Sound Safari Lesson Plan Guide
Sound Safari
6-Day Phonics & Sight Word Review
Expedition Overview
Phonics Targets
Short vowels (a, e, i, o, u) in CVC, CVCC, and CCVC patterns.
Daily Timing (50 min)
Warm-up (5), Instruction (15), Games (20), Sight Words (10)
Day 1: 'a' & 'i' Oasis
CVC FOCUS
Whole Group: "Sound Binoculars" - Stretch CVC words (cat, pin, map, sit).
Partner Game: "Safari Snapshot" - Frame and 'capture' target vowels.
Sight Words: one, two, three, the, a, blue, yellow, look.
Day 2: 'o' & 'u' Outpost
CVC FOCUS
Whole Group: "Safari Hop" - Jump for sounds in 'pot', 'run', 'fox'.
Partner Game: "Rhyme Rescuers" - Find pairs (dog/log, sun/bun).
Sight Words: I, are, little, down, out, of, up, funny.
Day 3: Vowel Valley
SHORT E & MIXED REVIEW
Whole Group: "Which Path?" - Change middle vowels (cat -> cot).
Partner Game: "Vowel BINGO" - Mark words as sounds are called.
Sight Words: all, from, was, when, no, said, word, what.
Day 4: Blend Jungle
CCVC INITIAL BLENDS
Whole Group: "Snake Slides" - Slither through blends (frog, spin, clap).
Partner Game: "Blend Builders" - Match onset blends to rimes.
Sight Words: says, why, so, were, to, which, here, where.
Day 5: Ending Echo
CVCC FINAL BLENDS
Whole Group: "Clap & Catch" - Catch ending blends (hand, milk, soft).
Partner Game: "Word Scavenger" - Flip cards to find ending blends.
Sight Words: once, there, he, their, she, my, we, by.
Day 6: Safari Finale
CUMULATIVE REVIEW
Whole Group: "Flashlight Read" - Quick read words on wall.
Partner Game: "Safari Expedition" - Board game review.
Sight Words: be, you, me, your, they.
Safari Game Master Guide
Safari Snapshot
Partners take turns calling a target vowel. The other student uses a hand-frame "camera" to 'snap' a matching word card from a spread.
Rhyme Rescuers
Spread cards. Teacher calls a word. Students race to find a rhyming card. Partners check each other for accuracy.
Safari Board Game
Draw a simple path. Place word cards on spaces. Roll a die and read the word to advance through the jungle map.
Prep Checklist
- Print Vowel Flashcards (1 set per pair)
- Print Sight Word Cards (Daily sets)
- BINGO boards for Day 3
- Cardstock for "camera" frames (Day 1)
Teaching Tip
Emphasize continuous vocalization during blending. Instead of /f/-/r/-/o/-/g/, encourage /ffffrrrroooogggg/. Use the sound dots on the flashcards for each phoneme.