# Ten Foundation/Prep English lessons

Each lesson takes **25 minutes**. Read the teacher-only passages and directions in [MATERIALS.md](MATERIALS.md). The codes are proposed links to **ACARA v9 Foundation Year English**, checked against the 29 September 2026 workbook snapshot; they do not mean the whole outcome has been taught in one lesson. During a two- or three-minute exit check, let the class try the prompt while you closely observe a few planned focus learners. Rotate names across days and use a short quiet check when independent evidence is needed. Keep a roster grid: `independent / after model / not yet observed / access route used`. Mark a learner **not yet observed** rather than treating an unseen group answer as independent evidence. A learner may answer privately.

## Week 1 · Day 1 — A story has people and events

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLE02`, `AC9EFLY02`, `AC9EFLY05`, `AC9EFLY10`.  
**Goal:** Name a character, tell one event, and count the words in a spoken sentence.  
**Prepare:** Oral text A, three blank event cards, five counters per learner. No student reading is expected.

1. **Welcome and goal · 2 min.** Say: “I will read a story. Your job is to listen for who is in it and what changes. The words on my page are my job today.” Offer a quiet listening place or a seat near the reader.
2. **Read aloud · 5 min.** Read *The Kite at the Door* once, with natural expression. Pause before “Bo brought a ruler” and ask: “What might help them reach the kite?” Accept a gesture, spoken thought or AAC choice; then finish the story.
3. **Model a retell · 5 min.** Place three blank cards left to right. Say: “First, the kite moved toward the puddle. Then Asha and Bo reached it with a ruler. Last, they dried it and drew a sun.” Draw one simple mark on each card. Clarify that a guess and something the story actually said are different.
4. **Guided and partner retell · 6 min.** Reread the story. Ask: “Who helped? What was the problem? How did they solve it?” Learners order three sketched cards, point, act, speak or use a communication board. Invite a partner to listen without correcting the speaker mid-sentence.
5. **Spoken-word model · 4 min.** Say, without showing print, “Bo brought a long ruler.” Move one counter for each word; model five counters. Repeat slowly without stretching syllables. Learners move their counters as you say the sentence again.
6. **Exit check · 3 min.** Let everyone identify one character and move one counter per word for “Asha drew a sun” (four words) at their own place. Closely observe two or three planned focus learners; record their story response and word count separately, with any prompt or access route. Rotate the focus roster on later days, or use a quiet station check for a learner whose independent response was not visible. If the word count is uncertain, repeat the *whole sentence* once; do not mark a prompted or copied response as independent.

**Access routes:** Read aloud live or play a teacher-made recording while showing the original text to an adult/support person; use three simple tactile objects for the event cards, a large-print sequence strip, picture pointing or AAC for retelling. These routes assess story meaning. Physical counters, taps or an accessible on-screen counter can represent spoken-word boundaries.

## Week 1 · Day 2 — Rhyme and syllable play

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLE04`, `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY02`.  
**Goal:** Hear or produce a rhyming pair and show the syllables in a spoken word.  
**Prepare:** Oral rhyme B, picture or object cues for door/floor and sock/rock, two counters per learner. Keep the poem out of student decoding work.

1. **Recall · 3 min.** Ask: “What happened to the kite?” Take two different valid retell routes, such as speech and pointing.
2. **Read and echo · 4 min.** Read *Boots by the Door* twice. Say: “Listen to the ends: door, floor. They sound alike at the end.” Learners may echo, tap the beat, listen or watch the written pair being highlighted by an adult.
3. **Model the rhyme test · 5 min.** Say “sock, rock” and “sock, mat”. Think aloud: “Sock and rock end alike. Sock and mat do not.” Cover pictures while doing the listening test; then use pictures to confirm meanings.
4. **Guided practice · 6 min.** Offer three oral pairs: `door/floor`, `sock/rock`, `door/sock`. After each pair, invite a thumbs-up, two-choice card, AAC yes/no or a spoken answer. Invite learners to propose another rhyming word; a playful invented word is acceptable if it has the matching ending sound.
5. **Syllables · 5 min.** Say: “A syllable is one beat in a word.” Model `sun` (one), `puddle` (two), `rainbow` (two). Learners place counters or tap for `puddle` and `sun`. Do not treat two letters as two beats.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Privately ask: “Which rhymes with sock: rock or sun?” and “How many beats in rainbow?” Record each result separately; do not turn pronunciation differences into a fault.

**Access routes:** Use quiet oral presentation with clear mouth visibility, optional replay, tactile beat tokens, large picture cards or AAC selection. If a learner cannot access an English sound contrast through hearing, record the limitation of this particular check and co-plan a suitable sound/print route with a relevant specialist. Do not infer ability from the visual choice alone.

## Week 1 · Day 3 — First sound /m/ and letter m

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY08`.  
**Goal:** Identify /m/ at the start of a spoken word and connect it to lower-case **m**.  
**Prepare:** **m** card, mirror if welcome, tactile or movable **m**, images/objects for moon, map and sun. No word decoding yet.

1. **Goal and listen · 2 min.** Say: “Today we will listen for /m/ and learn the letter that can show that sound.”
2. **Sound model · 5 min.** Make a continuous /m/ with lips together, without adding “uh”. Say `moon, map, sun`. Think aloud: “Moon starts /m/. Sun does not.” Learners can feel the vibration at their own lips or watch a clear mouth model, by choice.
3. **Link sound to print · 5 min.** Show **m**. Say: “The name is *em*. Its common sound here is /m/.” Trace **m** with a finger and use the school's approved formation cue. Show three **m** cards among blank cards; invite learners to find **m**. This is letter recognition, not reading the object words.
4. **Guided sort · 6 min.** Name `moon, map, sun, mug`. Learners place an **m** token by an object if its spoken name begins /m/. Model one item first. Re-say a word if the object label is unfamiliar.
5. **Make and say · 5 min.** Learners form **m** with a tile, finger trace, pencil or accessible writing tool. Say: “Point to the letter; give its name and its sound.” Accept a communication-device sound selection if speech is not available.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Show **m** with two distractor shapes; ask the learner to choose **m** and identify whether `map` starts /m/. Record letter recognition and sound identification separately.

**Access routes:** Large-print and tactile **m**, high-contrast card, mouth view, object handling, pointing/AAC and standing or seated formation. Avoid making pencil control the only evidence of sound knowledge.

## Week 1 · Day 4 — Short /æ/, letter a, and the first blend

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`.  
**Goal:** Link **a** to /æ/ as in *apple* and blend **a–m** to read **am**.  
**Prepare:** **m**, **a** cards; two sound boxes; apple or apple picture. The printed cue *apple* is teacher-only.

1. **Review · 3 min.** Show **m** and ask for its sound. Model again if needed; say that a prompt is practice, not a test failure.
2. **Sound model · 4 min.** Say `apple, ant`. Explain: “At the start, I hear /æ/. This is the short sound in *apple* in our classroom English.” Contrast `moon` and `apple` by first sound, without showing their spellings.
3. **Letter link · 5 min.** Show lower-case **a**. Say: “The letter name is *ay*. In these words its sound is /æ/.” Point to **a** and **m** in mixed order; invite the learner to say or select each sound. Use school formation guidance for **a**.
4. **Model then blend · 7 min.** Put **a** and **m** in two boxes left to right. Say /æ/ while touching **a**, /m/ while touching **m**, then slide under both and say **am**. Learners copy with tiles, tactile symbols or an on-screen left-to-right strip. Do not ask learners to read *apple* or *ant*.
5. **Independent practice · 4 min.** Mix **m**, **a**, then restore **a m**. Ask: “Touch each sound; slide and say the word.” Repeat once with a new arrangement of cards.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Show **a m** without modelling. Record whether the learner links **a** to /æ/ and blends **am** independently, with a prompt, or not yet.

**Access routes:** Object cue, clear mouth view, enlarged/tactile **a**, movable sound boxes, speech or AAC sound selection. A child may point along the strip rather than produce speech; record whether the final word was selected or spoken.

## Week 1 · Day 5 — /s/, letter s, and a name

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY10`.  
**Goal:** Link **s** to /s/ and blend **S–a–m** to read the name **Sam**.  
**Prepare:** **s**, **S**, **a**, **m** cards and three sound boxes. **S** is introduced as the same sound at the start of a name.

1. **Review · 3 min.** Flash **m**, **a**, then **am**. Give immediate feedback and one more go.
2. **Sound model · 4 min.** Say a clean, continuous /s/. Name `sun, sock, moon` aloud. Ask which start alike; the object words are not for student reading.
3. **Letter link · 5 min.** Show **s** and say: “Its name is *ess*. Its common sound is /s/.” Show **S**: “This is the capital shape of the same letter. A name can begin with it.” Model the school's letter formation once.
4. **Blend a name · 7 min.** Place **S a m** in three sound boxes. Touch each card /s/ /æ/ /m/, then sweep and say **Sam**. Learners build and blend the name. Explain that Sam is a fictional person in this pack.
5. **Use the name · 4 min.** Show a simple drawing of a person labelled **Sam**. Ask children to point to the name, then independently touch and blend **S a m**. A drawing may support meaning *after* decoding, but do not guess the word from the drawing.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Ask for the sound of **s** and a blend of **Sam** with letters in view. Record both. No learner is expected to read a sentence today.

**Access routes:** A person token can stand for Sam; give large-print/tactile letters, quiet practice before public participation, AAC phoneme selection or a finger sweep. Keep the decoding evidence separate from identifying the drawing.

## Week 2 · Day 6 — /t/ and the first sentence

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLA05`, `AC9EFLA09`, `AC9EFLY08`.  
**Goal:** Link **t/T** to /t/, read **at, mat, sat**, and understand **Sam sat.** as a sentence.  
**Prepare:** **t/T, a, m, s/S** cards, three sound boxes, sentence strip **Sam sat.**

1. **Review · 3 min.** Ask for the sounds of **m, a, s** and blend **Sam**. Respond to errors by modelling then asking for a new try.
2. **Sound and letter · 4 min.** Say /t/ cleanly, without “tuh”. Name `tap, tin, sun` aloud. Show **t** and **T** and say: “The letter name is *tee*; both shapes can show /t/.”
3. **Model two blends · 4 min.** Build **a t** and **m a t**; touch each sound, slide, say **at**, then **mat**. Point out that adding **m** changes the word.
4. **Guided and independent reading · 8 min.** Learners build and read **at, mat, sat** in mixed order; then track **Sam sat.** left to right. Say: “A sentence tells an idea. The capital **S** starts Sam's name. The dot tells us to stop.” Do not decode the punctuation as a sound.
5. **Meaning and formation · 4 min.** Ask: “What did Sam do?” Learners act, say or select “sat”. Form **t** using the school's formation model.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Present **mat** out of the teaching order and ask for a sound-by-sound blend. Then ask the learner to show where **Sam sat.** ends. Record decoding and print concept separately.

**Access routes:** Use large/tactile cards or an accessible left-to-right strip, a seated or standing action for “sat”, pointing/AAC for meaning, and a wide pencil or digital letter move for formation. Do not score motor access as decoding.

## Week 2 · Day 7 — /p/, word building and a new name

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY13`, `AC9EFLY08`.  
**Goal:** Link **p/P** to /p/, read **pat, tap, map**, and encode **tap** from spoken sounds.  
**Prepare:** **p/P, a, t, m, s** cards, three sound boxes, word cards and writing/letter-tile route.

1. **Review · 3 min.** Read or build **sat** and **mat** with the group. Ask which sound changed.
2. **Sound and letter · 4 min.** Say /p/ cleanly without “puh”. Name `pan, pin, moon` aloud. Show **p** and **P**, naming the letter and the /p/ sound.
3. **Model blending · 4 min.** Build **p a t**. Touch /p/ /æ/ /t/, slide to **pat**. Show **Pat** and explain the capital begins a person's name. Children read the sounds before seeing a person drawing.
4. **Guided practice · 8 min.** Build, shuffle and read **pat, tap, map**. Then read **Pat sat.** together. Ask “Who sat?” Point to the name, not a picture clue.
5. **Encoding · 4 min.** Say **tap** without showing print. Model three counters for /t/ /æ/ /p/. Learners choose or write the three letters in order; then reread what they made.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Show **map** and ask for a blend. Dictate **tap** with tiles or writing; record read and spell evidence separately, including any prompt.

**Access routes:** Touch or drag letters, use high-contrast cards, write with an adapted grip, or select the three graphemes through AAC. A pointing response to the meaning of *map* is useful vocabulary evidence but does not replace the sound-by-sound reading check.

## Week 2 · Day 8 — Short /ɪ/ and new word families

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY13`.  
**Goal:** Link lower-case **i** to /ɪ/ as in *in*, read **sit, sip, tip**, and spell **sit**.  
**Prepare:** **i, s, t, p, a, m** cards and three sound boxes. Printed *insect* is teacher-only today.

1. **Review · 3 min.** Flash **m, a, s, t, p** sounds; blend **tap** once.
2. **Sound model · 4 min.** Say `in, insect` aloud. “The first sound is the short /ɪ/. Listen to the difference between /æ/ in **a** and /ɪ/ in **i**.” Use natural Australian English; do not ask children to read *insect*.
3. **Letter link · 4 min.** Show **i**. Say: “Its letter name is *eye*. In these words its sound is /ɪ/.” Model its lower-case shape with the school's formation cue. Do not introduce capital **I** as if the pronoun *I* were pronounced /ɪ/.
4. **Blend and compare · 8 min.** Build **s i t**, **s i p**, **t i p**. Model **sit**, guide **sip**, then ask learners to try **tip**. Compare **sat/sit** by changing only the vowel card. If a learner is not yet blending, continue with two-sound oral blending and model the printed word.
5. **Spell and use · 4 min.** Dictate **sit**; learners segment and select or write **s i t**. Show **Tim sat.**: **T** was taught on Day 6, **i** today, **m** on Day 3. Ask for the meaning after the blend.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Show **sip** in a different order from practice. Ask for the blend and the sound of **i**. Record each separately.

**Access routes:** Use a clear mouth model, two colour-distinct vowel cards plus text labels, large-print or tactile letters, drag-and-drop tiles, and private rehearsal. Colour is an extra cue; it is never the only way to distinguish **a** and **i**.

## Week 2 · Day 9 — /n/ and a tiny decodable text

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY04`, `AC9EFLY05`, `AC9EFLY10`.  
**Goal:** Link **n** to /n/, read short words with taught correspondences, and explain one sentence's meaning.  
**Prepare:** **n** plus prior cards, three- and four-sound boxes, Mini-text C. The four-sound words are an extension, not a baseline requirement.

1. **Review · 3 min.** Ask for **a** and **i** sounds, then read **mat/sit**. Give feedback immediately.
2. **Sound and letter · 4 min.** Say `nap, net, sun` aloud. Model a continuous /n/ without “nuh”. Show **n**, give its name *en* and sound /n/; form it with the school's model.
3. **Blend CVC words · 6 min.** Model **n a p → nap**. Guide **p i n → pin**. Ask learners to try **p a n → pan**, and **i n → in**. Give a brief meaning example after decoding, such as a cooking pan or a pin on a map; no picture guessing.
4. **Read Mini-text C · 7 min.** First model **Sam sat.** Then show **Sam sat. Tim naps. Pat taps.** Point out that **naps** and **taps** each have four sounds, all represented by letters already taught. Model the extra final /s/ with a fourth box. Learners ready for four sounds may decode them; others independently read a CVC word while the teacher reads the longer words. Ask: “Who is resting? Who is making a tapping sound?”
5. **Response · 3 min.** Learners point to the matching name, act one sentence, draw three simple figures or use AAC. Keep meaning evidence separate from word-reading evidence.
6. **Exit check · 2 min.** Show **pin** and ask for independent blending. Ask what Tim did, with the text or teacher read-aloud available. Record each domain separately.

**Access routes:** Large print with generous spacing, one sentence per strip, tactile sound boxes, text-only print, teacher read-aloud for meaning, and pointing/AAC. A learner who hears the teacher read a sentence can show comprehension, but that is not independent decoding evidence.

## Week 2 · Day 10 — Evidence check and next step

**Proposed codes:** `AC9EFLE02`, `AC9EFLY02`, `AC9EFLY09`, `AC9EFLY10`, `AC9EFLY11`, `AC9EFLY12`, `AC9EFLY13`.  
**Goal:** Show current understanding through story response, sound–letter links and CVC blending/encoding, then receive a specific next step.  
**Prepare:** [Assessment prompts and record](ASSESSMENT.md), Oral text D, letter cards, sound boxes. This check samples the first fortnight; it does not certify Foundation achievement.

1. **Set the purpose · 2 min.** Say: “Show me what you can do today. You can ask me to repeat a direction. I will use what I see to choose what to teach next.”
2. **New oral text · 5 min.** Read *The Missing Seed* twice. Learners can point to, tell or arrange the problem and solution. Do not show the printed story to make this a reading assessment.
3. **Story response · 5 min.** Give the three assessment questions and three blank sequence boxes. Children respond privately or to a partner while the teacher samples each learner's response route.
4. **Sound and word work · 6 min.** Present the seven taught letter cards and the four unseen CVC words from the assessment, one at a time. Learners say/select sounds and read; keep the paper hidden from peers waiting their turn.
5. **Encoding and feedback · 5 min.** Dictate the three CVC words and offer pencil or movable letters. Give one immediate, precise response: “You put the first and last sounds in place. Tomorrow we will listen carefully for the middle sound.”
6. **Close · 2 min.** Let the learner name a favourite way to show learning. Complete the rubric and next-teaching note after the lesson.

**Feasible administration:** Day 10 is a whole-class 25-minute collection period. Use 3–4 minute private individual checks during ordinary independent-work rotations on Days 8–10, or immediately after a lesson, to hear each learner blend and segment without copying peers. Do not claim to have heard every child individually in one 25-minute whole-class block. Record access route and prompt level on the assessment sheet.

**Access routes:** Offer oral/AAC/pointing for story meaning, tactile or digital grapheme selection, large-print cards, a quiet check space and pauses. Use the specialist planning note in the assessment for learners whose communication or sensory access changes what an English-sound task can validly show.