The Letters "S" and "N"

Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today we’re going to work on the letters “S” and “N.”

Remember that we’re going to focus on the sounds the letters make. Both parent and child will need to be able to see the screen.

Let’s get started.

Today’s Letter Sounds

Today we’re going to learn the letter "S." It makes the “sss” sound at the beginning of the word “sun.”

Ask your child to make the “sss” sound 3 times as they point to the letters:

s

s

s

Ask your child if they can think of any words that start with the “sss” sound.

If they need help, the words stop, sprinkles, and Saturday all start with the “sss” sound.

Have them say the “sss” sound 3 more times as they point to the letters:

s

s

s

Now we’re going to learn the letter "n." It’s pronounced "nnn" like the beginning of the word “net” or "neck."

Ask your child to make the “nnn” sound 3 times as they point to the letters:

n

n

n

Ask your child if they can think of any words that start with the “nnn” sound. If they need help, the words not, nap, and never all start with the “nnn” sound.

Have them say the “nnn” sound 3 more times as they point to the letters:

n

n

n

Word Practice

Now we’re going to work on “blending” letter sounds into words. Your child can start slowly by saying each sound individually, but each time, they should try to say it just a bit faster.

Ask your child to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:

s a t

s at

sat

And:

p a t

p at

pat

And:

c a t

c at

cat

Have they noticed anything about words that end with the “at” sound?

Let’s do a couple more:

c a n

c an

can

By the last one, make sure they read the word as "can" and not "can-nuh." Have them keep saying it faster until they can read it seamlessly in a normal speaking voice.

One more:

p a n

p an

pan

Rhyming Challenge

Ask your child to pick out which of these three words does not belong (does not rhyme):

nit / pit / nut

run / can / pan

got / hat / pot

That’s it for today. We’ll see you next time.

P.S. This lesson pairs well with actress Pamela Reed reading Stellaluna at Storyline Online.