Meet the Sound /m/

Overview

Students listen for and identify the initial sound /m/ in familiar words such as moon, mouse, milk, and map. Through singing, movement, picture sorting, and repeated oral practice, children build early phonological awareness without needing to read or write independently.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Listen for the beginning sound in a familiar word.
• Say the sound /m/ as in moon.
• Sort pictures or objects that begin with /m/ from those that do not.
• Share an answer by speaking, pointing, or showing an object.

Success criteria

• I can make the /m/ sound.
• I can listen to the beginning of a word.
• I can find some things that start with /m/.
• I can tell or show my answer.

Curriculum links

• Early phonological awareness: noticing and identifying initial sounds in spoken words.
• Soft alignment to kindergarten foundational skills: connecting spoken words with their beginning sounds and isolating initial sounds.
• Speaking and Listening: reporting an idea clearly using familiar words and details.
• Writing: gathering and categorizing information through oral and picture-based sorting rather than independent writing.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Welcome and movement warm-up. Teacher opens the sound-warm-up slides and sings to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”: “If your name starts with /m/, touch your mouth,” then repeats with “tap your knees” and “march in place.” Students join the actions and practice gently humming and saying /m/: “mmmm.”

2. 4–8 min · Listen and notice. Teacher shows a large picture of a moon in the moon hook slide and asks, “What do you see? What sound do you hear first in moon?” Model slowly: “Mmmmoon. The first sound is /m/.” Explain that lips come together for /m/, and invite children to watch themselves make the sound. Students repeat /m/, then echo the words moon, mouse, milk, and map. Do not focus on naming the letter; emphasize listening and speaking.

3. 8–16 min · Hands-on picture and object sort. Teacher places two hoops or mats on the floor labeled with a mouth picture for “starts with /m/” and an ear picture for “does not start with /m/.” Provide familiar picture cards or objects such as a toy mouse, mitten, marker, ball, cup, and sun. Model one example: “Mmmmarker starts with /m/, so it goes here.” Students take turns choosing one item, saying its name with teacher support, stretching the first sound, and placing it in the appropriate group. The class repeats each word together. Use the picture listening and sorting page only as a shared visual or optional partner task; children may point, place a sticker, or circle with help rather than write independently.

4. 16–23 min · Move if it starts with /m/. Teacher displays the game directions in the movement-game slides and explains: “If the word starts with /m/, march. If it does not, freeze.” Call out familiar words one at a time: monkey, apple, mom, dog, map, fish, milk, and shoe. Students march in place for /m/ words and freeze for other words. Occasionally ask, “What did you hear first?” Invite children to repeat the word and sound. Keep the pace playful and pause often so children can listen before moving.

5. 23–27 min · Small-group check and share. Teacher gathers students in a semicircle and shows four final pictures in the choose-and-share slides. For each picture, ask, “Does it start with /m/?” Students respond by touching their mouth for /m/, placing a thumb up, pointing to a choice, or saying “yes” or “no.” Invite several children to complete the frame, “___ starts with /m/,” while others echo. Briefly revisit any confusing examples by saying the word slowly.

6. 27–30 min · Calm closing. Teacher dims the slide display to the calm closing slide and leads three quiet breaths: “Breathe in… mmmm; breathe out.” Ask children to whisper one /m/ word to a partner or tell the teacher. Close with, “Today we listened for the first sound /m/. You used your ears, voice, eyes, and body to learn.”

Resources

• the sound-warm-up slides
• the picture listening and sorting page
• Picture cards or safe classroom objects, including several /m/ and non-/m/ examples
• Two floor hoops, baskets, or sorting mats
• Mouth and ear visual labels
• Stickers or crayons for optional adult-supported worksheet use
• Open floor space for marching and freezing
• Carpet or circle-time area

Assessment

• During modeling and sorting, note which students can repeat /m/, identify the first sound, and place an item correctly. Accept pointing, gestures, and approximations as valid preschool responses.
• During the movement game, watch whether students consistently march for /m/ words and freeze for other words. Recheck students who appear to follow peers without listening.
• For a quick individual check during closing, show one /m/ picture and one non-/m/ picture. Ask each child to point to the one that begins with /m/ or say the word with support.

Differentiation

• Support: Use only two or three highly familiar items at first, exaggerate the initial sound, and provide the frame “Mmm, ___.” Let children respond by pointing, touching their mouth, or choosing between two objects.
• Additional support for speech, language, or hearing needs: Face the child while modeling, use clear visual mouth cues, reduce background noise, repeat words, and allow extra processing time. Coordinate with the child’s speech-language or early-intervention plan when applicable.
• EAL support: Pair each object with a clear photo or gesture, confirm the word in the child’s home language when possible, and accept a home-language response followed by the English model.
• Extension: Invite ready students to suggest another familiar /m/ word, compare two words that begin with different sounds, or lead the class in deciding where an item belongs. Keep the challenge oral and playful.