English Resource Description
In the second lesson of Week 27, the focus is on the different graphemes that can represent the /f/ phoneme in English words. The objective of the lesson is to introduce children to the various spellings of the /f/ sound, which can be written as , , or . The lesson starts with a quick revision of ten high-frequency words using flashcards, encouraging the children to sound out the words and turning the review into a fun team competition.
The teaching segment introduces the Fish pictophone to represent the /f/ phoneme and prompts discussion about the different graphemes that can spell this sound. The graphemes , , and are written on the board, and the class practices writing words such as 'fear', 'offer', and 'phone', with the relevant grapheme underlined. The children are then asked to observe patterns in the usage of these graphemes, noting that is not used at the start of words. During the practice part of the lesson, a 'Sound Swap' activity helps children transform one word into another by changing letters (e.g., 'fall' to 'fill'), reinforcing their understanding of the /f/ phoneme in different contexts. To apply their learning, children use mini whiteboards to write dictated words and sentences containing the /f/ phoneme, such as 'dolphin', 'pufferfish', and 'final', as well as sentences like 'Call me on the phone' and 'He huffs and he puffs'.
