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Day 4 — Short /æ/, letter a, and the first blendFoundation English · T1 W1–2 · Day 4 lesson

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Foundation / English / Term 1 / Weeks 01 02

Part of the full two-week lesson sequence. Check the pack guide and taught point before teaching.

Open for this lesson: Pack guide · Sources and materials · Check guide.

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Teacher copy: This page may include teaching prompts or answer keys. Answer keys in this public library can be viewed by anyone. Give learners a clean prompt, use checks as formative evidence, and change a case locally when prior access matters.

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.

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