GROUP 2: LESSON ‹m›

Teacher guidance:

Use flashcards to briefly revise the letter sounds already taught. Revise the formation of one or two letters.

What to do:

• Show flashcards of taught letter sounds. Pupils say each sound once and do the action.
• Choose 2 or 3 letters to write on the board. While this is being done the children form the letters in the air.

Teacher guidance:

Tell a dinner-time story: food smells delicious and the children rub their tummies saying “mmmmmm”. Place the ‹m› piece of the frieze on the wall.

What to do:

• Model a long, steady /mmmm/ with the tummy-rub action.
• Pupils copy; invite 2–3 to perform independently.
• Ask the children if they can think of any other words beginning with /m/: man, milk, map, moon, mouse, mat, mug.

Teacher guidance:

Demonstrate the letter on the board first, then use air writing before moving to paper or boards.

What to do:

• “Write /m/ on the board or in the air. Say the phrase with me: “Down, up, over, down, up, over, down and flick.”

Teacher guidance:

Write some words on the board and blend; include one with double ‹ss›.

What to do:

• Auditory blend: /m-e-n/ → men; /h-i-m/ → him; /m-i-ss/ → miss; /m-a-n/ → man.
• Write words on the board and blend: men, him, miss, man, map, stamp, mimic.
• Word bank: hem, him, imp, man, map, mat, men, met, ram, rim, mass, mess, miss, camp, mint, mist, ramp, stem, trim, smack, mimic, stamp, tempt, tramp; a man in a hat.

Teacher guidance:

Ask the children which words begin with the sound /m/?

What to do:

• “Which word begins with a /m/?” eg jug or mug; milk or fish; moon or tree; map or pen.
• ‘Does this word end with a /m/?” eg rim, rack, stem, hint
• “How many sounds in these words?” Say the word then sound it out with the children, holding up a finger for each sound, eg men, mess, camp, smack.

Teacher guidance:

Use the ‹m› page from Pupil Book 1 or free resources.

What to do:

• Write over the dotted ‹m› letters and the other letters on the lines; aim for even humps and that the letters sit on the line.
• Say four words: mug, robot, milk, moon. Pupils listen and write the letter for the first sound in each word.
• Blend words: men, him, miss, man. Read with a partner, then swap roles.

Teacher guidance:

Call out some taught letter sounds and two simple regular words.

What to do:

• Dictate the sounds: /m/, /r/, /h/, /e/ (children write ‹m›, ‹r›, ‹h›, ‹e›).
• Dictate the words: map, rim. (Children write them and then check by sounding out together and then blending them.)

What to do:

/m/ song with tummy-rub action.

Ideas

• Make masks
• “many meals” collage
• /m/ hunt in classroom books.

Teacher guidance:

Add ‹m›; encourage the children to quickly say the sounds.