Review of Initial and Final Consonant Blends for Pre-School Level 3

Class: Pre-School Level 3
Term: Third Term
Week: 10
Age: 4 years
Duration: 30 minutes
Subject: Literacy
Curriculum Theme: Language Domain
Previous Lesson: Introduction to individual letter sounds and simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.
Topic: REVIEW OF INITIAL AND FINAL CONSONANT BLENDS
Subject Matter: Review Consonant Blends. Weekly focus: Review of Initial and Final Consonant Blends.

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Rote read the Jolly Phonics 42 sounds.
• Identify initial consonant blends in simple words.
• Identify final consonant blends in simple words.
• Form simple words using initial and final blends with guidance.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in reading and sound activities.
• Show interest in learning new words with blends.

Psychomotor Domain

• Circle the correct blends on a worksheet.
• Trace or write simple words containing blends.
• Point to pictures that match words with blends.

Social Domain

• Listen attentively to the teacher and peers.
• Take turns when responding or participating in activities.

Reference Materials

• NAPPS National Unified Teaching Scheme for Pre-School Level 3
• Relevant Early Childhood Care and Education resources

Instructional Materials

• Jolly Phonics handbook and CD player with CD
• Flashcards for the 42 Jolly Phonics sounds
• Flashcards for common initial consonant blends (e.g., bl, cl, dr, fl, gr, pl, tr, st, sm, sn, sp, sw)
• Flashcards for common final consonant blends (e.g., nd, nt, mp, st, sk, ft, lt, rk, lp)
• Picture cards of words containing initial and final blends (e.g., ‘block’, ‘crab’, ‘drum’, ‘flag’, ‘grass’, ‘plant’, ‘train’, ‘star’, ‘smile’, ‘snail’, ‘spoon’, ‘swing’, ‘hand’, ‘tent’, ‘lamp’, ‘nest’, ‘desk’, ‘gift’, ‘belt’, ‘fork’, ‘help’)
• Whiteboard/Chalkboard and markers/chalk
• Worksheets with pictures for circling blends and filling in missing blends
• Crayons

Rationale for the Lesson

Understanding consonant blends is a crucial step in developing early literacy skills for 4-year-olds. It helps them move beyond individual letter sounds to decode more complex words, improving their reading fluency and comprehension. This review reinforces foundational phonics knowledge, enabling pupils to build a stronger vocabulary and prepare for more advanced reading and writing tasks.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils have been introduced to the individual letter sounds of the alphabet and have practised blending CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. They can recognise some familiar sight words and identify initial sounds in words.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

REVIEW OF INITIAL AND FINAL CONSONANT BLENDS

A consonant blend is when two or more consonants are put together, and each sound in the blend can still be heard. For example, in ‘bl’ in ‘block’, you can hear both the /b/ sound and the /l/ sound.

Initial Consonant Blends

These are consonant blends that come at the beginning of a word.

• bl as in block, blue
• cl as in clap, clown
• dr as in drum, drink
• fl as in flag, flower
• gr as in grass, green
• pl as in plant, play
• tr as in train, tree
• st as in star, stop
• sm as in smile, small
• sn as in snail, snow
• sp as in spoon, spin
• sw as in swing, swim

Final Consonant Blends

These are consonant blends that come at the end of a word.

• nd as in hand, sand
• nt as in tent, plant
• mp as in lamp, jump
• st as in nest, fast
• sk as in desk, mask
• ft as in gift, lift
• lt as in belt, melt
• rk as in fork, park
• lp as in help, scalp

Consonant Blends Rhyme

Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”

Blends are fun, hear them clear,
Two sounds together, right here!
‘Bl’ in ‘block’, ‘cl’ in ‘clap’,
‘St’ in ‘star’, what a snap!
‘Nd’ in ‘hand’, ‘mp’ in ‘lamp’,
Blends help us read, champ, champ, champ!

Actions: Point to mouth for ‘hear them clear’, clap for ‘clap’, make a star shape for ‘star’, hold up hand for ‘hand’, mime turning on a lamp for ‘lamp’, give a thumbs up for ‘champ, champ, champ’.

Watch and Practise

Key Words

• Blend – Two consonants together where you can hear both sounds.
• Initial – At the beginning of a word.
• Final – At the end of a word.
• Sound – What we hear when we say a letter or blend.

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

• Play-based Learning
• Demonstration
• Guided Practice
• Songs and Rhymes
• Picture Talk
• Question and Answer
• Repetition
• Practical Activity

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Engagement/Recall

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the pupils warmly. Leads a quick “Hello” song. Asks pupils to recall some letter sounds they know.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings, sing along, and call out familiar letter sounds.

Learning Point: Pupils are engaged and recall prior knowledge of letter sounds.

Step 2: Jolly Phonics Sounds Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Auditory/Oral Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher plays the Jolly Phonics CD or uses flashcards to guide pupils in rote reading and singing the 42 sounds. The teacher ensures correct pronunciation and actions for each sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the CD/teacher and rote read/sing the 42 Jolly Phonics sounds, performing the actions.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce their knowledge of individual letter sounds.

Step 3: Introduction to Initial Consonant Blends

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains what consonant blends are (two consonants together, both sounds heard). Introduces initial blends using flashcards and picture cards (e.g., ‘bl’ with ‘block’). Says the blend and the word, asking pupils to listen carefully.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, look at the flashcards and pictures, and listen to the teacher say the blends and words.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the concept of initial consonant blends and hear examples.

Step 4: Practising Initial Blends

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice/Repetition

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows more initial blend flashcards (e.g., ‘cl’, ‘dr’, ‘fl’) with corresponding picture cards. The teacher says the blend and the word, then asks pupils to repeat after her. Encourages pupils to identify the initial blend sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat the blends and words after the teacher, pointing to the pictures and trying to identify the initial blend sound.

Learning Point: Pupils practise pronouncing and identifying initial consonant blends.

Step 5: Introduction to Final Consonant Blends

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Demonstration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces final consonant blends, explaining that they come at the end of words. Shows flashcards for final blends (e.g., ‘nd’ with ‘hand’) and says the blend and word, asking pupils to listen for the ending sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the explanation, observe the flashcards and pictures, and listen for the final blend sounds in words.

Learning Point: Pupils understand the concept of final consonant blends and hear examples.

Step 6: Practising Final Blends & Word Formation (with Rhyme and Video)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher shows more final blend flashcards (e.g., ‘nt’, ‘mp’, ‘st’) with picture cards. Pupils repeat the blends and words. The teacher then leads the class in singing the “Consonant Blends Rhyme” with actions. The teacher plays the “Consonant Blends | Learn Blends | Phonics for Kids” video and encourages pupils to say words with blends after the video.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils repeat final blends and words, sing the rhyme with actions, watch the video, and try to say words with blends.

Learning Point: Pupils reinforce identification of final blends and practise forming simple words, supported by song and video.

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

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

1. Show a picture of a ‘block’ and ask, “What is the first blend sound you hear?”
2. Show a picture of a ‘hand’ and ask, “What is the last blend sound you hear?”
3. Distribute worksheets with pictures (e.g., ‘plant’, ‘desk’, ‘drum’). Ask pupils to circle the correct initial or final blend from given options for each picture.
4. Ask pupils to fill in the missing final blend for a picture (e.g., ‘la_ _’ for lamp).
5. Ask pupils to form a simple word by blending sounds (e.g., “What word do we get when we put ‘st’ and ‘ar’ together?”).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond orally and demonstrate the required skill where appropriate by circling, filling in, or saying words.

Learning Point: Pupils demonstrate understanding of the lesson by identifying and forming words with blends.

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Summary/Encouragement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher summarises the lesson by reminding pupils that blends help them read more words. Praises pupils for their participation and effort. Assigns a simple homework task like identifying objects with blends at home.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the summary and receive praise. They note the homework task.

Learning Point: Pupils consolidate learning and feel encouraged.

Lesson Keywords

• Blend – Two consonant sounds heard together in a word.
• Initial – At the beginning.
• Final – At the end.
• Phonics – Learning to read by connecting sounds to letters.

Differentiation

• Support: For pupils struggling to hear or pronounce blends, provide extra one-on-one practice with larger flashcards and exaggerated pronunciation. Use hand-over-hand guidance for circling or tracing activities. Focus on just 2-3 blends (one initial, one final) for mastery before moving on.
• Extension: For pupils who quickly grasp the concept, challenge them to identify more words with the learned blends from storybooks or classroom objects. Ask them to think of their own words that start or end with a specific blend. Provide additional worksheets with more complex blend words for tracing.