Sam and Dad Reading

Overview

In this 60-minute guided-reading lesson, five New Entrant learners practise hearing, saying and blending phonemes to decode CVC words. They apply the Ready to Read Phonics Plus sequence while reading the decodable book Sam and Dad, building accuracy, one-to-one pointing and confidence.

Learning intentions

• WALT decode one-syllable CVC words by saying and blending the sounds.
• WALT instantly recognise and say the names and sounds of m, a, d, p, o, t, n, i and s.
• WALT recognise the high-frequency words and, is, I, the, a and to.
• WALT use a bouncing reading finger to point under every word.

Success criteria

• I can say the target letter names and sounds.
• I can sound out and blend words such as Sam, Dad, mad, sad, tap, tip, mop and pot.
• I can read the taught high-frequency words.
• I can point to every word and match my voice to the print.

Curriculum links

• Word Recognition — phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge: spoken words are made up of individual sounds that can be blended.
• Word Recognition — orally blending up to three phonemes to make words.
• Word Recognition — decoding unknown one-syllable words through continuous blending.
• English Phase 1 learning: listen, speak, interact and make meaning from texts through purposeful participation.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Welcome and oral warm-up. Welcome learners, practise the respectful classroom prompts “titiro mai” (look here) and “whakarongo mai” (listen), then show the cover of Sam and Dad in the welcome and book-cover slides. Students introduce the characters, make a prediction and rehearse the target sounds using the phonics sound cards.

2. 5–15 min · Explicit phonics. Display large magnetic letters and model continuous blending: /m/ /a/ /d/ → mad. Add sound dots beneath each phoneme and sweep a finger across the word without pausing. Students use the “Old McDonald” activity: each child holds one sound tile, says the separate sound, then moves together to blend the word. Rotate roles so everyone participates.

3. 15–25 min · Hands-on word building. In pairs, students use letter tiles and sound mats to build and change Sam, sad, mad, map, tap, tip, pin, mop and pot, following the instructions in the word-building activity slides. Students first use “robot talk”, then say the word naturally. Prompt: “Point, say each sound, sweep and read.” Remind learners to use clean consonant sounds rather than adding /uh/.

4. 25–40 min · Guided reading. Preview the decodable words and high-frequency words in Sam and Dad. Model a bouncing reading finger touching every word and matching voice to print. Students whisper-read short sections, reread for fluency and take turns reading aloud. Pause to find target letters, decode unfamiliar CVC words and locate and, is, I, the, a and to. Use “titiro mai” and “whakarongo mai” naturally. Give wait time before supplying a word; cover distracting print when needed.

5. 40–50 min · Build a sentence. Give pairs mixed-up word cards for a simple sentence such as “Sam is sad.” or “Dad and Sam.” Students rebuild the sentence, point to each word, read it together and match it to a picture, using the sentence-building instructions. Offer playdough letters or a whiteboard as a tactile alternative. Ask: “How do you know this word comes first?” and “What does the sentence tell us?”

6. 50–55 min · Digital consolidation. Open the digital practice prompt and choose one short, supervised Phonics Bloom activity focused on initial sounds or CVC blending. Students work in pairs, take turns and explain their sound choice. Provide letter tiles instead for learners who need reduced screen input or cannot access a device.

7. 55–60 min · Individual snapshot and celebration. Each learner reads six CVC words, the target high-frequency words and one familiar sentence from Sam and Dad while pointing under every word. Record secure, developing or not yet for letter names and sounds, decoding, blending, high-frequency word recognition and one-to-one pointing. Celebrate precise actions: “You looked, sounded, swept and read.”

Resources

• Sam and Dad decodable book
• Large magnetic letters
• Letter tiles and sound mats
• Sound dots and finger-sweep cards
• the phonics sound cards
• Mixed-up sentence word cards and matching pictures
• Playdough, mini-whiteboards and pens
• Teacher assessment checklist
• the phonics and reading slide deck
• Devices and headphones, if available

Assessment

• Observe oral blending, sound-tile responses and accurate consonant pronunciation during explicit teaching.
• Check word building, continuous blending, high-frequency word recognition and finger tracking during guided reading and sentence construction.
• Use the individual exit read as the end-of-lesson record. Revisit any sound or word scored developing or not yet in the next guided-reading session.

Differentiation

• Support learners by reducing the word set to m, a, d and s, beginning with two-phoneme oral blending, using larger tiles and modelling one example at a time.
• Provide a partner model, repeated reading, sound dots and the prompt “Point, say, sweep and read”. Allow extra wait time and avoid asking learners to guess from pictures.
• For EAL learners, pair spoken words with pictures, gestures and clear models; affirm home-language knowledge and use the Māori prompts consistently and respectfully.
• Extend ready learners with tin, spin and stop, asking them to explain each phoneme and blend, while maintaining the same precise finger tracking.