Week 7, lesson 1 Phoneme "ear and Grapheme "ear" - Phonics Phase 3 - Lesson plan

In the first lesson of Week 7, the phonics curriculum introduces the phoneme /ear/ and the corresponding grapheme . The objective of the day is to familiarise children with this sound, playfully presented as the Ear Leading a Cheer. The lesson begins with a reveal of the Ear character and the grapheme flashcard, sparking curiosity and engagement. A Quickdash activity follows, where children revisit previously learned graphemes and pictophones, shouting out their sounds as the teacher cycles through them at a quickening pace, reinforcing their phonemic awareness.

The teaching segment includes a story that features the /ear/ phoneme prominently, helping the children to hear and remember the sound within a narrative context. The Ear Leading a Cheer character is depicted as excited for game day, with the story providing multiple opportunities to hear and practise the /ear/ sound. An accompanying action has the children pumping their arms like cheerleaders while chanting /ear/ to further embed the phoneme. In the practice phase, students learn how to form the trigraph by finger writing in the air and on each other's backs. They then engage in a Spot The Fake activity, sorting real and nonsense words to consolidate their understanding. The application of this new knowledge comes through a Yes/No card game, where children decode phrases and display their comprehension. For those ready for more, extension activities like Chalk and Letter Hunt provide additional challenges.