Curriculum Guide
  • Orientation
  • Cycle 1
  • Cycle 2
  • Cycle 3
  • Cycle 4
  • Cycle 5
  • Cycle 6
  • Cycle 7
  • Cycle 8
  • Cycle 9
  • Cycle 10
  • Cycle 11
  • Cycle 12
  • Cycle 13
  • Cycle 14
  • Cycle 15
  • Cycle 16
  • Cycle 17
  • Cycle 18
  • Cycle 19
  • Cycle 20
  • Cycle 21
  • Cycle 22
  • Cycle 23
  • Cycle 24
  • Cycle 25
  • Cycle 26
  • Cycle 27
  • Cycle 28
  • Cycle 29
  • Cycle 30
  • Cycle 31
  • Cycle 32
  • Cycle 33
  • Cycle 34
  • Cycle 35
  • Cycle 36
  • Cycle 37
  • Cycle 38
  • Cycle 39
  • Cycle 40
  • Cycle 41
  • Cycle 42
  • Cycle 43
  • Cycle 44
  • Cycle 45
  • Cycle 46
  • Cycle 47
  • Cycle 48
  • Cycle 49
  • Cycle 50
  • Cycle 51
  • Cycle 52
  • Cycle 53
  • Cycle 54
  • Cycle 55
  • Cycle 56
  • Cycle 57
  • Cycle 58
  • Cycle 59
  • Cycle 60
  • Cycle 61
  • Cycle 62
  • Cycle 63
  • Cycle 64
  • Cycle 65
  • Cycle 66
  • Cycle 67
  • Cycle 68
  • Cycle 69
  • Cycle 70
  • Cycle 71
  • Cycle 72
  • Cycle 73
  • Cycle 74
  • Cycle 75
  • Cycle 76
  • Cycle 77
  • Cycle 78
  • Cycle 79
  • Cycle 80
  • Cycle 81
  • Cycle 82
  • Cycle 83
  • Cycle 84
  • Cycle 85
  • Cycle 86
  • Cycle 87
  • Cycle 88
  • Cycle 89
  • Cycle 90
  • Cycle 91
  • Cycle 92
  • Cycle 93
  • Cycle 94
  • Cycle 95
  • Cycle 96
  • Cycle 97
  • Cycle 98
  • Cycle 99
  • Cycle 100
  • Cycle 101
  • Cycle 102
  • Cycle 103
  • Cycle 104
  • Cycle 105
  • Cycle 106
  • Cycle 107
  • Cycle 108
  • Cycle 109
  • Cycle 110
  • Cycle 111
  • Cycle 112
  • Cycle 113
  • Cycle 114
  • Cycle 115
  • Cycle 116
  • Cycle 117
  • Cycle 118
  • Cycle 119
  • Cycle 120
  • Cycle 121
  • Cycle 122
  • Cycle 123
  • Cycle 124
  • Cycle 125
  • Cycle 126
  • Cycle 127
  • Cycle 128
  • Cycle 129
  • Cycle 130
  • Cycle 131
  • Cycle 132
  • Cycle 133
  • Cycle 134
  • Cycle 135
  • Cycle 136
  • Cycle 137
  • Cycle 138
  • Cycle 139
  • Cycle 140
  • Cycle 141
  • Cycle 142
  • Cycle 143
  • Cycle 144
  • Cycle 145
  • Cycle 146
  • Cycle 147
  • Cycle 148
  • Cycle 149
  • Cycle 150
  • Cycle 151
  • Cycle 152
  • Cycle 153
  • Cycle 154
  • Cycle 155
  • Cycle 156
  • Cycle 157
  • Cycle 158
  • Cycle 159
  • Cycle 160
  • Cycle 161
  • Cycle 162
  • Cycle 163
  • Cycle 164
  • Cycle 165
  • Cycle 166
  • Cycle 167
  • Cycle 168
  • Cycle 169
  • Cycle 170
  • Cycle 171
  • Cycle 172
  • Cycle 173
  • Cycle 174
  • Cycle 175
  • Cycle 176
  • Cycle 177
  • Cycle 178
  • Cycle 179
  • Cycle 180
  • Cycle 181
  • Cycle 182
  • Cycle 183
  • Cycle 184
  • Cycle 185
  • Cycle 186
  • Cycle 187
  • Cycle 188
  • Cycle 189
  • Cycle 190
  • Cycle 191
  • Cycle 192
  • Cycle 193
  • Cycle 194
  • Cycle 195
  • Cycle 196
  • Cycle 197
  • Cycle 198
  • Cycle 199
  • Cycle 200
Powered by GitBook
On this page
  • 3.1 New Sound
  • 3.2 Sound Review
  • 3.3 The Slow Game
  • 3.4 The Fast Game
  • 3.5 Word Reading
  • 3.6 Story Reading
  • 3.7 Writing
  • 3.8 Getting to Know the Student

Cycle 3

PreviousCycle 2NextCycle 4

Last updated 22 days ago

3.1 New Sound

Purpose and Procedure

This task introduces the sound /m/ as in smile.

At this point, you still touch under the sound instead of the student, but students begin to touch under sounds in the Word Reading task in the next cycle.

Important Reminders

Remember to say the sound only when your finger is on the dot directly underneath it.

Correcting the Student

The following is the correction text to use if a student makes a mistake in a New Sound task [example sound: /m/]:

❖ If the student says the letter’s name (/ĕm/), say: This sound is /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

❖ If the student doesn’t hold the sound for two seconds, say: Read this sound slowly like this: /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

❖ If the student says the sound at the wrong time, say: Only read this sound when my finger is on this dot, like this: /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

3.2 Sound Review

Purpose and Procedure

This is the first task in which students review reading more than one sound.

Important Reminders

Prompt the student to say the sound by moving your finger beneath the sound.

At the end of the task, have the student reread any sounds that required correction.

Correcting the Student

The following is the correction text to use if a student makes a mistake in a New Sound task [example sound: /m/]:

❖ If the student says a letter’s name or a wrong sound, say: This sound is /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

❖ If the student doesn’t hold the sound for two seconds, say: Read this sound slowly like this: /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

❖ If the student says the sound at the wrong time, say: Only read this sound when my finger is on this dot, like this: /mmm/. Let’s read it together. Get ready: /mmm/. Good. Your turn…

3.3 The Slow Game

Purpose and Procedure

This task introduces students to saying words that consist of three continuous sounds the slow way.

This is also the first time that students will repeat six words in one task, saying them the slow way.

The /r/ sound in room and Ron, can be tricky to produce. Make sure not to add a vowel sound after it like /rǝ/. (The ǝ symbol represents the schwa sound, like the last sound in the word banana. Sometimes people make the mistake of adding a sound like that when saying a sound in isolation or after the final sound in a word.) Also, try not to make a sound in front of it like /ər/. It should sound like if you said the word roar without the oar.

Important Reminders

Make sure not to pause between any sounds, especially after the initial sounds in well, room, and soon.

Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.

At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.

Correcting the Student

In addition to the regular correction text for the Slow Game, the following is the correction text to use for the word their in this task:

❖ If the student struggles to produce the /th/ sound in their, say: Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth, like this… Good. When I make this sound, it tickles my tongue. Watch: /ththth/. Now, let’s try it together: /ththth/.

3.4 The Fast Game

Purpose and Procedure

This task introduces students to saying words that consist of three continuous sounds the fast way. These words are fan, man, some, yes, and race. (The word of is the only exception in this task.)

This is also the first time students will say the sounds of six words the fast way in one task.

Note that the script calls for you to say the first word, fan, the “fast way” before you say it the “slow way”. But you should not do that for any of the remaining words in the task. For those, you should begin by saying the word the “slow way.”

Important Reminders

Make sure not to pause between any sounds, especially after the initial sounds in fan, some, and race.

Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.

At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.

3.5 Word Reading

Purpose and Procedure

This task introduces reading multiple sounds, one right after another, in the way that creates words.

The first two sounds, ma, do not form a real word. Make sure that you pronounce the vowel sound like /ă/ as in Matt, not /ŏ/ as in mom.

The following sounds make the word am, which is the first word students read in the curriculum. Make sure to read the example sentence after it.

You and the students should read the sounds slowly, holding each sound for two seconds, without pausing between them.

In this cycle, you will touch under the sounds and model them first.

Print the How to Correct Students’ Reading flowchart and keep it by your side to read from word-for-word when correcting students’ mistakes in Word Reading tasks. This is especially critical during the first few weeks of teaching, when those steps are unfamiliar to you. Watch the video on the linked page to see what it should look like to follow the steps in the flowchart.

Important Reminders

Remember to say each sound only when your finger is on the dot directly underneath it, and don’t pause between the sounds.

At the end of the task, have the student reread any words that required correction.

3.6 Story Reading

3.7 Writing

Purpose and Procedure

In this task, students will practice writing m and reading the corresponding sound, /mmm/.

Important Reminders

Writing tasks should not take more than one minute. Students’ strengths should determine how many times they trace, connect dots, and write on their own within the minute allotted for this task. Some students may be able to write m many times in that minute. Others may only be able to trace it a couple of times, but they still should not exceed a minute for the entire task.

As in all types of tasks in this curriculum, students must do the task correctly before moving to the next task. But, in Writing tasks, mastery means saying the correct sound, not writing a perfect symbol. Don’t worry if the student isn’t yet able to write smooth lines. It is still worth it for them to do this task. Applaud their effort, and move on.

Instructors should not say letters' names (or even the word letter) during these tasks but should instead emphasize the sound being associated with that symbol.

3.8 Getting to Know the Student