Consonant Blend Spelling

Overview

In this 25-minute lesson, you will learn to spell simple words that contain consonant blends (two consonants that work together at the start or middle of a word). You will practise hearing the sounds, saying the spellings, and writing words accurately.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• WALT blend sounds in simple words to support spelling.
• WALT spell words with consonant blends by hearing each sound in order.
• WALT check their writing for correct letter order in the blend.

Success criteria

Students can:

• I can hear the first two consonant sounds in a word (e.g., bl-, st-, tr-).
• I can write the word using the correct letters in the blend.
• I can read back my spelling to check it matches the sounds I said.

Curriculum links

• English — Spelling: words with adjacent consonants (consonant blends) as specified for Year 1 learners.
• Building accurate spelling through sound–letter correspondence and careful listening.

Lesson structure (25 minutes)

1. 0–3 min · Warm-up (listen). Teacher says 4 target words clearly (e.g., blow, stop, truck, green) and the student repeats each word and claps the sounds they hear. Student listens, repeats the word, and claps once per sound (not per letter).

2. 3–8 min · Sound focus (model blend). Teacher writes the first blend examples on the board: bl, st, tr, gr and models how to say the blend quickly (e.g., “/bl/…ow”). Student touches each written blend and says the blend sound, then says the whole word.

3. 8–12 min · Teach spelling strategy (Say it, finger it, write it). Teacher models one word at a time:

• Chooses a word: blow (bl + ow)
• Steps: “Say the word” → “Say it slowly by sounds” → “Finger it in the air” → “Write it” Student watches the modelling once, then copies the same steps for two words.

4. 12–17 min · Guided practice (build the blend). Teacher gives four word prompts and a “missing letter” scaffold for each blend:

• b_ow (blow)
• st_p (stop)
• tr_ck (truck)
• g_ _en (green) (focus on gr-; guide the rest as known sounds) Student chooses the missing consonant(s) to make the blend, then writes the full word.

5. 17–21 min · Independent spelling (write and check). Teacher hands the student a short list of 6 words (2 with each kind of blend: beginning and middle) to write from dictation:

• beginning blends: blow, stop, truck
• middle blends: garden, green (or other age-appropriate adjacent-consonant words teacher has available) Student writes each word and then checks by reading it back.

6. 21–24 min · Quick review (read/spot mistake). Teacher shows the student two “teacher-made” spellings with one-letter order error (example: stpo for stop, truk for truck). Student decides which is correct, points to the incorrect part, and says the correct sound order.

7. 24–25 min · Exit ticket (one-word check). Teacher says one final word with a consonant blend (e.g., blow or green). Student writes the word once, then underlines the blend letters to show it.

Resources

• Whiteboard or notebook paper and pencil
• Word cards for target spellings (including blend-focused versions like blow, stop, truck, green)
• Blend cards: bl, st, tr, gr
• “Missing letter” worksheet strips (optional) or teacher-written lines
• A small slate/mini whiteboard (optional for faster checking)
• Timer for 25 minutes

Assessment

• Listen and respond: during warm-up, confirm the student can identify and repeat the blend sounds.
• Guided accuracy: during scaffolded writing, check whether the student places the blend letters in correct order.
• Exit ticket: assess correct spelling of the blend word and whether the student can read it back to verify.

Differentiation

• Support: use “Say it, finger it, write it” each time; provide blend cards to copy from if needed.
• Support: allow the student to sound out with teacher prompting (e.g., “What sounds do you hear first?”).
• Extension: if correct quickly, increase to one additional adjacent-consonant word and ask the student to underline the blend they used.
• EAL/SEN: keep the number of target words small (2–3 at a time), and focus on sound order first; accept approximations during practice but require correct order by the exit ticket.