Cycle 14

14.2 The Slow-Fast Game

This task introduces blending two final consonants that are both stop phonemes (in the words act and fact). Here, the instructor says the words first, and then the student and instructor segment them simultaneously before the student attempts it solo.

Starting with this cycle, Slow-Fast Game tasks will no longer include purple correction text in the instructor pane. Continue to correct students’ mistakes in the same way that the curriculum has called for thus far. The bullets below provide a reminder of how to do so.

General Notes on this Type of Task:

Count the sounds on your fingers as you say them.

• If the student pauses between the sounds, say: “Don’t pause between the /___/ and the /___/. Listen: /_____/. Take a deep breath, and we’ll say it together: /_____/. Good. Now by yourself…” If the student still struggles, isolate just the two sounds between which the student is pausing, and repeat the above steps with just those two sounds. If the student still struggles, segment the word simultaneously with them three times. Then repeat the steps above.

• If the student shortens a sound, say: “Say this sound slowly. Listen: /___/. Take a deep breath, and we’ll say the word together: /_____/. Good. Now by yourself…”

14.5 Finger Tracking

This task introduces students to a finger-tracking exercise.

Students practice using their index finger to track beneath text across multiple words, moving left to right underneath the line while they name each piece of fruit. Using pieces of fruit instead of words in this exercise allows students to focus on moving their finger in sync with what they are “reading” without having to also concentrate on decoding.

If a student does not know the name of a piece of fruit, you can say the name. The goal is not fruit identification. The goal is for students to keep their finger tracking beneath the pieces of fruit that they are naming.