GROUP 1: LESSON ‹p›

Teacher guidance:

Quickly revise previously taught letter sounds with flashcards (‹s›, ‹a›, ‹t›, ‹i›). Pupils say the sound and do the action at the same time.

What to do:

• Hold up the flashcards and ask pupils to say the sounds and do the actions.
• Air-write each letter together.
• Invite a few pupils to demonstrate individually.

Teacher guidance:

Tell the story of a child puffing out candles on a birthday cake. Show the ‹p› flashcard and place the piece of wall frieze alongside the other letters taught so far. At the same time, introduce the action: pupils put up their finger in front of their mouth and pretend to puff out candles, saying “p, p, p”.

What to do:

• 'Watch me do the action for /p/'.
• Do the action all together and then ask a few pupils to do it independently.
• Show the flashcard, then do the action and make the /p/ sound together.

Teacher guidance:

Demonstrate how to form the letter ‹p›. Begin with air writing before practising with a pencil and paper.

What to do:

• Let’s write a /p/ in the air together.
• Use the phrase: “Down-down, up-up, around and touch.”
• Remind pupils that /p/ goes below the line – check posture and pencil grip carefully.

Teacher guidance:

Begin with auditory blending. Say the sounds in short words and blend them together. Use your arm to model – tap from shoulder to wrist, one tap for each sound – then run your hand down your arm to blend the word. Move to blending with print. Write words such as pat and pin on the board with sound dots beneath. Pupils tap their hands as they say the sounds with you, then blend the sounds to read.

What to do:

• Blend /p-a-t/ → “pat”.
• Blend /p-i-n/ → “pin”.

Teacher guidance:

Encourage pupils to listen for the /p/ sound at the beginning of words. Use choices where only one option contains the /p/ sound.

What to do:

• The aim in this lesson is to ‘tune the children in’ to listen to the /p/ at the beginning of words and identify any words that do not start with the /p/ sound.

Spot the ‹p› Sound:

Listen for which word has a the /p/ sound at the beginning:

• pet or cat
• sun or pen
• dog or pan
• mat or pot

Teacher guidance:

Have pupils complete the ‹p› worksheet from Pupil Book 1 or the free resources. Use this time to observe how they form the letters.

What to do:

• Trace and write over dotted letters to practise formation.
• Say four words (panda, yogurt, pen, parrot). Pupils decide which do not start with /p/ (yogurt).
• Tap sound dots under words to blend and read: pit, pat, tip, tap.

Teacher guidance:

Call out the letter sounds /s/, /a/, /t/, /i/, /p/ in mixed order. Pupils write the letter for each one on their paper or board.

What to do:

Sing the Jolly Phonics song for /p/, puffing out candles as you sing.

Ideas:

• Play “I Spy” with objects beginning with /p/.
• Clap if the word starts with /p/, stay quiet if it does not.
• Pupils draw or find a picture of something beginning with /p/.

Teacher guidance:

Send home the Home Sound Book with the new letter ‹p›. Pupils read it with parents and practise saying the sounds, doing the actions and sometimes tracing the letters.

Value of this routine:

• Builds a strong home–school connection.
• Provides daily review and reinforcement.
• Helps parents see and support their child’s progress.
• Develops confidence and fluency through repeated practice.