Note for teachers using this lesson plan

Before the lesson, prepare a set of flashcards with common consonant letters (e.g., B, D, F, M, S, T) and corresponding pictures (e.g., ball, drum, fish, mat, sun, table). Ensure you are familiar with the correct pronunciation of each consonant sound. The central idea for pupils is to listen carefully, identify different consonant sounds, and begin to understand how they combine with vowels. Successful learning will be observed when pupils can correctly point to a letter, repeat its sound, and differentiate between similar-sounding consonants when prompted.

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: Second Term
Week: 9
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Identifying and saying vowel sounds
Topic: Consonant Sounds: Identification and Differentiation
Subject Matter: Consonant Sounds – Blending sounds – Word formation. Weekly focus: Consonant Sounds: Identification and Differentiation.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

Identify common consonant letters.
Say the sounds of common consonants (e.g., /b/, /d/, /f/, /m/, /s/, /t/).
Differentiate between two distinct consonant sounds when heard.
Recognise simple words formed by blending consonant and vowel sounds.

Affective Domain

Show enthusiasm for learning new sounds.
Participate actively in sound games and activities.
Listen attentively to the teacher and classmates.

Psychomotor Domain

Point to specific consonant letters on flashcards or the board.
Imitate the actions associated with different consonant sounds.
Attempt to blend simple sounds orally to form words.

Take turns during sound identification activities.
Work cooperatively with peers during guided practice.

Reference Materials

NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3
Early Childhood Care and Education resources
Phonics handbook and CD (as mentioned in seed)

Instructional Materials

Flashcards with uppercase and lowercase consonant letters (e.g., B/b, D/d, F/f, M/m, S/s, T/t)
Picture cards corresponding to consonant sounds (e.g., ball, drum, fish, mat, sun, table)
Rhyme tapes and videos (as mentioned in seed)
Sound recorder (as mentioned in seed, for teacher use)
Whiteboard or chart paper and markers

Rationale for the Lesson

Learning to identify and differentiate consonant sounds is a foundational step in early literacy development. This skill helps 4-year-olds to decode words, improve their pronunciation, and build confidence in reading and speaking. It directly prepares them for blending sounds to form words, which is crucial for future reading success.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can already recognise some letters of the alphabet and have been introduced to vowel sounds. They can listen and repeat simple words and sounds.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Consonant Sounds: Identification and Differentiation

Consonant sounds are speech sounds where the airflow is partially or completely blocked in the mouth. They are different from vowel sounds, where the air flows freely.

Examples of Consonant Sounds:

/b/ as in ball (buh)
/d/ as in drum (duh)
/f/ as in fish (fuh)
/m/ as in mat (muh)
/s/ as in sun (suh)
/t/ as in table (tuh)

Differentiating Consonant Sounds:

We listen carefully to how our mouth makes the sound. For example:

/b/ (buh) – lips come together, quick burst of air.
/d/ (duh) – tongue touches the roof of the mouth behind the teeth, quick burst of air.
/m/ (muh) – lips come together, sound comes from the nose.

Blending Consonant Sounds with Vowels:

When we put consonant sounds and vowel sounds together, we can make words!

/b/ + /a/ + /t/ = bat
/m/ + /a/ + /t/ = mat
/s/ + /u/ + /n/ = sun

Key Words

Consonant – A letter sound where air is blocked a little in your mouth (e.g., b, d, f).
Sound – What we hear when we say a letter.
Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.
Word – A group of sounds that means something.

Consonant Sound Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Lyrics:

“Buh, buh, buh” for ball so round,
“Duh, duh, duh” the drum’s great sound.
“Fuh, fuh, fuh” the fish can swim,
“Muh, muh, muh” for me and him.
Consonant sounds, we learn them well,
Helping us new words to spell!

Actions:

“Buh, buh, buh”: Bring hands together like holding a ball.
“Duh, duh, duh”: Pretend to beat a drum.
“Fuh, fuh, fuh”: Wiggle fingers like a swimming fish.
“Muh, muh, muh”: Point to self and then to a friend.
“Consonant sounds…”: Clap hands.

Watch and Practise Consonant Sounds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Tq4H6xP_Y

💡 Teacher Guide for Using This Board Summary

How to teach the content: Begin by explaining simply that some letters make sounds where our mouth closes a little (consonants), unlike vowels where the mouth is open. Use the flashcards to introduce each consonant letter and its sound. Emphasise the sound, not just the letter name. Model the sound clearly and have pupils repeat it. Use the example words and pictures to reinforce the sound-picture connection.

What to show or demonstrate: Show flashcards for B, D, F, M, S, T. Demonstrate the correct mouth formation for each sound (e.g., lips for /b/, tongue for /d/, air through teeth for /f/). Draw a simple letter on the board as you say its sound. Point to the example words and say them slowly, blending the sounds.

How to use the rhyme/song: Introduce the “Consonant Sound Rhyme” after pupils have practised a few individual sounds. Sing it slowly with the actions. Repeat it 2-3 times, encouraging pupils to join in the sounds and actions. This helps reinforce the sounds in a fun, memorable way.

How to use the video: Introduce the video as a fun way to hear more consonant sounds. Play the video once for pupils to watch and listen. After watching, pause and ask pupils to repeat some of the sounds they heard. Encourage them to try the actions shown in the video. Discuss which sounds they recognised.

What to watch for: Observe if pupils are confusing similar sounds (e.g., /b/ and /d/, /f/ and /v/). Provide extra practice for these pairs. Ensure they are making the correct mouth shapes for each sound.

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 a quick recap of vowel sounds by asking pupils to say “a, e, i, o, u” and make their sounds. The teacher then introduces the idea that today they will learn about other special sounds called ‘consonant sounds’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils greet the teacher, repeat the vowel sounds, and listen attentively to the introduction.

Learning Point: Pupils recall previous knowledge of vowel sounds and are introduced to the new topic.

Step 2: Presentation – Introducing Consonant Sounds

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Modelling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays flashcards of consonant letters (e.g., B, D, F, M, S, T) one by one. For each letter, the teacher clearly says its sound (e.g., /b/ for B, /d/ for D), demonstrates the mouth movement, and shows a corresponding picture card (e.g., ball for B). The teacher asks pupils to listen carefully and repeat the sound after her.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the flashcards and pictures, listen to the teacher’s sounds and mouth movements, and repeat each consonant sound several times.

Learning Point: Pupils are introduced to common consonant letters and their sounds.

Step 3: Guided Practice – Sound Identification

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Observation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shuffles the consonant flashcards and holds them up one at a time, asking, “What sound does this letter make?” or “Can you say the sound for this picture?” The teacher provides immediate feedback and correction, guiding pupils to make the correct sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the consonant letters and make their corresponding sounds, pointing to the pictures if prompted. They listen to feedback and try to correct their pronunciation.

Learning Point: Pupils practise identifying and saying individual consonant sounds.

Step 4: Reinforcement – Sound Differentiation (Rhyme)

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Songs and Rhymes/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the “Consonant Sound Rhyme” from the Board Summary. She sings the rhyme slowly, demonstrating the actions for each sound. She encourages pupils to join in, focusing on making the distinct sounds and performing the actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the rhyme, join in singing the sounds, and perform the actions as demonstrated by the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce consonant sound identification and differentiation through a fun, interactive rhyme.

Step 5: Blending Practice – Making Simple Words

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Oral Blending

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates how to blend a consonant sound with a vowel sound to form a simple word. For example, she says “/m/ – /a/ – /t/ makes mat.” She uses flashcards for /m/, /a/, /t/ and puts them together. She repeats with one or two other simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words like “sun” or “bat.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch and listen as the teacher blends sounds. They try to repeat the blended words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the concept of blending sounds to form words orally.

Step 6: Application – Watch and Practise (Video)

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Visual Learning/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the video “The Consonant Song | Phonics for Kids” and plays it for the pupils. After the video, the teacher asks pupils to recall some of the consonant sounds and words they heard and encourages them to mimic the sounds and actions.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils watch the video, listen to the sounds, and participate by repeating sounds and actions after the video.

Learning Point: Pupils apply their listening skills to identify and practise more consonant sounds from a visual resource.

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.

“Can you say the sound for this letter?” (Teacher shows ‘B’).
“Which sound is ‘duh’?” (Teacher shows ‘D’ and ‘F’ flashcards).
“Listen: /s/ – /u/ – /n/. What word does that make?”
“Point to the letter that makes the /m/ sound.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate by saying sounds, pointing to letters, or attempting to blend words.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson by identifying and differentiating consonant sounds and attempting simple blending.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summarisation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their efforts in learning consonant sounds and reminds them that these sounds help them to read. She encourages them to listen for consonant sounds in words around them.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s concluding remarks and tidy up their learning space.

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

Lesson Keywords

Consonant – A letter sound like ‘buh’ or ‘duh’.
Sound – What a letter says.
Blend – To put sounds together to make a word.
Word – What we say or read that has a meaning.

Differentiation

Support: For pupils who are struggling, provide more one-on-one repetition of sounds. Use larger flashcards and fewer choices when asking them to differentiate sounds. Use hand-over-hand guidance to help them make the correct mouth shapes. Focus on only 2-3 key consonant sounds before moving to more.
Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, challenge them to identify the initial consonant sound in more familiar words (e.g., “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘cat’?” or “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘dog’?”). Encourage them to try blending a wider range of simple CVC words orally.