Review of initial and final clusters and digraphs in connected text for Primary 1

Class: Primary One
Term: Third Term
Week: 8
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; Critical Thinking; Responsibility
Skills:

• Blending sounds to form words

Previous Lesson: Writing three descriptive sentences from a picture in Handwriting
Topic: Sound Clusters
Subject Matter: Review of initial/final clusters, digraphs in connected text

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Pronounce selected initial and final sound clusters correctly in familiar words.
• Pronounce common digraphs correctly in familiar words.
• Identify initial and final sound clusters in given words.
• Identify common digraphs in given words.

Affective Domain

• Show enthusiasm for reading words containing clusters and digraphs.
• Participate actively in classroom activities involving sound clusters and digraphs.

Psychomotor Domain

• Blend sounds to form words containing initial and final clusters.
• Blend sounds to form words containing common digraphs.

Social Domain

• Collaborate with peers during word-sorting 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
• Primary English for Nigerian Schools, Book 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
• Exercise books and pencils
• Pupils’ textbooks

Rationale for the Lesson

This lesson is important because it reinforces foundational phonics skills essential for reading fluency and comprehension. By reviewing consonant clusters and digraphs, pupils strengthen their ability to decode words, which builds confidence and accuracy in reading connected text. This skill is a crucial step towards becoming independent readers.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Pupils should be familiar with individual letter sounds (phonemes) and the blending of simple consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Review of Initial and Final Clusters and Digraphs

Initial Consonant Clusters

Initial consonant clusters are two or more consonants that come together at the beginning of a word and are pronounced together as a single unit. Each sound in the cluster is heard.

Examples of initial clusters and words:

1. bl – black, blue, blend
2. cl – clap, clean, cloth
3. dr – drum, drink, drop
4. fr – frog, fruit, free
5. gr – green, grass, grab
6. pl – play, plant, plum
7. sp – spot, spin, spoon
8. st – stop, star, step

Final Consonant Clusters

Final consonant clusters are two or more consonants that come together at the end of a word and are pronounced together. Each sound in the cluster is heard.

Examples of final clusters and words:

1. nd – hand, sand, send
2. nk – bank, pink, sink
3. mp – jump, lamp, stamp
4. ft – gift, soft, left
5. st – fast, test, nest

Common Digraphs

Digraphs are two letters that make one sound. They can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

Examples of common digraphs and words:

1. ch – chair, chop, much
2. sh – ship, shop, fish
3. th – thin, thick, bath
4. wh – what, when, wheel
5. ph – phone, photo, graph

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Discussion, Demonstration, Guided Practice, Question and Answer, Explanation, Repetition, Word-sorting Activity

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 different sounds letters make. The teacher then tells them that today’s lesson will be a review of how some letters work together to make special sounds in words.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils respond to greetings and recall previous lessons on letter sounds.

Learning Point: Recalling letter sounds

Step 2: Review of Initial Clusters

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Pronunciation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays word cards with initial consonant clusters (e.g., ‘bl’, ‘cl’, ‘fr’). The teacher models the pronunciation of each cluster and blends them into words (e.g., bl-ack, cl-ap, fr-og). Pupils listen and repeat after the teacher, identifying the initial cluster in each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen attentively, repeat the cluster sounds and words, and identify the initial clusters.

Learning Point: Initial cluster identification

Step 3: Review of Final Clusters

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Pronunciation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays word cards with final consonant clusters (e.g., ‘nd’, ‘nk’, ‘mp’). The teacher models the pronunciation of each cluster and blends them into words (e.g., ha-nd, si-nk, ju-mp). Pupils listen and repeat after the teacher, identifying the final cluster in each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the cluster sounds and words, and identify the final clusters.

Learning Point: Final cluster identification

Step 4: Review of Digraphs

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Modelling/Pronunciation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher displays word cards with common digraphs (e.g., ‘ch’, ‘sh’, ‘th’). The teacher models the pronunciation of each digraph sound and blends them into words (e.g., ch-air, sh-ip, th-in). Pupils listen and repeat after the teacher, identifying the digraph in each word.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils listen, repeat the digraph sounds and words, and identify the digraphs.

Learning Point: Digraph sound identification

Step 5: Blending and Reading Practice

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Practice

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher presents simple sentences or short connected texts from pupils’ textbooks or flashcards that contain words with the reviewed clusters and digraphs. The teacher guides pupils to blend the sounds and read the words and sentences aloud.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils blend sounds to read words and sentences with teacher guidance.

Learning Point: Blending for reading

Step 6: Word Sorting Activity

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Application/Classification

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes word cards to groups of pupils. Each group is asked to sort the words into categories based on whether they contain an initial cluster, final cluster, or a digraph. The teacher moves around to provide support.

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

Learning Point: Word pattern classification

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” and identify the initial sound cluster.
2. What is the final sound cluster in the word “hand”?
3. Pronounce the word “ship” and identify the digraph.
4. Give one word that starts with the ‘gr’ cluster.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Cluster/digraph pronunciation

Step 8: Conclusion

Time: 2 minutes

Teaching Skill: Reinforcement

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds pupils that knowing about sound clusters and digraphs helps them read many words easily. The teacher encourages them to practice reading words with these sounds at home.

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

Learning Point: Reading skill reinforcement

Lesson Keywords

• Cluster – Two or more consonants together, each sound heard.
• Digraph – Two letters that make one sound.
• Initial – At the beginning of a word.
• Final – At the end of a word.
• Blend – To combine sounds to make a word.

Differentiation

For slower learners, provide extra practice with picture cards and simpler words containing only one type of cluster or digraph at a time. For faster learners, challenge them to identify clusters and digraphs in longer words or short stories, and ask them to create their own sentences using words with these sounds.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For videos on consonant clusters and digraphs for Primary 1, search on YouTube for: primary 1 consonant clusters digraphs phonics

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure all instructional materials, especially the letter, word, and picture cards, are prepared and easily accessible. Begin by reviewing individual letter sounds to activate prior knowledge. When introducing clusters and digraphs, model pronunciation clearly and have pupils repeat several times. Encourage active participation through choral repetition and individual responses. During the word-sorting activity, group pupils effectively to promote collaboration. Pay close attention to pupils’ pronunciation during reading practice and provide immediate, constructive feedback. The evaluation questions should directly assess their ability to pronounce and identify the reviewed sound patterns. Remind pupils to practice these sounds regularly to improve their reading fluency.