Suitable for Foundation, Level 1 and Level 2
Lesson plan overview
This lesson plan provides
oral language activities to develop phonological awareness and
phonics knowledge. Unlike other lesson plans on the Literacy Teaching Toolkit, this lesson is not designed to be run sequentially. Rather, it presents a series of oral language activities, which target the development or consolidation of components of
phonological awareness and
phonics. The activities can be used to create a short, sharp learning focus or to help the class or small group of students consolidate an aspect of their phonological awareness learning. The lessons are designed to instruct and engage.
This lesson plan addresses:
- Teaching phonological awareness
- The use of rhyming narratives for reading engagement and enjoyment
- Using rhymes to support reading fluency and phrasing
- Attending to spelling patterns of words with regular and irregular spelling
- Using spelling knowledge to write rhymes
- Creating short poems.
Additionally, this lesson plan addresses:
- Student talk for collaboration
- Engaging comprehension strategies
- Using mentor texts for writing
- Using explicit and scaffolded teaching to support all learners.
Victorian Curriculum links
Foundation
Blend sounds associated with letters when reading consonant-vowel-consonant words (VCELA147)
Understand that spoken sounds and words can be written and know how to write some high-frequency words and other familiar words including their name (VCELA157)
Know how to use onset and rime to spell words where sounds map more directly onto letters (VCELA158)
Identify rhyming words, alliteration patterns, syllables and some sounds (phonemes) in spoken words (VCELA168)
Blend and segment onset and rime in single syllable spoken words and isolate, blend and segment phonemes in single syllable words (first consonant sound, last consonant sound, middle vowel sound) (VCELA169)
Level 1
Explore differences in words that represent people, places and things (nouns, including pronouns), happenings and states (verbs), qualities (adjectives) and details such as when, where and how (adverbs) (VCELA179)
Recognise short vowels, common long vowels and consonant digraphs, and consonant blends (VCELA181)
Understand how to spell one and two syllable words with common letter patterns (VCELA182)
Understand that a letter can represent more than one sound, and that a syllable must contain a vowel sound (VCELA183)
Read texts with familiar features and structures using developing phrasing, fluency, phonic, semantic, contextual, and grammatical knowledge and emerging text processing strategies, including prediction, monitoring meaning and rereading (VCELY187)
Recognise and know how to use simple grammatical morphemes in word families (VCELA191)
Identify the separate phonemes in consonant blends or clusters at the beginnings and ends of syllables (VCELA203)
Manipulate phonemes by addition, deletion and substitution of initial, medial and final phonemes to generate new words (VCELA204)
Level 2
Recognise most letter–sound matches including silent letters, trigraphs, vowel digraphs and common long vowels, and understand that a sound can be represented by various letter combinations (VCELA218)
Understand how to use digraphs, long vowels, blends, silent letters and syllabification to spell simple words including compound words (VCELA226)
Manipulate more complex sounds in spoken words through knowledge of blending and segmenting sounds, phoneme deletion and substitution (VCELA238)
Identify all Standard Australian English phonemes, including short and long vowels, separate sounds in clusters (VCELA239)
English as an Additional Language (EAL)
Pathway A: Early immersion
Level A1: Participate in simple and familiar songs, rhymes and chants (VCEALC007)
Level A1: Imitate pronunciation, stress and intonation patterns (VCEALL027)
Level A1: Recognise some letters of the alphabet (VCEALL049)
Level A1: Identify some sounds in words (VCEALL050)
Level A1: Recognise some common letters and letter patterns in words (VCEALL051)
Level A1: Spell with accuracy some consonant–vowel–consonant words and common words learnt in the classroom (VCEALL080)
Level A2: Follow a short sequence of instructions related to classroom procedures or learning activities (VCEALC088)
Level A2: Participate in class performances of songs, poems and rhymes (VCEALC089)
Level A2: Repeat or modify a sentence or phrase, modelling rhythm, intonation and pronunciation on the speech of others (VCEALL109)
Level A2: Identify and produce phonemes in blends or clusters at the beginning and end of syllables (VCEALL110)
Level A2: Relate most letters of the alphabet to sounds (VCEALL131)
Level A2: Use knowledge of letters and sounds to read a new word or locate key words (VCEALL132)
Level A2: Spell with accuracy familiar words and words with common letter patterns (VCEALL159)
Activity 1: Lesson alliteration – Days of the Week
Learning intention
We are learning to listen to phonemes (sounds) in spoken and written words.
Success criteria
I can say two words that have the same first sound.
Resources required
Class list of words generated over time
Group size
Whole class
This activity incorporates alliteration and also targets the development of
vocabulary and reinforces understanding about the role of adjectives. The activity can be conducted during the last few minutes of the day before students are dismissed to go home.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria and checks understanding.
- The teacher invites students to reflect on the day they have had and provide a description using alliteration. A class chart with words listed can be generated over time. The teacher can begin the chart with a few descriptive words.
For example:
- Monday – Mad Monday, Marvelous Monday, Messy Monday, Massive Monday, Mild Monday, Mysterious Monday
- Tuesday – Terrific Tuesday, Terrible Tuesday
- Wednesday – Wacky Wednesday, Worst Wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday
- Thursday – Thinking Thursday, Thoughtful Thursday, Thankful Thursday
- Friday – Fun Friday, Fantastic Friday, Frightful Friday
- The teacher returns to the success criteria and checks if students have been successful in describing their day with two words that start with the same first sound.
Activity 2: Lesson alliteration – I went shopping and I bought…
Learning intention
We are learning to listen to phonemes (sounds) in spoken words.
Success criteria
I can identify words with the same initial sound.
Resources required
Pictures of items (optional)
Group size
Small group
This activity requires students to use alliteration, when thinking of an adjective. It also involves
purposeful listening and remembering what others in the group have said.
Pre learning may involve generating lists of alliterative adjectives and nouns. For example: bruised bananas, red raspberries, squishy sultanas.
For students needing greater support, pictures of common supermarket items could be displayed, and simple adjectives listed.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria and checks understanding, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- The first time the activity is done the teacher explicitly models the sequence the students are to follow.
‘I went shopping and I bought brown bananas.’ and then explain that the first student is to repeat the sentence and add something else that they bought using an alliterative adjective and a noun.
- The first child in the group begins the activity by finishing the sentence ‘I went shopping and I bought…’. using an alliterative adjective to the noun. For example, ‘I went shopping and I bought bruised bananas.’
- The next child needs to remember the first sentence and add to it. For example, ‘I went shopping and I bought bruised bananas and chunky chocolate’. Continue the game until all students have had a turn.
- This activity can be innovated upon by changing the sentence stem. For example, I went to the zoo and I saw … At the beach I saw …I went to party and I wore my…
- Revisit the success criteria.
Activity 3: Lesson identifying rhymes: Finding the mystery rhyme
Learning intention
We are learning to listen for words that rhyme.
Success criteria
I can identify words that rhyme.
Resources required
Short poems, nursery rhymes or sentences displayed for students to see
Group size
Whole class, small group or individuals
This activity requires
purposeful listening and identifying words that rhyme.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria and checks understanding then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- The teacher provides students with a word that is not in the text chosen but rhymes with a word in the text. For example, the text used could be the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and the word could be ball.
- Read the text and students find the rhyming word (wall).
- Revisit the success criteria.
Activity 4: Lesson identifying rhymes in texts
Learning intention
We are learning to listen for rhyming words.
Success criteria
I can identify words that rhyme in texts.
I can talk about the author’s choice to use rhyme.
I can identify the spelling patterns that make two words rhyme.
Resources required
Short poems, nursery rhymes or picture story books that include rhyme
Group size
Whole class, small group or individuals
This activity requires
purposeful listening and identifying words that rhyme. Read aloud texts with rhymes for students to enjoy.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria and checks understanding of rhyme if needed, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- Students identify the rhyming words in the chosen text.
- Discuss the sounds of language and how the author’s choice to include rhyme make for a pleasurable reading experience.
- This activity can be extended for older or more competent students by investigating the different letter
spelling patterns in the words that rhyme.
- The teacher returns to the success criteria and checks in with students.
Activity 5: Lesson using rhymes for reading fluency and phrasing
Learning intention
We are learning to use rhymes to help us read aloud.
Success criteria
I can use the rhyming words to read with fluency, phrasing and expression.
Resources required
Short poems, nursery rhymes or picture story books that include rhyme
Group size
Whole class, small group or individuals
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- The teacher explicitly modes the use of rhymes to help with
reading fluency, phrasing and expression.
- The teacher engages students in shared reading to practice how the rhyming words in a text can help with fluency, phrasing and expression.
- Students work with partners to re-read familiar texts or sections of familiar texts.
Partners provide feedback on reading linked to the success criteria.
Activity 6: Lesson using rhymes to create short poems
Learning intention
We are learning to use rhymes to help us create poems.
Success criteria
I can identify words that rhyme and use them in my writing.
Resources required
Picture books which feature rhymes, such as 'A Tiny Light by Alison Lester,
I need a hug' by Aaron Blabey (irregular spelling) or 'Llamas in Pyjamas' by Matt Cosgrove or well-known rhymes or chants, such as
The ants go marching one by one.
Group size
Whole class or small groups
This activity invites students to innovate on an existing rhyme.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- The teacher provides a selected the mentor text and with the students explore where the rhymes occur. For example, at the end of lines 1 and 2 or lines 2 and 4.
- The teacher provides students with opportunities to read aloud some pages from the selected text to hear the rhymes and explore the rhythm of language.
- Students can innovate on the text by changing words to make a rhyme (e.g.
The ants come marching one by one). ‘One by one’ could be changed to - The ants come marching ‘by the sea’. The new verse now includes a rhyme for sea. For example,
The ants come marching by the
sea.
Hoorah, Hoorah.
The ants come marching by the
sea.
Hoorah, Hoorah.
The ants come marching by the
sea.
The little one stopped to scratch his
knee.
And they all went marching home to get out of the rain. Boom boom!
- Revisit success criteria.
This activity offers opportunity to be extended into writing lessons, which focus on regular and irregular spelling. Teacher support can vary according to the gradual release of responsibility model with more supportive pedagogical practices, such as
modelled writing selected for students who find generating rhymes difficult and
guided writing or
independent writing selected for students who have more confidence with rhymes.
Activity 7: Lesson counting syllables
Learning intention
We are learning to identify one, two and three syllable words.
Success criteria
I can count how many syllables are in each word.
I can check that each syllable has a vowel sound.
Resources required
Set of numeral cards with either the number 1, 2 or 3
Group size
Whole class, small group or individuals
This activity involves identifying the number of
syllables in words and checking that each identified syllable contains a vowel sound.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- Students pick up a numeral card. They then find an item in the classroom that can be represented by that number of syllables. For example, book = 1 syllable, scissors = 2 syllables, basketball = 3 syllables.
- When students have their item, the group can clap out the syllables to check.
- Students then identify the vowel sounds in each syllable.
- Revisit the success criteria.
Activity 8: Lesson blending phonemes and revising medial vowel sounds
Learning intention
We are learning to blend phonemes to make words.
Success criteria
I can blend 3 or more phonemes.
Resources required
Set of cards with single consonants and consonant blends
Whiteboards and whiteboard markers
Group size
Small group or individuals
This activity revises vowel sounds, as well as providing opportunities for students to blend phonemes.
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- Each student is given a set of single consonants and consonant blends. For example, b, d, s, m, n, p and cl, sl, sc, cr, bl.
- The teacher provides a short vowel sound and students use their cards to make a word and record on their whiteboard. For example, if the short vowel sound provided by the teacher is ‘a’, the student may select the ‘cr’ letter card, add the ‘a’ and then find the letter card ‘b’ to record the word crab. Students may write words such as crab, map, dad, slap.
- Revisit the success criteria.
Activity 9: Lesson segmenting and blending phonemes: New animals
Learning intention
We are learning to segment and blend phonemes (sounds).
Success criteria
I can break words up into phonemes (sounds).
I can blend phonemes (sounds) together to make words.
Resources required
Pictures of animals and matching name cards
Group size
Whole class
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- The teacher explicitly models the activity first using a think aloud to explain what they are doing.
- Students use the existing names of animals to create new animals. They do this by:
- segmenting the phonemes in the names of known animals,
- selecting the phonemes from the names of two animals and blending these.
For example:
- I can select the phonemes e l e from elephant and add the phonemes c a t from caterpillar to create a new animal – the elecat.
- I can select the phonemes f r from frog and add these to i pp o from hippopotamus to make the new animal – the frippo. Students can create artwork to portray their new animal.
- Revisit the success criteria when discussing students’ responses.
Activity 10: Lesson phoneme substitution
Learning intention
We are learning to isolate and substitute phonemes (sounds) in words.
Success criteria
I can segment words into phonemes.
I can change a phoneme (sound) in a word to make a new word.
Resources required
None
Group size
Whole class or small group
- The teacher introduces the learning intention and success criteria, then asks students to listen carefully to the instructions for the activity.
- Teacher and students brainstorm items that would be useful to have in a particular setting. For example, the beach, a party, a desert island.
- The teacher provides a short narrative selecting one of the words. For example, the word map. I thought I packed a map for my trip to the desert island, but when I looked it was a (students are invited to substitute one phoneme from the word map to make a new word –mat, cap, mop). Discuss the implication of each new word and the benefits or challenges that might be encountered on the desert island with a mop instead of a map, a mat instead of a map.
- Revisit the success criteria.
Extension: Using the success criteria as a guide, students take turns to choose a word and generate a short narrative using the word and then changing one phoneme to create a new word.