes). Move it to the pan. Show a 'Cat'. Ask: "Does Cat sound like Egg?" (No). Move it to the basket.
03
Egg Cracking (20 mins)
In small groups, students take turns picking an egg, opening it, and saying the name of the object. They decide if it belongs on the Pan or in the Basket on their Sorting Mat.
04
Detective Debrief (5 mins)
Gather back together. "Which words did we cook today?" Have students name the /e/ words they found.
Troubleshooting
If students are struggling: Focus on only two sounds at first, like /e/ and /o/. The difference between "Pen" and "Pot" is much easier to hear than "Pen" and "Pan".
Sticky Web Slides The Sticky Web Activity
Sound Detective Case #3
Word Families
🕷️
A Sticky Snack!
The spider only wants to catch short /e/ words in her web!
If it rhymes with Web or Net, it's a catch!
🕸️
-et Family
The "Net" words
🕸️
Net
🛩️
Jet
👩⚕️
Vet
-eb Family
The "Web" words
🕷️🕸️
Web
🔍
Eb
(Short for Ebenezer!)
Mission: Web Master
Let's cut out our words and see if we can catch them in the tape web!
Watch out for the Sticky Spider!
Web Sorting Cards Sticky Web Catchers
Sound Detective Case #3: -et and -eb Families
Name:
Detective Instructions
The spider only wants words that sound like web or net. Cut out these picture cards. If it's a "catch," stick it on our classroom tape web!
🕸️
Web
-eb family
🥅
Net
-et family
🛩️
Jet
-et family
👩⚕️
Vet
-et family
🐕🚿
Wet
-et family
🐱
Cat
Trickster!
👦
Eb
-eb family
🐰
Pet
-et family
🐷
Pig
Trickster!
Total "Catches": 7 Cards. Tricksters: 2 Cards.
Property of the Sound Detective Agency
Sticky Web Guide Teacher Resource Lesson 3 of 5
The Sticky Web Activity
Case File: The Spider's Rhyming Dinner
Objective
Students will recognize and group words from the -et and -eb word families, reinforcing the short /e/ sound in CVC contexts.
Materials Needed
Masking Tape (or blue painters tape)
Sticky Web Slides
Web Sorting Cards (cut out)
A spider puppet or toy (optional)
The Lesson Plan
01
The Web Setup (10 mins)
Before class or with students, use masking tape to create a large spider web on the floor or a wall. The tape should be sticky-side OUT if on a wall, or just flat on the floor for students to place items on.
02
Sticky Word Instruction (10 mins)
Use the Sticky Web Slides. Introduce the -et and -eb families. Practice rhyming: "Web rhymes with...?" (Eb). "Net rhymes with...?" (Jet, Vet, Pet).
03
Catch the Words (20 mins)
Give each student a few Web Sorting Cards. They must "inspect" the card like a detective. If it belongs in the web (short /e/ sound), they walk to the web and stick it on!
04
Spider Check (5 mins)
Use a spider toy to "check" the web. "Does Cat belong in our web?" (No!) "The spider says 'Yuck!' and we move it to the floor."
Differentiation
Support
Have students only focus on the -et family first. Use more visual prompts like a literal net object.
Challenge
Ask students to think of a new -et word that isn't on the cards (e.g., set, let, met).
Hen Pen Slides 🐔
Help the Hen Find Her Pen
Sound Detective Case #4
Story Circle
✍️
A Missing Pen!
The Hen was in her Den, when she lost her favorite Pen!
"Can you help her find it by finishing her rhymes?"
🐔
Where is it?
"The Hen looked in her..."
⛺
?
T _ _
(It rhymes with 'Hen'!)
"She asked her friend the..."
👨
?
M _ _
(Another 'en' word!)
Case Closed!
"I found my pen in the lion's den!"
Excellent Rhyming!
Hen Rhyme Handout Find the Hen's Pen
Sound Detective Case #4: Rhyme Match
Name:
Rhyme Detective Mission
The Hen lost her Pen! Look at the pictures below. Draw a line from the Hen to every picture that rhymes with her name.
🐔
Hen
🖊️
Pen
🔟
Ten
🐶
Dog
👨👨👦
Men
⛰️
Den
🎩
Hat
"I found 4 words that rhyme with Hen!"
Hen Pen Guide Teacher Resource Lesson 4 of 5
Help the Hen Find Her Pen
Case File: The Mystery of the Missing Ink
Objective
Students will generate rhyming words within the -en word family and use auditory closure to complete oral sentences.
Materials Needed
Hen Pen Slides
Hen Rhyme Handout
A toy hen or red feather (optional)
Detective Tip
Rhyming helps students hear the vowel sound clearly. If a student says "Hand" rhymes with "Hen," point to your mouth: "Hen... Hand. Do they sound the same in the middle?"
The Lesson Plan
01
The Story Circle (15 mins)
Gather students in a circle. Introduce the problem: Hen has lost her pen! Use the Hen Pen Slides. Read the prompts and pause for students to shout out the rhyming word.
"Hen went to see the Men..."
"She looked in her Den..."
"She asked her friend Ben..."
02
Detective Search (15 mins)
Distribute the Hen Rhyme Handout. Students identify the pictures and draw lines to "Hen" only if they rhyme. Review the tricksters (Dog, Hat) together first.
03
Final Rhyme (5 mins)
"Where was the pen?" Lead the class in the final rhyme from the slides: "I found my pen in the lion's den!"
Extension
Play "Rhyme Tag." Say a word like "Pen." The first student to say a rhyming word (Ten!) gets to choose the next starting word.
Listening Lottery Slides 🎭
Listening Lottery: E vs A
Sound Detective Case #5: The Final Face-Off
Mastery Level
The Trickster Sounds
E
/e/ /e/ Egg
VS
A
/a/ /a/ Apple
"They sound almost the same! You'll need your magnifying glasses to tell them apart!"
How to Vote
🟦
I hear /e/
🟥
I hear /a/
Practice Detective Pair
🖊️
Beg
👜
Bag
Final Exam!
Can you catch every trickster? Let's play the Listening Lottery!
Good luck, Sound Detectives!
Listening Lottery Cards The Lottery Vote Cards
Sound Detective Case #5: E vs A
Name:
Detective Instructions
Cut out your voting cards. When you hear the /e/ sound (like Egg), hold up the Blue Card. When you hear the /a/ sound (like Apple), hold up the Red Card!
🥚
E
The Egg
/e/ sound
🍎
A
The Apple
/a/ sound
Cut along the outer lines to make your cards!
Listening Lottery Guide Teacher Resource Lesson 5 of 5
Listening Lottery: E vs A
Case File: The Great Trickster Showdown
Objective
Students will discriminate between the short /e/ and short /a/ vowel sounds in minimal pairs through a voting game.
Materials Needed
Listening Lottery Slides
Listening Lottery Voting Cards
Small prizes (stickers) for "Master Detectives"
Detective Tip
The /a/ sound is "wide" (smile sound). The /e/ sound is "relaxed." Show your mouth as you say the words.
The Lesson Plan
01
The Face-Off (5 mins)
Review Eddy Elephant (/e/). Then introduce Andy Apple (/a/). "These two sounds are tricksters! They try to sound the same to fool detectives."
02
Practice Voting (10 mins)
Use the Listening Lottery Slides. Explain the voting rule: Blue for /e/, Red for /a/. Practice with the "Beg" vs "Bag" slide.
03
The Lottery Game (20 mins)
Call out word pairs or single words. Students vote by holding up their cards.
/e/ Words
Bed, Pen, Men, Met, Set
/a/ Words
Bad, Pan, Man, Mat, Sat
04
Master Detective Graduation (5 mins)
Celebrate their success! Give out stickers or draw a "detective badge" on their hand. "You've solved the mystery of the short /e/ sound!"
Summary of Learning
Students can produce the /e/ sound.
Students can identify /e/ at the start and middle of words.
Students can distinguish /e/ from /a/.