Phonics – Vowel Sounds /A/ And /A:/ Basic 2 English Studies Lesson Note

LESSON 1A: PHONICS – VOWEL SOUNDS /a/ and /a:/

Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:

1. Identify the vowel sounds /a/ and /a:/
2. Pronounce the vowel sounds correctly
3. Produce words containing the sounds
4. Match the sounds with words
5. Differentiate words containing the two sounds

DETAILED LESSON CONTENT

INTRODUCTION

Vowel Song: “A, E, I, O, U, these are vowels just for you! A says /a/ like in cat, A says /a:/ like in car, Vowels are special, yes they are!”

MAIN LESSON

PART 1: SHORT /a/ SOUND

Sound Production:

• Shape your mouth like you’re saying “ah” at the doctor
• Tongue is low and flat
• Mouth is wide open
• Say “/a/, /a/, /a/”

Word List – Short /a/ sound:

1. cat – /c/ /a/ /t/ – a small furry pet that says meow
2. bat – /b/ /a/ /t/ – used to hit a ball in games
3. hat – /h/ /a/ /t/ – something you wear on your head
4. mat – /m/ /a/ /t/ – something you wipe your feet on
5. rat – /r/ /a/ /t/ – a small grey animal with a long tail
6. bag – /b/ /a/ /g/ – used to carry things
7. fan – /f/ /a/ /n/ – makes you cool when it’s hot
8. man – /m/ /a/ /n/ – an adult male person
9. can – /c/ /a/ /n/ – a metal container for food
10. pan – /p/ /a/ /n/ – used for cooking food
11. sad – /s/ /a/ /d/ – feeling unhappy
12. bad – /b/ /a/ /d/ – not good
13. had – /h/ /a/ /d/ – past tense of have
14. dad – /d/ /a/ /d/ – father
15. mad – /m/ /a/ /d/ – very angry

Practice Activity: Teacher shows picture cards. Pupils identify objects and say the words emphasizing the /a/ sound.

PART 2: LONG /a:/ SOUND

Sound Production:

• Open mouth wider than for short /a/
• Say “ahhh” like you’re at the dentist
• Hold the sound longer
• Say “/a:/, /a:/, /a:/”

Word List – Long /a:/ sound:

1. car – /c/ /a:/ – a vehicle with four wheels
2. star – /s/ /t/ /a:/ – bright lights in the sky at night
3. far – /f/ /a:/ – not close, a long distance away
4. bar – /b/ /a:/ – a long straight piece of metal or wood
5. jar – /j/ /a:/ – a glass container with a lid
6. arm – /a:/ /m/ – part of your body from shoulder to hand
7. art – /a:/ /t/ – drawing, painting, or making beautiful things
8. ark – /a:/ /k/ – a big boat like Noah’s ark
9. park – /p/ /a:/ /k/ – a place with grass and trees to play
10. dark – /d/ /a:/ /k/ – when there is no light
11. mark – /m/ /a:/ /k/ – a spot or sign on something
12. card – /c/ /a:/ /d/ – a piece of thick paper
13. hard – /h/ /a:/ /d/ – not soft, difficult
14. yard – /y/ /a:/ /d/ – the area around a house
15. part – /p/ /a:/ /t/ – a piece of something bigger

Comparison Activity: Show word pairs and have pupils identify which has short /a/ and which has long /a:/:

• cat / car
• bat / bar
• hat / hard
• can / card
• man / mark

DIFFERENTIATION PRACTICE

Sound Sorting: Give pupils word cards to sort into two groups:

SHORT /a/ GROUP: cat, bat, hat, mat, rat, bag, fan, man, can, pan, sad, bad, dad, mad, had

LONG /a:/ GROUP: car, star, far, bar, jar, arm, art, ark, park, dark, mark, card, hard, yard, part

Sentence Examples: Short /a/ sentences:

• The cat sat on the mat.
• Dad has a red hat.
• The man has a big bag.
• I am sad when it’s bad.

Long /a:/ sentences:

• The car is in the park.
• I can see a star far away.
• Mom put jam in the jar.
• My arm is not hard.