Listening for Beginning Blends

Building academic language

Word

• Introduce the lesson vocabulary using the Vocabulary Cards and Glossary for reference to provide student friendly definitions in both English and home language (L1) as needed and able.
• Review the L sound by writing a lowercase and uppercase L on the board. Say the sound aloud with your students and have them repeat the sound after you.
• Explain that today you will be learning how to identify and read words that contain L blends. This means that the first letter of the word will be a consonant and the second letter will be an L.
• Write up a word beginning with an L blend on the board and model how to segment the word into parts (L blend, remaining letters).
• Have the students practice reading and blending the segmented word along with you.

Sentence

• Write the following L blends on the board: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl. Practice reading each blend and think of words that begin with them.
• Model how to record your word underneath the blend by writing the word and also drawing a quick picture.

Discourse

• Explain that students will now get to work with a partner to come up with their own words beginning with an L blend.
• Pair students up and pass out one of the pre-written index cards and two pieces of blank paper to each pair.
• Ask students to work together to write or draw as many words as they can that begin with their L blend.
• Bring the class back together and have students share out the new words they came up with.