Week 23, lesson 2 Phoneme "a,o" - Phonics Phase 5, unit 3 - Lesson plan

In the second lesson of Week 23, the focus is on the phoneme /o/ and its alternative spellings, as part of Phonics Phase 5, Unit 3. The objective for the day is clear: "Today we are learning ways to spell the /o/ phoneme." The lesson starts with a quick revision activity called the HFW Race, where children review ten high-frequency words using flashcards. Initially, they read each word aloud, sounding it out where necessary. On the second round, the activity becomes a team game to see which group can read the words the quickest, adding an element of fun competition to the learning process.

The teaching segment introduces the Ox pictophone, a visual aid that helps children associate the image of an ox with the /o/ phoneme. The teacher then demonstrates the different graphemes that can represent this phoneme, specifically and , and practices writing words like 'dog' and 'wash' with the class, underlining the grapheme that makes the /o/ sound. Children are encouraged to identify patterns, such as the grapheme producing the /o/ sound following the /w/ sound, with examples like 'swap' and 'wash'. During the practice phase, a lively 'Countdown' activity has children decoding and blending words from a list on the board, either by their own choice or through a 'lucky dip' selection, with points awarded for each word read correctly. Finally, the application of this lesson involves dictating words and sentences for the children to write on mini whiteboards, ensuring they understand and can use the phoneme /o/ in various contexts.