GROUP 2: LESSON ‹r›

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 short story about a playful puppy tugging a rag: as it shakes the rag, it growls “rrrrr”. Model the action: gently shake your head like a puppy and say a long, soft /rrrr/. Place the ‹r› piece of the frieze on the wall.

What to do:

• “Demonstrate the action… rrrrr.” Pupils copy and say /r/ together.
• Invite 2–3 pupils to perform the sound and action independently.
• Ask: “What /r/ words did you hear in the story? Can you think of more?” (rag, rain, rabbit, rocket, red, rug, ring).

Teacher guidance:

Demonstrate on the board, then move to air writing.

What to do:

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

Teacher guidance:

Write and blend words on the board. Include a couple of words with consonant blends.

What to do:

• Auditory blend: “What word? /r-i-p/ → rip; /r-a-t/ → rat; /t-r-a-p/ → trap; /r-e-s-t/ → rest.”
• Blending: Write words on the board and blend them: rip, rat, rest, trap.
• Quick switch: change first letters (r–ip → s–ip, t–ip) to make different rhyming words.
• Word bank: ran, rap, rat, rip, rack, rent, rest, risk, trap, trek, trip, crack, press, prick, track, trick, crept, crisp, print, scrap, strap, strip, stress, spirit, strict; cracks in a pan.

Teacher guidance:

Focus on initial sound discrimination with quick, simple choices.

What to do:

• “Which begins with /r/?” sun or rain; rabbit or mouse; key or robot; rocket or apple.
• “How many sounds in these words?” Say the word then sound it out with the children, holding up a finger for each sound, eg rap, rest, track.

Teacher guidance:

Use the ‹r› worksheet from Pupil Book 1 or free resources. Encourage neat, consistent size when writing.

What to do:

• Write over the dotted ‹r› letters, and the other letters, on the lines.
• Say four words: rain, rabbit, hen, rocket. Pupils listen and write the letter for the first sound in each word.
• Blend the words: rip, rat, rest, trap. Tap, then swipe to read.

Teacher guidance:

Keep it brisk - Call out some taught letter sounds and two simple regular words. ##### What to do:

• Say the sounds: /r/, /h/, /e/, /c k/ (children write ‹r›, ‹h›, ‹e›, ‹c k›).
• Say the words: rip, rat. (children write the words and check by sounding them out together and then blending them).

What to do:

Sing the /r/ song, shaking an imaginary rag.

Ideas:

• Make some rock cakes
• Paint a rainbow.

Teacher guidance:

Add ‹r›; pupils say one sound for each letter. Going through the book as quickly as possible.