Review of taught sound-symbol relationships in Phonemic Awareness for Primary 1

Class: Primary 1
Term: Second Term
Week: 2
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Pre-Reading Skills
Focal competence: Pronouncing letter sounds appropriately while reading and speaking
Key competencies/values: Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies; Collaboration
Skills:

• Identifying sounds
• Blending sounds
• Segmenting sounds in words

Previous Lesson: Letter formation, spacing, capitals and full stops in Handwriting
Topic: Phonemic Awareness (Identifying Sounds)
Subject Matter: Review of taught sound-symbol relationships

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Pronounce common letter sounds correctly.
• Identify the beginning sound of familiar words.
• Match letter sounds to their corresponding symbols (letters).

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm in participating in sound identification activities.
• Collaborate with peers during group sound practice.

Psychomotor Domain

• Write letters clearly, demonstrating correct formation and spacing.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• Primary English for Nigerian Schools 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Word building materials (e.g., magnetic letters, letter tiles)
• Approved publisher-neutral text
• Letter, word and picture cards
• Exercise books and pencils
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard
• Markers/Chalk

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is essential for reinforcing foundational phonemic awareness skills, which are critical for developing strong reading abilities. By reviewing sound-symbol relationships, pupils strengthen their ability to decode words and build confidence in early literacy. This practice helps to solidify their understanding of how sounds connect to written letters, preparing them for more complex reading tasks.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have been introduced to various letter sounds and their corresponding symbols in previous lessons.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Review of Taught Sound-Symbol Relationships

Review of Letter Sounds

We have learned that each letter has a sound. It is important to remember these sounds to help us read words.

Some common letter sounds we have learned include:

1. /a/ as in ‘apple’
2. /b/ as in ‘ball’
3. /c/ as in ‘cat’
4. /d/ as in ‘dog’
5. /e/ as in ‘egg’
6. /f/ as in ‘fish’
7. /g/ as in ‘goat’
8. /h/ as in ‘hat’
9. /i/ as in ‘ink’
10. /j/ as in ‘jug’
11. /k/ as in ‘kite’
12. /l/ as in ‘lion’
13. /m/ as in ‘mat’
14. /n/ as in ‘net’
15. /o/ as in ‘orange’
16. /p/ as in ‘pen’
17. /r/ as in ‘rat’
18. /s/ as in ‘sun’
19. /t/ as in ‘top’
20. /u/ as in ‘umbrella’
21. /v/ as in ‘van’
22. /w/ as in ‘watch’
23. /y/ as in ‘yak’
24. /z/ as in ‘zebra’

Sound Examples in Words

We can hear these sounds at the beginning of many words:

1. /a/ in apple
2. /b/ in ball
3. /c/ in cat
4. /d/ in dog
5. /e/ in egg
6. /f/ in fish
7. /g/ in goat
8. /h/ in hat
9. /i/ in ink
10. /j/ in jug
11. /k/ in kite
12. /l/ in lion
13. /m/ in mat
14. /n/ in net
15. /o/ in orange
16. /p/ in pen
17. /r/ in rat
18. /s/ in sun
19. /t/ in top
20. /u/ in umbrella
21. /v/ in van
22. /w/ in watch
23. /y/ in yak
24. /z/ in zebra

Matching Sounds to Letters

To match sounds to letters, we listen to a sound and then pick the letter that makes that sound. For example, if you hear the sound /m/, you will pick the letter ‘m’.

Beginning Sound Identification

To identify the beginning sound of a word, we listen carefully to the very first sound we hear when we say the word. For example, in the word ‘table’, the beginning sound is /t/.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Individual Practice, Pair Work

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating Prior Knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and reminds them about the importance of sounds in reading. The teacher then asks pupils to recall some letter sounds they learned last term.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to the greetings and mention some letter sounds they remember.

Learning Point: Recalling letter sounds

Step 2: Review of Letter Sounds

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Demonstration/Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays letter cards one by one (e.g., a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, v, w, y, z) and pronounces each sound clearly. Pupils repeat after the teacher, focusing on correct articulation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the letter sounds after the teacher.

Learning Point: Correct sound pronunciation

Step 3: Sound Examples in Words

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Illustrative Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows picture cards or says words (e.g., apple, ball, cat, dog) and emphasizes the beginning sound of each word. The teacher asks pupils to identify the first sound they hear.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, identify, and say the beginning sound of each word.

Learning Point: Identifying initial sounds

Step 4: Matching Sounds to Letters

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher says a sound (e.g., /m/, /s/, /t/) and asks pupils to pick the corresponding letter card from a set of magnetic letters or letter tiles. The teacher guides them to match the sound to its symbol.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the sound and match it with the correct letter card.

Learning Point: Sound-to-letter matching

Step 5: Beginning Sound Identification Practice

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Individual Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes a few familiar words on the board (e.g., ‘sun’, ‘mat’, ‘top’, ‘fan’) and asks pupils to identify and circle the letter representing the beginning sound in their exercise books. The teacher also demonstrates correct letter formation for some letters.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify and circle beginning sounds, practicing letter formation.

Learning Point: Practicing beginning sounds

Step 6: Writing Practice

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher demonstrates the correct formation of a few target letters (e.g., ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’) on the board, emphasizing proper spacing. Pupils then write these letters independently in their exercise books, correcting any errors in formation or spacing.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils write the target letters, focusing on correct formation.

Learning Point: Correct letter formation

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What sound does the letter ‘p’ make?
2. What is the beginning sound in the word ‘fish’?
3. Show me the letter for the sound /r/.
4. Pronounce the sound for the letter ‘u’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Assessing sound identification

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and reminds them to keep practicing their letter sounds at home to become better readers. The teacher briefly summarizes the importance of knowing letter sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively and acknowledge the importance of continuous practice.

Learning Point: Importance of sound practice

Lesson Keywords

• Sound – The noise a letter makes.
• Symbol – A letter that stands for a sound.
• Letter – A written character representing a sound.
• Word – A group of letters that has meaning.
• Phonemic Awareness – Knowing that words are made of individual sounds.

Differentiation

For struggling learners: Provide extra one-on-one practice with letter and picture cards. Use fewer target sounds and repeat them more often. Allow them to use magnetic letters to physically build simple words after identifying sounds. Focus on 3-5 key sounds they struggle with.

For faster learners: Challenge them to identify beginning, middle, and ending sounds in simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. Introduce blending two-letter sounds (e.g., ‘at’, ‘in’) or segmenting sounds in slightly longer words. Encourage them to write more words after identifying their beginning sounds.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding, search on YouTube for: Primary 1 phonemic awareness letter sounds review nigeria

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure all instructional materials like letter, word, and picture cards, magnetic letters, and exercise books are readily available. Begin by engaging pupils with familiar sounds and gradually move to more focused review activities. During the review of letter sounds, pay close attention to individual pupil pronunciation and provide immediate, gentle correction. When demonstrating letter formation, emphasize the correct stroke order and spacing to prevent bad writing habits. Encourage pupils to actively participate in matching sounds to letters and identifying beginning sounds. For the writing activity, circulate around the classroom to observe and guide pupils in correcting their letter formation. The evaluation questions should directly assess their ability to pronounce sounds and identify them in words. Remember to praise effort and progress to build confidence in their literacy journey.