Week 8, lesson 1 Grapheme "c" and Phonemes "s,k" - Phonics Phase 5, unit 2 - Lesson plan

In the first lesson of Week 8 during Phonics Phase 5, Unit 2, the objective is to introduce young learners to the different phonemes that the grapheme <c> can represent. The lesson starts with a "Quickdash" activity where children quickly review a variety of grapheme flashcards, including digraphs and trigraphs, shouting out the corresponding phonemes. This warm-up exercise helps to refresh their memory and improve their speed in recognising phonemes.

During the 'Teach' phase, the teacher writes a large <c> on the board and invites the children to suggest phonemes that this grapheme might represent, focusing on the /s/ and /k/ sounds. To illustrate, the teacher uses animal pictophones, such as Kangaroos and Seals, and provides example words like 'cap' and 'nice'. In the 'Practise' phase, the class engages in a 'Word Sort' activity where words are decoded and categorised under the correct phoneme column. This interactive task includes words such as 'can', 'ace', and 'mice'. To apply their learning, the children participate in 'Phrase Act' pairs, acting out phrases written on the board, and 'Mini Whiteboard Work', where they write dictated words or sentences. Teaching notes suggest emphasising that a '-ce' at the end of a word typically indicates a soft /s/ sound, which can be reinforced with examples like 'choice' and 'fleece'.