Blending selected initial clusters and digraphs for Primary 1

Class: Primary One
Term: Second Term
Week: 4
Age: 6 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Studies
Curriculum Theme: Pre-Reading Skills
Focal competence: Articulating consonant clusters appropriately while speaking and reading
Key competencies/values: Collaboration; Respect; Tolerance; Communication; ICT and Digital Competencies
Skills: Blending sounds to form words
Previous Lesson: Reciting rhymes fluently with gestures
Topic: Sound Clusters
Subject Matter: Blending selected initial clusters, digraphs

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Pronounce selected initial consonant clusters and digraphs correctly in familiar words.
• Identify words that begin with selected initial consonant clusters.
• Identify words that contain selected digraphs.
• Blend the sounds of initial clusters and digraphs to form complete words.

Affective Domain

• Participate actively in blending and word-sorting activities.
• Show interest in learning new sound patterns.

Psychomotor Domain

• Articulate words containing initial clusters and digraphs clearly.
• Sort words based on their initial cluster or digraph pattern.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with peers during group activities.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

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

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Letter cards (e.g., ‘bl’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’)
• Word cards (e.g., ‘blue’, ‘ship’, ‘chair’, ‘clap’, ‘frog’)
• Picture cards corresponding to the words
• Chart showing initial consonant clusters and digraphs
• Exercise books and pencils

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it builds foundational phonics skills crucial for early literacy. Understanding how to blend consonant clusters and digraphs helps pupils decode words more easily, improving their reading fluency and comprehension. Mastering these sounds enhances their ability to recognise and pronounce new words independently.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should be able to recognise individual letter sounds and blend simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Sound Clusters

Initial Consonant Clusters

Initial consonant clusters are two or three consonant letters that come together at the beginning of a word. Each consonant in the cluster keeps its own sound, but they are blended together smoothly.

Examples of initial consonant clusters and words:

1. bl – blue, black, blend
2. cl – clap, clean, clock
3. fl – flag, fly, floor
4. gl – glue, glad, glass
5. pl – play, plan, plum
6. sl – sleep, slide, slow
7. br – bread, brown, bring
8. cr – crab, cry, cross
9. dr – drum, dress, drink
10. fr – frog, fruit, friend
11. gr – green, grape, grow
12. pr – pray, print, prize
13. tr – tree, train, trip
14. sc – scarf, scoop, score
15. sk – skip, sky, skate
16. sm – small, smile, smoke
17. sn – snail, snow, snack
18. sp – spoon, spot, speak
19. st – star, stop, stand
20. sw – swim, swing, sweet

Digraphs

Digraphs are two letters that combine to make one single sound. Unlike clusters, you hear only one sound from the two letters.

Examples of common digraphs and words:

1. ch – chair, cheese, chop
2. sh – ship, shop, shoe
3. th – thin, thick, bath
4. wh – what, when, wheel
5. ph – photo, phone, graph
6. ck – duck, kick, clock
7. ng – sing, ring, long

Blending Sounds to Form Words

To blend sounds, we say the sounds of the letters quickly together to make a whole word.

For clusters, say each consonant sound and then the vowel sound:

1. /b/ + /l/ + /u/ = blue
2. /c/ + /l/ + /a/ + /p/ = clap
3. /f/ + /r/ + /o/ + /g/ = frog

For digraphs, say the single sound of the digraph and then the other sounds:

1. /sh/ + /i/ + /p/ = ship
2. /ch/ + /ai/ + /r/ = chair
3. /th/ + /i/ + /n/ = thin

Word Sorting Activity

Word sorting is when we group words together based on a common feature, like their starting sound. For example, we can sort words into groups that start with ‘bl’, ‘sh’, or ‘ch’.

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 reviews some individual letter sounds and simple CVC words (e.g., ‘cat’, ‘dog’, ‘sun’) by showing flashcards and asking pupils to sound them out.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and sound out the individual letters and CVC words shown by the teacher.

Learning Point: Recalling letter sounds

Step 2: Introduction to Initial Consonant Clusters

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the concept of initial consonant clusters. Using letter and picture cards, the teacher models the pronunciation of selected clusters (e.g., ‘bl’, ‘cl’, ‘fr’) and blends them into words like ‘blue’, ‘clap’, ‘frog’. The teacher emphasises that each sound is heard.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively, observe the cards, and repeat the cluster sounds and blended words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Understanding consonant clusters

Step 3: Practice with Initial Consonant Clusters

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents more word cards with initial consonant clusters (e.g., ‘glass’, ‘train’, ‘swim’). The teacher guides pupils to identify the cluster, pronounce the cluster sound, and then blend it with the rest of the word. The teacher provides corrective feedback.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the clusters, attempt to pronounce them, and blend the sounds to form the words, with teacher guidance.

Learning Point: Blending cluster words

Step 4: Introduction to Digraphs

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Explanation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the concept of digraphs. Using letter and picture cards, the teacher models the pronunciation of selected digraphs (e.g., ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘th’) and blends them into words like ‘ship’, ‘chair’, ‘thin’. The teacher emphasises that two letters make one sound.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen carefully, observe the cards, and repeat the digraph sounds and blended words after the teacher.

Learning Point: Understanding digraphs

Step 5: Practice with Digraphs

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents more word cards with digraphs (e.g., ‘wheel’, ‘shop’, ‘duck’). The teacher guides pupils to identify the digraph, pronounce its sound, and then blend it with the rest of the word. The teacher corrects pronunciation as needed.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils identify the digraphs, attempt to pronounce them, and blend the sounds to form the words, with teacher guidance.

Learning Point: Blending digraph words

Step 6: Word-Sorting Activity

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Group work

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher divides pupils into small groups and gives each group a mix of word cards containing different initial clusters and digraphs. The teacher instructs them to sort the words into categories based on their starting cluster or digraph (e.g., ‘bl’ words, ‘sh’ words).

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils work collaboratively in groups to sort the word cards according to the given patterns.

Learning Point: Sorting words by sound patterns

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. Pronounce the word “clap”. What initial sound do you hear?
2. What sound do the letters ‘sh’ make in “ship”?
3. Blend the sounds /f/ + /l/ + /a/ + /g/ to form a word.
4. Give one word that starts with ‘ch’.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Identifying and blending sounds

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 initial consonant clusters, digraphs, and blending examples into their notebooks.

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

Learning Point: Recording lesson content

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 3 minutes

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly recaps the importance of blending clusters and digraphs for reading. The teacher encourages pupils to practice identifying these sounds in books and everyday words. The teacher praises their participation and effort.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen to the recap and acknowledge the importance of the lesson.

Learning Point: Reinforcing sound blending

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Identify and write down five words that begin with an initial consonant cluster and five words that contain a digraph from your storybooks or surroundings.

1. Words with initial consonant clusters:
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________
2. Words with digraphs:
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________

Lesson Keywords

• Cluster – Two or three consonants together where each sound is heard.
• Digraph – Two letters that make one sound.
• Blend – To smoothly combine sounds to form a word.
• Initial – At the beginning of a word.

Differentiation

For weaker learners, provide more one-on-one or small group support, focusing on a smaller set of clusters and digraphs. Use larger, clearer picture cards and model blending slowly and repeatedly. For faster learners, challenge them to identify more complex words with clusters and digraphs, or to create sentences using the words learned.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further learning, search on YouTube for: Primary 1 consonant clusters digraphs blending

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, prepare all instructional materials, especially clear letter, word, and picture cards for the selected initial clusters and digraphs. Ensure the classroom is arranged to allow for easy viewing of charts and group activities. Begin by reviewing individual letter sounds to activate prior knowledge. When introducing clusters and digraphs, clearly model the sounds and blending process, differentiating between the two concepts (clusters: individual sounds heard; digraphs: one sound from two letters). Provide ample opportunities for pupils to repeat and practice blending. During the word-sorting activity, circulate among groups to provide support and ensure correct categorisation. For note-taking, guide pupils to copy the Board Summary after the main teaching and practice activities. Constantly check for understanding through questioning and observation. Encourage pupils to apply their blending skills in their reading activities.