Overview
The children will pretend to be zooming zebras and practice saying the /z/ sound in words such as zig, zoom, and zebra. 

Literacy Activities
Zip and zoom like zebras 

• Give each child a zebra picture card.
• Read the word cards with the children and help them choose actions for each card (e.g., zoom = the children move their zebra picture quickly through the air). 
• Let the children choose a word card and help them read the word on the card.
• Instruct the children to circle the letter z on each word card and have them produce the /z/ sound each time they circle a letter.  
• Have the children act out their words and say the /z/ sound as they do the action. 
• Read the Zooming Zebras target text to the children and have them perform their actions as they hear each z verb.

More Practice
Identify and write the target letter 

• Read the Zooming Zebras target text with the children. 
• Have the children find and circle the letter Z throughout the text. 
• Help the children write the letter Z on a piece of paper. 
• Read the text again slowly and have the children hold up their letter Z each time they hear the /z/ sound. 

Identify the target sound in words 

• Make a list of words beginning with the letter Z (e.g., zip, zap, zoo, zig, zag). 
• Help the children identify the beginning and ending sounds of each word on the list by tapping their head for the beginning sound and toes for the ending sound.  
  • For example: zip = /z/ (tap head) + /ip/ (tap toes). 
• Point out that all the words have the /z/ sound at the beginning and start with the letter Z.