Pancakes and Phonics

Overview

This small-group sequence comprises four 15-minute sessions across one week, using A Batch of Pancakes from the Phonics Plus reading books. Students build secure knowledge of the consonant pattern -tch, the vowel pattern ee, and the high-frequency word six, then apply oral blending, segmenting and decoding while reading a familiar decodable text.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• learn and use the sounds represented by -tch and ee.
• orally blend and segment sounds in short words.
• read and spell decodable words including hatch, batch, fetch, catch, six, mix and fix.
• apply phonics knowledge when reading A Batch of Pancakes.

Success criteria

• I can say the sounds in a word and blend them together.
• I can hear and read words with -tch and ee.
• I can stretch a word, say its sounds and write the word.
• I can use the sounds I know to read the book.

Curriculum links

• Planning and drafting: build knowledge through reading to and with students and relevant learning experiences.
• Planning and drafting: ensure students have enough knowledge about a topic to plan and write.
• Planning and drafting: support students to build the understanding needed for meaningful writing.
• Writing across the first three years: use notes to record key ideas during planning.

Lesson structure (4 × 15 minutes)

Session 1 — Introduce -tch

1. 0–3 min · Revisit and listen. Teacher displays the sound focus using the sound introduction slide and says hatch and hat, exaggerating the final sounds. Students identify which word ends with /tch/ and repeat it.
2. 3–7 min · Oral blending and segmenting. Teacher models: “I can hear /h/ /a/ /tch/—hatch,” then segments batch, catch and fetch. Students push one counter for each sound, blend the sounds, and repeat the words.
3. 7–12 min · Word reading. Teacher displays hatch, batch, catch on the -tch word-reading slide and prompts students to point under each part, say the sounds and blend. Students take turns reading the words, then reread them together.
4. 12–15 min · Book connection. Teacher introduces the cover and title of A Batch of Pancakes, inviting a prediction about what might happen. Students locate and read batch in the title or first page, using the sounds they have practised.

Session 2 — Introduce ee

1. 0–3 min · Review. Teacher revisits -tch on the quick review slide and asks students to read hatch, catch and fetch. Students blend each word and identify the shared ending.
2. 3–7 min · Teach the vowel pattern. Teacher presents ee on the ee teaching slide, models the long /ē/ sound and reads see and feet. Students say the sound, then orally blend /s/ /ee/ and /f/ /ee/ /t/.
3. 7–11 min · Sound sorting. Teacher says see, feet, hatch, catch. Students show a thumbs-up when they hear ee, then explain which part of the word helped them decide. Teacher corrects pronunciation and reinforces that letters work together to represent a sound.
4. 11–15 min · Reread for accuracy. Teacher reads a short section of the book, tracking print, then invites students to reread it together and individually. Students identify any -tch or ee words they can find.

Session 3 — Blend, segment and write

1. 0–3 min · Rapid review. Teacher uses the sound and word review slide to revisit -tch, ee and x. Students give the sound for each focus and read six, mix and fix.
2. 3–7 min · Segmenting routine. Teacher says mix, fix, catch and models stretching each word before counting sounds. Students orally segment the words, using fingers or counters, then blend them again.
3. 7–11 min · Guided recording. Teacher distributes the phonics recording sheet and dictates six, mix, fix and catch, one at a time. Students say the word, segment it, write it and reread it; teacher checks sound-to-letter matching immediately.
4. 11–15 min · Apply in context. Teacher rereads a selected page from the book and pauses before a focus word. Students use the sounds to complete and read the word, then reread the sentence smoothly.

Session 4 — Apply in the decodable text

1. 0–3 min · Consolidate. Teacher displays the final sound review slide and students read the focus words together: hatch, batch, fetch, catch, six, mix and fix. Teacher asks students to explain how they worked out one word.
2. 3–10 min · Supported reading. Teacher revisits A Batch of Pancakes, briefly reminding students to look at the letters, say the sounds and blend before guessing. Students read the familiar text in a supported group, taking turns while others track the words.
3. 10–13 min · Check meaning. Teacher uses the book discussion slide to ask: “What happened first?” and “Which words tell us about the pancakes?” Students answer in complete spoken sentences and point to evidence in the book.
4. 13–15 min · Exit response. Teacher asks each student to read one focus word from the final read-and-write box and say its sounds. Students complete the sentence or drawing prompt: “I can read ___ because I know ___.”

Resources

• A Batch of Pancakes, Phonics Plus reading book
• the four-session phonics and reading deck
• the phonics recording sheet
• Small counters or sound buttons
• Pencils and erasers
• Whiteboard and marker
• Five individual reading pointers, if available

Assessment

• Listen for accurate oral blending and segmenting, noting whether students identify three sounds in words such as mix and catch.
• During reading, record whether each student recognises -tch, ee and x in words and applies them without guessing from pictures.
• Review the worksheet and final response for accurate sound-to-letter matching, word reading and a spoken explanation of the strategy used.

Differentiation

• Support students by using counters, continuous teacher modelling, reduced word choices and the sentence stem: “I can hear ___ sounds: ___.”
• Rehearse each word orally before showing it in print; provide additional teacher-led rereading for students who need more processing time.
• For students ready for challenge, ask them to generate another word with -tch or ee, explain the spelling pattern, or reread a sentence with expression.
• Use clear articulation, gesture and repeated oral rehearsal for English language learners; allow students to respond by saying, pointing, building or writing the word.