Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming words and simple word families for Primary 1

Class: Primary 1
Term: First Term
Week: 5
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Pre-Reading Skills
Focal competence: Singing songs and reciting rhymes for language and literacy development
Key competencies/values: Creativity and Innovation; Communication; Critical Thinking; Collaboration; Responsibility; Leadership
Skills:

• Singing songs taught
• Identifying letter sounds in songs and rhymes
• Building rhyming word families

Previous Lesson: Songs And Rhymes: Animal songs and action rhymes
Topic: Phonemic Awareness (Songs And Rhymes)
Subject Matter: Rhyming words, simple word families

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify rhyming words in selected songs or rhymes.
• State the meaning of rhyming words.
• Mention examples of simple word families.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in singing taught songs and reciting rhymes.
• Show enthusiasm for learning new words.

Psychomotor Domain

• Sing a taught song clearly.
• Build a simple rhyming word family using given words.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with peers during group activities involving rhyming words.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable English Studies textbook for Primary 1
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Approved publisher-neutral text
• Letter, word and picture cards (e.g., cat, hat, mat; hen, pen, ten)
• Exercise books and pencils
• Please and thank you game board
• Chart showing rhyming word pairs
• Chart showing simple word families

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important for building foundational pre-reading skills in young learners. Understanding rhyming words and word families helps pupils recognise patterns in language, which is crucial for phonics and spelling. It also enhances their listening skills and expands their vocabulary in a fun and engaging way.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can identify some letters of the alphabet and recognise a few simple words. They also enjoy singing songs and listening to short rhymes.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming Words and Simple Word Families

Meaning of Rhyming Words

Rhyming words are two or more words that have the same ending sound. They often sound alike when you say them aloud.

Examples of Rhyming Words

Here are some pairs of words that rhyme:

1. cat – hat
2. bed – red
3. fan – man
4. car – star
5. fox – box
6. tree – bee

Simple Word Families

A word family is a group of words that share the same ending sound and spelling pattern. They help us learn to read and spell new words more easily.

Examples of Word Families

Here are some simple word families:

1. -at family: cat, hat, mat, sat, fat
2. -en family: hen, pen, ten, men
3. -og family: dog, log, fog, jog
4. -ip family: lip, zip, tip, dip
5. -an family: fan, man, can, ran

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Singing, Listening Activity, Individual Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Storytelling/Engagement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils and leads them in singing a familiar nursery rhyme or song that contains some rhyming words (e.g., “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”). The teacher then asks pupils if they noticed any words that sound alike.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing the song, and try to identify words that sound similar.

Learning Point: Prior sound awareness

Step 2: Explanation of Rhyming Words

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what rhyming words are using simple language and shows word cards (e.g., “cat” and “hat”). The teacher pronounces the words clearly, emphasising the ending sounds. “Rhyming words are words that sound the same at the end.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the explanation and repeat the rhyming words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Rhyming words meaning

Step 3: Identifying Rhyming Pairs

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Modeling

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays various word and picture cards. The teacher picks two cards, for example, “bed” and “red,” says them aloud, and asks, “Do these words rhyme?” The teacher guides pupils to identify rhyming pairs from the displayed cards. The teacher also models how to decide if two words rhyme by listening to their ending sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the cards, listen to the words, and answer “yes” or “no” when asked if words rhyme. They also try to match rhyming pairs.

Learning Point: Identifying rhyming pairs

Step 4: Introduction to Word Families

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Concept Building

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the concept of word families. “A word family is a group of words that have the same ending sound and spelling pattern.” The teacher shows a chart with the “-at” family (cat, hat, mat) and explains that all these words end with the sound /at/.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation and repeat the words in the “-at” family after the teacher.

Learning Point: Simple word families

Step 5: Building Simple Word Families

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Collaborative Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher writes a word ending (e.g., “-en”) on the board and asks pupils to think of words that belong to this family. The teacher guides them to build other word families like “-og” (dog, log, fog) or “-ip” (lip, zip, tip) using word cards or by sounding out words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils suggest words for the given word endings and participate in building word families, either orally or by writing in their exercise books.

Learning Point: Building word families

Step 6: Listening and Deciding Rhymes

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Auditory Discrimination

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher says two words aloud (e.g., “cup, pup” or “book, table”) and asks pupils to clap once if the words rhyme and shake their heads if they do not. This is a quick listening activity.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen carefully to the word pairs and respond by clapping or shaking their heads to indicate if the words rhyme.

Learning Point: Rhyme recognition skill

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 are rhyming words?
2. Give two examples of rhyming words.
3. Can you sing a short rhyming song we learned today?
4. Name two words from the “-an” word family.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Rhyming word understanding

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils to copy the essential Board Summary notes on rhyming words and simple word families into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Rhyming words notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher praises the pupils for their participation and reminds them that listening for rhyming words and learning word families will help them become better readers and writers. The teacher encourages them to look for rhyming words in songs and stories at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher’s concluding remarks and acknowledge the importance of the lesson.

Learning Point: Lesson concepts reinforced

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework / Practice Exercise

Instruction: Complete the following tasks in your exercise book:

1. Draw and colour two pictures of things that rhyme (e.g., a cat and a hat).
2. Write down two pairs of rhyming words you remember from the lesson.
3. List three words that belong to the “-un” word family (e.g., sun, run, fun).
4. Ask an adult at home to say two words, and you tell them if they rhyme or not.
5. Practise singing one of the rhyming songs we sang in class.

Lesson Keywords

• Rhyming words – Words that have the same ending sound.
• Word family – A group of words that share the same ending sound and spelling pattern.
• Phonemic awareness – The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
• Sound – What we hear when we speak or listen.
• Pattern – A regular way in which something happens or is done.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide more one-on-one support, use larger picture cards, and focus on only one or two rhyming pairs/word families at a time. Allow them to simply repeat words after the teacher.
For faster learners: Challenge them to identify more complex rhyming words or to create their own short rhyming sentences. Encourage them to identify words from additional word families.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further visual learning, search on YouTube for: Primary 1 rhyming words and word families songs

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have a variety of clear word and picture cards for rhyming pairs and simple word families. Practise pronouncing the words distinctly, emphasising the rhyming sounds. Begin with an engaging song or rhyme to capture pupils’ attention and activate their listening skills. Model rhyming words clearly, allowing pupils ample time to repeat and internalise the sounds. When introducing word families, use visual aids like charts to show the common ending pattern. Encourage active participation through call-and-response and simple games. During the listening activity, ensure pupils are focused on the ending sounds of the words. Guide pupils to copy the Board Summary notes neatly into their exercise books during Step 8. For weaker learners, provide extra repetition and visual cues. For faster learners, encourage them to generate more examples or create simple rhyming sentences. Always check for understanding throughout the lesson by asking questions and observing pupil responses.