Activity 1 Learning to Make the Sounds /p/ and /b/
Refer to the Word Scientists website before starting the lesson to learn how to teach /p/ and /b/ sounds:
Letter P
What do you feel? What do you see?
- Make the /p/ sound.
- Ask students to repeat the sound after you: /p/
- Ask students: what do you feel?
- Think-aloud: I feel my lips pop open. If I hold my hand in front of my mouth, I can feel a puff of air.
- Ask students: What do you see?
- Think-aloud: I see my lips come together and then pop open.
- Ask students: If you hold your hand on your neck when you make the sound /p/, do you feel a vibration? (no)
- Ask students: Do you stretch the sound /p/? Or do you bounce it? /p/,/p/,/p/
- Think-aloud: You bounce the sound /p/. I can only make the sound for a second.
- Assign a corresponding hand motion: Tell students, “The sound /p/ begins the word puff, like a puff of air.” Make a motion like blowing out a candle. Have students repeat the sound and the motion.
Letter B
What do you feel? What do you see?
- Make the /b/ sound.
- Ask students to repeat the sound after you: /b/
- Ask students: What do you feel?
- Think-aloud: I feel my lips pop open. If I hold my hand in front of my mouth, I don’t feel the same puff of air like with the sound /p/. I feel just a bit of air.
- Ask students: If you hold your hand on your neck when you make the sound /b/, do you feel a vibration? (yes)
- Ask students: What do you see?
- Think-aloud: I see my lips come together and then pop open.
- Ask students: Do you stretch the sound /b/? Or do you bounce it? /b/,/b/,/b/
- Think-aloud: You bounce the sound /b/. I can only make the sound for a second.
- Assign a corresponding hand motion: Tell students, “The sound /b/ begins the word ball.” Make motion of swinging a bat to hit a ball. Have students repeat the sound and the motion.