Daily Lesson Plan -- Lesson 31

Consonant Blends

Subject: English | Class: Nursery | Series: Leeds

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Overview

This lesson introduces consonant blends. "Consonant blends are when two or more consonants are blended together, but you still hear each sound." Learners start with brain (br) and slide (sl), then learn twelve blends with picture words on page 38. On the second day they read the blend words and complete the Activity Time by circling the blends for snail and dress.

Learning Outcomes (from textbook)

• Know what a consonant blend is
• Hear each sound in a blend
• Read words that start with a consonant blend
• Choose the correct blend for a picture

Key Vocabulary

Blend	Words
br	brain
sl	slide
bl	blanket, block
cl	clock, clown
fl	flag, flower
gl	globe, glove
dr	dress, drum
fr	frog, fruit
gr	grapes, grass
pr	paste, prince
tr	tree, truck
sk	skate
sm	smell, smoke
sn	snail, snow

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Day 1: Hear the Blend (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 38
• Letter cards for each blend
• A real block, glove or flag if available

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Say two sounds slowly, then faster: "s ... l ... sl!"
• Learners copy you: "f ... l ... fl!", "t ... r ... tr!"

What Is a Blend? (5 minutes)

• Open page 38 and read the definition aloud
• Learners repeat: "Two consonants blended together. I still hear each sound."
• Point to brain and slide. Say "br-ain" and "sl-ide", stressing the blend

Read the Blend Boxes (14 minutes)

• Read each box: say the blend, then the two words
• Row 1: bl -- blanket, block; cl -- clock, clown; fl -- flag, flower; gl -- globe, glove
• Row 2: dr -- dress, drum; fr -- frog, fruit; gr -- grapes, grass; pr -- paste, prince
• Row 3: tr -- tree, truck; sk -- skate; sm -- smell, smoke; sn -- snail, snow
• Learners repeat each word and hop on the blend sound

Show and Say (4 minutes)

• Hold up a real block, glove or flag
• Learners say the word and the blend: "block -- bl!"

Wrap-Up (2 minutes)

• Ask: "In a blend, do we hear one sound or each sound?" (each sound)

Differentiation

• Support: Work with Row 1 only; say each sound with the learner
• Extension: Ask confident learners to say the blend before you read the word

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Day 2: Read and Circle (30 minutes)

Materials

• Textbook page 38
• Blend cards and picture cards from page 38
• Pencils

Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Say the blends fast: bl, cl, fl, gl, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr, sk, sm, sn
• Learners echo each one

Match the Blend (8 minutes)

• Lay out the blend cards
• Show a picture (frog, tree, snow, clown) and ask: "Which blend?"
• A volunteer puts the picture under the right blend card

Act It Out (5 minutes)

• Say a word and learners act it out:
  • drum (play a drum)
  • skate (glide on one foot)
  • smell (sniff a flower)
  • snail (move very slowly)

Activity Time (8 minutes)

• Read the instruction: "Look at the pictures. Circle the correct consonant blend that starts each word."
• Point to the snail. Say "sn-ail". Learners find and circle "sn"
• Point to the dress. Say "dr-ess". Learners find and circle "dr"
• Read the other choices (gr, pr, st, cr) and ask why they do not fit

Wrap-Up (4 minutes)

• Each learner says one word from page 38 and its blend

Differentiation

• Support: Say the word slowly and point to the right blend for the learner to circle
• Extension: Ask confident learners to say another page 38 word with the same blend (sn -- snow, dr -- drum)

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Teaching Tips

• Say both sounds of a blend slowly first, then faster until they join
• Read across each blend box so learners hear the blend at the start of both words
• Use real objects (block, glove, flag) where possible