Get Set and Go Slow!

Phonics and phonological awareness (s-blends), Fluency

sleeps, slips, sloth, slow, snack, snail, sniff, snug, star, still, stop

go, along, not, you, oh, no, so

slow, snail, sleep

Small Group

• This fun phonics text is controlled for a specific phonics pattern—words that start with s-blends. Match students who might need practice with this pattern for small-group reading.

Pairs, Independent Reading

• For children who have moved beyond this pattern, “Get Set and Go Slow” is a fun story to read independently or with a partner. Have children read it multiple times to practice fluency and comprehension.

Preview letter sounds and high-frequency words (15 minutes)

• Do a mini phonics lesson to review consonant blends. In words with consonant blends, we see two consonants together. We say each letter’s sound and blend the sounds together.
• Children don’t need to memorize blends as new spellings. They can use what they know about consonant sounds to read words with blends. (Note that consonant blends are different from digraphs. With digraphs, two consonants stand for a single sound [e.g., sh, th, ch].)
• A good way to reinforce this for children is through the use of minimal pairs, which help to contrast words with and without blends. For example: slip/lip; snap/nap; top/stop
• Use the online Word Sounds Slideshow to help children sound out and listen to s-blends from the story. (Be sure to turn your volume up!)
• Review high-frequency words from the story, such as go, along, not, you, oh, no, and so. You might encourage advanced readers to do a fast read of the sight words.

Set a Purpose for Reading (3-5 minutes)

• Let children look at the pictures. Tell children it is a silly story about a slow race between a sloth and a snail. Read to find out who wins the race!

• As children read, prompt them to make predictions and check comprehension. Why did the sloth stop? What does the snail do?
• Have children review the story and highlight words with the s-blends—sl, sn, and st. They can read the words aloud, first pronouncing each sound and then blending the sounds together.

• S-Blends in a Snap gives students the opportunity to practice identifying and writing out s-blend words.

Reading Focus: Phonological Awareness (10 minutes)

• Students can color in the correct blends with the Slow Sloth Phonics skills page.