1st Term Week 8 English lesson note: Phonics II (Consonant Blends and Digraphs) For Primary 2

 Term: First Term

Week: Week 8

Class: Primary 2

Subject: English Language (Phonics)

Topic: Phonics II (Consonant Blends and Digraphs)

Sub-Topics:

• Two-Letter Consonant Blends (bl, cl, fl, tr, sp, st)

• Consonant Digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh)

• Dictation and Oral Blending Exercises

1. What is the Difference Between a Blend and a Digraph?

Before we look at the letters, let's learn the two magic rules of combining sounds:

• Consonant Blends: When two consonants stand together, but you can still hear both sounds sliding into each other quickly.

  • Example: In b-lue, you can hear both the /b/ and the /l/.

• Consonant Digraphs: When two letters join together to make one completely new sound. You can no longer hear the individual letters.

  • Example: When s meets h, they don't say /s/ and /h/. They combine to say "shhh!"(/ʃ/)

  • .

2. Two-Letter Consonant Blends

Let's practice stretching and blending these sounds together with the pupils:

Core Blends Table

Blend	How to Blend the Sounds	Word Examples
bl	/b/ + /l/→  "bl"	black, blue, blow
cl	/k/ + /l/→  "cl"	clap, clean, clock
fl	/f/ + /l/ →  "fl"	flat, fly, flag
tr	/t/ + /r/→  "tr"	tree, trip, truck
sp	/s/ + /p/→  "sp"	spit, spoon, sppot
st	/s/ + /t/ →  "st"	stop, star, stick

3. Consonant Digraphs (The Team Sounds)

These letters work as a team to create one unique sound.

• sh → Makes the quiet sound: "shhh!" (As in shop, ship, fish)

• ch → Makes the train sound: "chug-chug!" (As in chop, chair, chat)

• th → Makes the teeth sound: "th-th" (As in think, three, with)

• wh →  Makes the blowing air sound: "wh-wh" (As in white, wheal, when)

4. Classroom Activity: Oral Blending and Dictation

Teachers should use this three-step drill to train the pupils' ears to catch these combined sounds before writing them down.

1.The Sound Extension Drill:Step 1.

The teacher stretches the blend out slowly, and the class says the whole word fast.

• Teacher: "Stretch: f - l - a - t"

• Pupils call out: "FLAT!"

2.The Digraph Action Drill:Step 2.

The teacher calls out a word. Pupils must make the sound action if it contains a digraph.

• If the teacher says "Ship", pupils place a finger to their lips and say "shhh!"

• If the teacher says "Chop", pupils make a chopping motion with their hands.

3.Listen and Write (Dictation):Step 3.

The teacher reads these short phrases slowly, and pupils spell them in their exercise books:

• "A black ship."

• "Stop at the tree."

Classwork / Evaluation Exercises

Part A: Complete the Word

Look at the hint and fill in the missing blend (bl, cl, fl, tr, st):

1. _ _ ap (Hint: Use your hands to make music!)

2. _ _ ue (Hint: The color of the sky.)

3. _ _ op (Hint: What a traffic warden tells a car to do.)

4. _ _ ee (Hint: A big plant with green leaves.)

Part B: Digraph Sorting

Look at the words in the box below. Write them under the correct team heading:

[ chair , shop , three , fish , chop , thin ]

Words with "sh"	Words with "ch"	Words with "th"
1. _________________	1. _________________	1. _________________
2. _________________	2. _________________	2. _________________