Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before this lesson, prepare flashcards for the five short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) and separate flashcards for consonants and CVC words (e.g., Boy, Net, Fang, Bed, Fat). The central idea is for pupils to understand that sounds can be put together (blended) to form words. Success will be observed when pupils can orally blend consonant and vowel sounds and attempt to form simple words with teacher guidance.

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: First Term
Week: 9
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Recognition and pronunciation of individual letter sounds.
Topic: VOWEL SOUNDS: BLENDING WITH CONSONANTS AND WORD FORMATION
Subject Matter: VOWEL SOUNDS – Blending sounds – Word formation. Weekly focus: Vowel Sounds: Blending with Consonants and Word Formation.

Specific Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

Cognitive Domain

Identify and pronounce the five short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u).
Blend a consonant sound with a vowel sound (e.g., b-a, c-a).
Identify the vowel sound in simple words.

Affective Domain

Show enthusiasm for learning new sounds and words.
Participate actively in sound blending and word formation activities.

Psychomotor Domain

Point to vowel sounds on flashcards when named.
Attempt to trace letters for words formed.

Take turns in pronouncing sounds and forming words.
Work cooperatively during group activities.

Reference Materials

NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3.
Early Childhood Care and Education resources.
Jolly Phonics handbook and C/D (for sound guidance).

Instructional Materials

Flashcards for individual letters (consonants and vowels).
Flashcards with simple CVC words (e.g., Boy, Net, Fang, Bed, Fat).
Alphabet chart.
Pictures of objects representing the CVC words.
Whiteboard and markers.
Sound recorder (optional, for playback).

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is crucial for 4-year-olds as it introduces the foundational skill of phonological awareness, specifically blending sounds to form words. Understanding how vowel sounds combine with consonants helps pupils decode words and begin their journey towards reading, connecting spoken language to written symbols in a meaningful way.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should be able to recognise some letters of the alphabet and pronounce a few individual letter sounds.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

VOWEL SOUNDS: BLENDING WITH CONSONANTS AND WORD FORMATION

What are Vowel Sounds?

Vowel sounds are special sounds that help us make words. In English, we have five main vowel letters: A, E, I, O, U.

A makes the /a/ sound (like in ‘apple’).
E makes the /e/ sound (like in ‘egg’).
I makes the /i/ sound (like in ‘igloo’).
O makes the /o/ sound (like in ‘orange’).
U makes the /u/ sound (like in ‘umbrella’).

Blending with Consonants

Blending means putting sounds together. When we blend a consonant sound with a vowel sound, we make a new sound.

b + a = ba
c + a = ca
d + e = de
f + o = fo
m + u = mu

Word Formation with Vowel Sounds

We can use blended sounds to form simple words. We add another sound to the blended sound to make a complete word.

B-o-y: /b/ /o/ /y/ → Boy (Picture of a boy)
N-e-t: /n/ /e/ /t/ → Net (Picture of a fishing net)
F-a-ng: /f/ /a/ /ng/ → Fang (Picture of an animal’s fang)
B-e-d: /b/ /e/ /d/ → Bed (Picture of a bed)
F-a-t: /f/ /a/ /t/ → Fat (Picture of something fat)

Key Words

Vowel – Special letter sounds (A, E, I, O, U).
Consonant – Other letter sounds (B, C, D, F, etc.).
Blend – To put sounds together.
Word – A group of sounds that has a meaning.

Blending Sounds Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

A, E, I, O, U,
Vowel sounds for me and you.
Listen closely, say them clear,
Words we’re blending, have no fear!
B-a-t, makes bat, so much fun,
N-e-t, makes net, everyone!
A, E, I, O, U,
Vowel sounds for me and you.

Actions: Point to vowel cards as they are named, cup hand to ear for “listen closely,” make mouth shapes for sounds, clap hands for each sound blended, then clap for the whole word.

Watch and Practise Blending Sounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU4k8_2bBqY

💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary

How to teach the content: Begin by reviewing the five short vowel sounds using flashcards and clear pronunciation. Emphasise the mouth shape for each sound. Then, demonstrate blending by holding a consonant flashcard and a vowel flashcard together, saying the sounds quickly to form a blend (e.g., ‘b’ + ‘a’ = ‘ba’). Progress to forming CVC words by adding a final consonant flashcard. Use the provided word examples (Boy, Net, Fang, Bed, Fat), breaking them down into individual sounds before blending them into the whole word. For ‘Fang’, explain that ‘ng’ makes one sound.

What to show or demonstrate: Use large, clear flashcards for individual letters and pictures for the words. Point to each letter as its sound is made. Use your hands to “push” the sounds together when blending. Show the pictures of Boy, Net, Fang, Bed, Fat as you form each word.

How to use the rhyme/song: Introduce the “Blending Sounds Rhyme” after demonstrating blending and word formation. Sing it slowly at first, performing the actions. Repeat it several times, encouraging pupils to join in the sounds and actions. Use it as a fun way to reinforce the blending concept.

How to use the video: Introduce the video as a fun way to see and hear more blending. Play the video “CVC Words | Phonics for Kids | Learn to Read | Blending Sounds” by Jack Hartmann. After watching, encourage pupils to imitate the blending actions and sounds from the video. Ask them to identify some of the words they heard.

What to watch for: Observe if pupils are correctly pronouncing the vowel sounds. Check if they can blend two sounds together. Look for pupils attempting to form words, even if they need help. Correct pronunciation gently and encourage participation from all pupils.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Play-based Learning
Demonstration
Guided Practice
Songs and Rhymes
Picture Talk
Question and Answer
Repetition
Manipulation of Objects (flashcards)

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly and leads them in a familiar alphabet song. The teacher then asks pupils if they remember the special letters called vowels and their sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing the alphabet song, and try to recall vowel letters or sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and recall previous knowledge of letters and sounds.

Step 2: Vowel Sound Identification

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Identification/Pronunciation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flashcards for A, E, I, O, U. The teacher pronounces each short vowel sound clearly, demonstrating the mouth shape, and asks pupils to repeat after her.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the vowel letters and repeat the short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u) after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils correctly identify and pronounce the five short vowel sounds.

Step 3: Blending Consonants with Vowels

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates blending a consonant sound (e.g., ‘b’) with a vowel sound (e.g., ‘a’) to make ‘ba’. The teacher uses other consonant-vowel combinations (e.g., ‘c-a’, ‘d-e’, ‘f-o’) and guides pupils to practise blending these sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the blending demonstration and practise blending consonant and vowel sounds with the teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the concept of blending and can orally blend two sounds.

Step 4: Word Formation Demonstration

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to form simple words using the blended sounds. For example, by taking ‘b-o’ and adding ‘y’ to make ‘Boy’. The teacher uses the seed examples: Boy, Net, Fang, Bed, Fat, showing flashcards for each sound and then the complete word with its picture.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch attentively as the teacher demonstrates word formation, listening to the sounds and seeing the words formed.

Learning Point: Pupils observe how individual sounds combine to form meaningful words.

Step 5: Guided Word Formation

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher provides consonant and vowel flashcards and guides pupils in small groups or individually to form simple CVC words. The teacher gives prompts like “Let’s make ‘cat’ – what sounds do we need?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils actively participate in guided word formation, selecting letter flashcards and attempting to blend sounds to form words.

Learning Point: Pupils practise forming simple words by blending sounds with assistance.

Step 6: Reinforcement Activity / Rhyme

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activity/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher leads the pupils in singing the “Blending Sounds Rhyme” from the Board Summary, encouraging them to perform the actions and repeat the sounds and words. The teacher may also play the suggested video for visual reinforcement.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils sing the rhyme with actions and watch the video, repeating sounds and words as prompted.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their understanding of vowel sounds and blending through a fun, interactive activity.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4–5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher checks pupils’ understanding through short questions and practical tasks.

“What sound does ‘A’ make?” (Show ‘A’ flashcard).
“Can you blend ‘m’ and ‘a’ together?”
“Which word has the /e/ sound: ‘bed’ or ‘boy’?”
“Can you say the word for this picture?” (Show picture of a ‘net’).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Summarisation/Closure

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their efforts in learning to blend sounds and form words. The teacher encourages them to listen for sounds in words around them. The teacher assigns a simple task for home: “Ask Mummy or Daddy to help you find words that have the ‘a’ sound.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s summary and instructions for home. They say goodbye to the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate their learning and are encouraged to continue practising.

Lesson Keywords

Vowel – A, E, I, O, U.
Consonant – Any letter that is not a vowel.
Blend – To put sounds together to make a new sound or word.
Sound – What we hear when we say a letter or word.
Word – A sound or group of sounds that has a meaning.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils struggling with blending, provide larger letter flashcards and more one-on-one repetition. Use hand-over-hand guidance to physically “push” sounds together. Focus on just two sounds (consonant + vowel) before attempting three-sound words.
Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp blending, challenge them to identify the vowel sound in new simple CVC words or to form additional CVC words using different consonant-vowel combinations. They can also try to match words to pictures independently.