Grade 3 Home Language Lesson Plan – Phonics

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Materials Needed:

  1. Flashcards with various phoneme-grapheme correspondences
  2. Audio recorder or a device with phonics sound apps
  3. Whiteboard and markers
  4. Worksheets with phonics activities (blending and segmenting exercises)
  5. Textbooks or readers containing phonically regular words

Learning Objectives:

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

  1. Recognise and correctly pronounce various phonemes.
  2. Match phonemes with their corresponding graphemes.
  3. Blend phonemes to form simple words.
  4. Segment simple words into individual phonemes.
  5. Apply their phonics knowledge in reading simple sentences.

Vocabulary:

  1. Phoneme – The smallest unit of sound in a word.
  2. Grapheme – The written representation of a phoneme.
  3. Blend – Combining individual phonemes to form words.
  4. Segment – Breaking down words into individual phonemes.
  5. Decode – The ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships to read written words.

Previous Learning:

In the previous lesson, students learned about the short vowel sounds and practised identifying and pronouncing them within simple words. They also worked on blending and segmenting activities with teacher support.

Anticipated Challenges and Solutions:

  • Challenge: Some students may struggle with blending sounds.
  • Solution: Provide extra practice with simpler words and use multisensory approaches (e.g. letter tiles or hand motions).
  • Challenge: Students may confuse similar-sounding phonemes.
  • Solution: Use minimal pairs (words that differ by only one phoneme) to highlight differences and provide additional listening exercises.

Beginning Activities (4 minutes):

  1. Introduction to Learning Objectives: Briefly explain today’s objectives, highlighting the importance of phonics in reading and writing.
  2. Review Previous Knowledge: Quick recap of short vowel sounds using flashcards. Ask students to pronounce the sounds together as a class.

Middle Activities (32 minutes):

  1. Direct Instruction (10 minutes):
  2. Introduce new phonemes for this lesson (e.g. /ch/, /sh/, /th/).
  3. Demonstrate the correct pronunciation and write the corresponding graphemes on the whiteboard.
  4. Use flashcards to visually represent these sounds.
  5. Guided Practice (10 minutes):
  6. Conduct blending exercises using the new phonemes. For example, write “ch-i-p” and model how to blend these sounds to form the word “chip”.
  7. Engage students in a call-and-response activity where they blend phonemes to form words.
  8. Independent Practice (12 minutes):
  9. Hand out worksheets with activities involving new phonemes, such as matching phonemes to pictures, filling in missing phonemes, and reading simple sentences containing the new sounds.
  10. Circulate around the class, assisting students as needed and providing immediate feedback.

End Activities (4 minutes):

  1. Exit Ticket Activity:
  2. Provide a simple sentence on the whiteboard containing the new phonemes (e.g. “The fish is in the shop”). Ask students to read the sentence aloud and then write it down on a paper strip.
  3. Collect the paper strips as they leave to assess their understanding.

Assessment and Checks for Understanding:

  1. Observational assessment during guided and independent practice.
  2. Review of worksheets and exit tickets to check for correct pronunciation, blending, and segmenting of phonemes.
  3. Informal oral questioning throughout the lesson.

Differentiation Strategies for Diverse Learners:

  1. Scaffolding: Use simpler words and phrases for students who need extra help. Pair them with a buddy for additional support.
  2. Extension Activities: Provide more challenging sentences or words containing the new phonemes for advanced students.
  3. Multisensory Learning: Incorporate tactile activities such as tracing letters in sand or forming letters with clay. Use visual aids like phonics charts.

Teaching Notes:

  1. Emphasise the importance of phonemic awareness as a foundational skill in reading.
  2. Model enthusiastic and exaggerated pronunciation of sounds to engage students.
  3. Keep activities dynamic and interactive to maintain student interest.
  4. Ensure that materials are accessible to all students, including those with visual or hearing impairments. Use large print or auditory aids as necessary.