Worked example · Health and Well-being · Year 1

Hearing first sounds in healthy food words

LNF: Literacy → Reading → Phonological and phonemic awareness

What this is

A finished Year 1 activity sheet, with notes on what to look for. It is also the answer key. Task 1: a, b, c, e, m, p, s, t. Task 2: grapes g, water w, orange o, strawberry s. Task 3: c u p, j u g, f i g, b u n. Task 4: pear and chair, fig and pig, bun and sun, pea and tree.

1. What sound does it start with?

Say the word. Circle the first sound.

abs

dbp

tmc

eai

nwm

pbd

fsc

dtf

2. Join the picture to its first letter

3. Sound talk

Listen to your teacher say the sounds. Blend them. Write the sounds in the boxes.

c	u	p	cup
j	u	g	jug
f	i	g	fig
b	u	n	bun

4. Rhyme time

Join the words that rhyme.

What to look for

Task 1 (hearing initial sounds): 8 out of 8 is secure. Common mix-ups are b and d, and p and b, which sound alike: say the word again and ask the pupil to feel their lips.
Task 2 (sounds to letters): 4 lines to the right letters. Orange starting with o is the hardest, because the sound is short.
Task 3 (blending and writing sounds): the pupil blends the sounds aloud to find the word, then writes one letter for each sound in order. Letters do not need to be perfectly formed, but each should be clear.
Task 4 (rhyme): 4 pairs joined. A pupil who joins by first sound (pear and pig) is listening to the start instead of the end of the word.

Why this page is secure

The pupil hears the first sound in spoken words and knows which letter makes it.
The pupil blends 3 sounds to make a word and writes a letter for each sound.
The pupil hears which words rhyme.