Phonological Awareness: Beginning sounds in familiar words for Primary 1

Class: Primary 1
Term: First Term
Week: 3
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Pre-Reading Skills
Focal competence: Blending sounds to form words
Key competencies/values: Collaboration; Respect; Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies
Previous Lesson: Letter Writing:
Topic: Phonological Awareness
Subject Matter: Beginning sounds in familiar words

Skills:

• Blending sounds to form words

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify the target beginning sounds in selected familiar words.
• State the beginning sound of a given familiar word.

Affective Domain

• Show interest in listening for and identifying sounds in words.
• Participate actively in sound identification activities.

Psychomotor Domain

• Point to pictures or words that start with a specific sound.
• Say the beginning sound of familiar words clearly.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with peers during sound identification games.

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 1 English Studies Textbook
• 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., ‘b’ card, ‘ball’ word card, picture of a ball)
• Exercise books and pencils
• Real objects or charts (e.g., a bag, a cup, a fan)

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it builds a foundational skill for reading: phonological awareness. By identifying beginning sounds, pupils develop an understanding of how spoken words are made up of smaller sound units, which is crucial for decoding words and becoming fluent readers.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils can recognise some letters of the alphabet and have heard various sounds in their environment.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Phonological Awareness: Beginning Sounds in Familiar Words

What is Phonological Awareness?

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken words. It helps us understand that words are made of smaller parts.

What are Beginning Sounds?

Beginning sounds are the first sounds we hear when we say a word. For example, in the word “cat”, the beginning sound is /c/.

Identifying Beginning Sounds in Familiar Words

We can identify the beginning sound of a word by listening carefully to the first sound we make when we say it.

Examples of familiar words and their beginning sounds:

1. Ball – starts with the /b/ sound.
2. Cat – starts with the /c/ sound.
3. Dog – starts with the /d/ sound.
4. Fish – starts with the /f/ sound.
5. Goat – starts with the /g/ sound.
6. Hat – starts with the /h/ sound.
7. Man – starts with the /m/ sound.
8. Nest – starts with the /n/ sound.
9. Pen – starts with the /p/ sound.
10. Sun – starts with the /s/ sound.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Observation, 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 asks them to make different sounds they know, like animal sounds or sounds of objects. The teacher then asks them if they know that words also have sounds.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and make various sounds. They listen to the teacher’s questions.

Learning Point: Prior sound knowledge

Step 2: Explanation of Phonological Awareness and Beginning Sounds

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains simply what phonological awareness means and introduces the concept of “beginning sounds” in words. The teacher gives a few simple examples like “boy” and “book” and emphasises the /b/ sound. The teacher shows a picture of a ball and says “ball”, stretching the /b/ sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively to the explanation and observe the teacher’s demonstration. They repeat the example words and sounds.

Learning Point: Meaning of beginning sounds

Step 3: Teacher Models Identifying Beginning Sounds

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays various picture cards (e.g., cat, dog, fish, sun). For each card, the teacher clearly says the word, stretching the beginning sound, and then states the beginning sound. For example, “C-c-c-cat. The word cat starts with the /c/ sound.” The teacher asks pupils to repeat after him/her.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils observe the teacher, listen to the words and sounds, and repeat the words and their beginning sounds.

Learning Point: Sound identification modelling

Step 4: Guided Practice with Picture/Word Cards

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows more picture/word cards (e.g., mango, net, pen, table). For each card, the teacher guides pupils to say the word and identify its beginning sound. The teacher provides support and correction as needed. The teacher may ask, “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘mango’?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils take turns saying the words and identifying their beginning sounds, with teacher guidance. They listen to and correct each other.

Learning Point: Practising beginning sounds

Step 5: Identifying Sounds in Real Objects

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Observation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher brings out a few real objects (e.g., a bag, a cup, a fan). For each object, the teacher asks pupils to name the object and identify its beginning sound. “What is this? What sound does ‘bag’ start with?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils name the objects and identify their beginning sounds, linking sounds to real-world items.

Learning Point: Real-object sound identification

Step 6: Sound Identification from a Text

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reading/Identification

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher provides a suitable publisher-neutral text/material. The teacher reads short phrases or high-frequency words from the text and asks pupils to identify the beginning sounds of specific words within those phrases. For example, “In ‘a big ball’, what sound does ‘big’ start with?”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the teacher read and identify the beginning sounds of target words in the text with teacher support.

Learning Point: Sound identification in text

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 is the beginning sound of the word “sun”?
2. Point to the picture that starts with the /d/ sound (showing pictures of a dog, cat, and fish).
3. Say a word that starts with the /m/ sound.
4. Why is it important to know the beginning sounds of words?

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Beginning sound identification

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 beginning sounds in familiar words into their notebooks.

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

Learning Point: Beginning sounds notes

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds pupils that knowing beginning sounds helps them to read and encourages them to listen for sounds in words they hear every day. The teacher praises their effort and participation.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the concluding remarks and respond positively.

Learning Point: Sound awareness importance

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework / Practice Exercise

Instruction: Look at the pictures below. Write down the beginning sound of each word in your notebook.

1. Picture of a fish
2. Picture of a goat
3. Picture of a house
4. Picture of a key
5. Picture of a leaf

Lesson Keywords

• Phonological Awareness – The ability to hear and work with sounds in spoken words.
• Beginning Sounds – The first sound heard in a word.
• Familiar Words – Words that pupils know and use often.
• Identify – To recognise or pick out something.

Differentiation

For struggling learners: Provide extra one-on-one support, use more concrete objects, and focus on only 2-3 beginning sounds at a time. Use larger, clearer picture cards and repeat sounds slowly.
For advanced learners: Challenge them to identify beginning sounds in slightly longer or less common familiar words, or to think of other words that start with the same sound.

Suggested Lesson Videos

Search on YouTube for “Beginning Sounds for Kids Primary 1” or “Phonological Awareness First Sound Fluency”.

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, gather all instructional materials, especially a variety of clear picture cards, word cards, and a few real objects. Ensure the publisher-neutral text contains simple, high-frequency words suitable for sound identification. During the lesson, model the pronunciation of beginning sounds clearly and slowly, exaggerating the initial sound. Encourage all pupils to participate and provide positive reinforcement for their efforts. Pay close attention to pupils who struggle with distinguishing sounds and offer individualised support. The Board Summary should be written clearly on the board for pupils to copy during the designated note-taking step. Emphasise that this skill is a building block for reading.