Tin Cup Writing

Overview

Across four 15-minute sessions, students use known letter–sound knowledge to read and write simple words from Tin Cup: cup, lets, fun and rubs. They orally blend each word, reread it, say a sentence aloud, and then write the sentence, building accuracy and confidence through brief, repeated practice.

Learning intentions

• We are learning to blend sounds to read simple words.
• We are learning to use known letter–sound knowledge to spell words.
• We are learning to say a sentence aloud before writing it.
• We are learning to reread our writing and check that it makes sense.

Success criteria

• I can say the sounds and blend them to read cup, lets, fun and rubs.
• I can use letters and letter groups to write the words.
• I can say my sentence before I write it.
• I can reread my sentence and check it matches what I said.

Curriculum links

• English — Word Recognition: phonemic awareness and phonics knowledge; spoken words are made of individual sounds that blend together.
• English — Word Recognition: decoding; letters and letter combinations represent sounds.
• English — Transcription Skills: spelling; applying phoneme-to-grapheme knowledge to write simple words, including words with adjacent consonants.
• English — Oral language and writing: composing and rereading a spoken sentence to communicate meaning.

Lesson structure (4 × 15 minutes)

Session 1: cup

1. 0–3 min · Revisit sounds. Display the sound-and-word introduction slides and model stretching /c/ /u/ /p/. Students tap three sounds, blend cup, and reread it together.
2. 3–6 min · Build the word. Teacher says “cup”, then models mapping one sound to each letter, drawing attention to the final sound. Students use fingers or sound boxes to say, segment and write cup.
3. 6–12 min · Say, write, reread. Teacher models saying “I see a cup” aloud, counts the words, and writes it while thinking aloud. Students say the sentence together, write it on the Tin Cup structured-writing sheet, then point and reread.
4. 12–15 min · Check and share. Teacher invites two students to read their sentence and prompts, “Does it say what you said?” Students reread quietly and circle the word cup.

Session 2: lets

1. 0–3 min · Blend and reread. Return to the word-revisit slides. Teacher reviews cup, introduces lets, and models blending /l/ /e/ /t/ /s/. Students blend, reread and identify the sounds they hear.
2. 3–6 min · Notice the ending. Teacher contrasts let and lets, emphasising that the final /s/ needs to be written. Students segment lets and write it once, checking each sound.
3. 6–12 min · Oral rehearsal and writing. Teacher models the sentence “Cup lets fun begin” only as a sound-and-word rehearsal if it is the class’s Tin Cup sentence; otherwise use the exact sentence from the shared text. Students say the selected sentence aloud, write it on the Tin Cup structured-writing sheet, and reread it word by word.
4. 12–15 min · Partner read. Students read their sentence to a partner, who listens for cup and lets. Teacher quickly checks that students have included spaces and the target word.

Session 3: fun

1. 0–3 min · Oral blending warm-up. Use the blending practice slides to revisit cup and lets, then introduce fun. Students blend /f/ /u/ /n/, say the whole word, and reread it.
2. 3–6 min · Segment for spelling. Teacher says fun slowly and asks, “What sound do you hear first, in the middle, and last?” Students tap three phonemes and write the matching graphemes.
3. 6–12 min · Compose a sentence. Teacher selects the next short sentence from Tin Cup, says it clearly, and rehearses it with the group. Students repeat it, write it on the Tin Cup structured-writing sheet, then reread from the beginning, checking for fun.
4. 12–15 min · Meaning check. Students show a partner where they wrote fun and explain how they checked it. Teacher listens for accurate blending and prompts students to fix one error independently.

Session 4: rubs

1. 0–3 min · Review all words. Display the final word-review slides. Students blend and reread cup, lets, fun and rubs, using a continuous voice where possible.
2. 3–6 min · Focus on adjacent consonants. Teacher segments rubs as /r/ /u/ /b/ /z/ and explains that the last two sounds are both heard and written. Students tap four sounds and write rubs.
3. 6–12 min · Independent structured writing. Teacher says the final selected sentence from Tin Cup aloud and models one final oral rehearsal. Students say the sentence to themselves, write it on the Tin Cup structured-writing sheet, and reread, checking the target word and spaces.
4. 12–15 min · Reread and reflect. Students reread their sentence to the teacher or a partner. Finish with the visual timetable cards as a brief visual reflection routine: students identify “writing” and tell one thing they can now do.

Resources

• Tin Cup shared text
• the four-session phonics and writing slide deck
• the Tin Cup structured-writing sheet
• Pencils and erasers
• Sound boxes or counters
• Mini-whiteboards and pens
• Individual word cards for cup, lets, fun, rubs
• Teacher observation notes

Assessment

• During blending, listen for students saying each phoneme and blending without adding extra sounds.
• During writing, check whether students represent the sounds in cup, lets, fun and rubs, including the final consonants and the two sounds at the end of rubs.
• In each session, ask students to say and reread their sentence; note whether it matches their oral sentence, contains spaces, and makes sense.

Differentiation

• Support students by using counters, sound boxes, mouth movements and a teacher-led “say it, tap it, write it, read it” routine. Provide the target word for copying only after the student has attempted to segment it.
• Work with students who need extra support in a small group of two or three, reducing the sentence length while retaining the target word and oral rehearsal.
• Support English language learners by showing a clear image or gesture for each target word, pronouncing the word naturally and accepting repeated oral rehearsal before writing.
• Extend ready writers by asking them to reread the sentence, identify the target word, and write a second sentence using one of the four words, without sacrificing accuracy.