K1 Lesson 14: Phonics Group 1 β s, a, t
Material Checklist β Full Lesson
- Letter cards (3): s Β· a Β· t β large lowercase with Jolly Phonics action icons
- Picture cue cards (3): snake Β· apple Β· tap β photo + start sound label
- CVC word cards (3): sat Β· at Β· tap β large print, one word per card
- Blending rail (1): pocket strip or tape line β s-a-t card slots for sliding blend
- Sound hoops (3): labeled s / a / t β for picture sort warm-up link
- Sand tray or finger-paint pad (1): for multisensory trace in Cheering Up
- Jolly Phonics s-a-t audio clip: speaker or phone (30β45 sec)
- Look Β· Listen Β· Sit cards: review from Lesson 01
- Listen pause card (1): red stop-hand icon
- Circle seating: floor dots β one spot per child
- Sticker sheet: 1 per child for Calming Down
- Optional: letter magnets s, a, t for blending rail demo
Learning Objectives
- Students hear and repeat /s/, /a/, /t/ with Jolly Phonics actions (snake, apple, tap).
- Students match letter cards s, a, t to picture cues and first-sound prompts.
- Students blend simple CVC patterns with teacher support: sat, at, tap.
- Students participate in a full s + a + t multisensory drill β sound, action, trace, and choral blend.
- Students air-write s, a, t while saying each sound.
Warm-up: Meeting Up & Warming Up (10 mins)
Purpose: Settle into the safe circle, preview Group 1 phonics start, then energize with Jolly actions before CVC blending work.
Step 1 Β· Meeting Up (β5 min)
Purpose: Psychological safety, predictable arrival, preview s-a-t sounds.
Teacher Β· Arrival & circle welcome
"Good morning, sound explorers! Hello! Find your spot β same safe circle."
"Look at me." (hold Look card) "Listen." (hold Listen card) "Today we meet three letter sounds β s, a, t!"
"Snake, apple, tap β sss, a-a-a, t-t-t! Are you ready?"
Teacher Β· Letter card peek
"Peek β s!" (slither hands) "Peek β a!" (apple munch) "Peek β t!" (finger tap)
"Sounds first β letter names later. Listen with your ears β then move your body."
Teacher Β· Link to Lesson 01 /s/ snake
"Remember Lesson 01? We met snake sound β sssssss! Today snake joins apple and tap β three friends together."
"Show me your snake from Lesson 01 β arms slide β sssssss! Wonderful remembering!"
"Today we squish sounds into words β sat, at, tap β real words you can read!"
If a child says letter names ("ess, ay, tee"), smile: "Fun names! Today β sounds β sss, a-a-a, t-t-t. Copy my snake!"
If a child makes unrelated sounds ("boom!"), redirect: "Big boom! Our sound β sss β quiet snake."
If a child grabs letter cards early, gentle hand: "Cards wait on the tray. Sit on your spot first."
- Door greeting: Hello to each child + invite to circle spot.
- Look Β· Listen Β· Sit with cards β 3-second settle wait.
- Flash s, a, t letter cards with one action each (β1 min).
- Preview blending: hold sat card briefly β "Later we squish sounds together β sat!"
- Quick hello review β wave Hello to neighbor (β30 sec).
Step 2 Β· Warming Up (β5 min)
Purpose: Energy + Jolly Phonics action drill for s, a, t.
Teacher Β· Command review
"Magic words β Look! Listen! Sit! Wonderful remembering!"
"Now β sound actions! Copy my body every time."
Teacher Β· Jolly action β S snake
"S β snake! Sssss β slither hands β sssss!" (arms weave like snake)
"Again β watch my mouth β teeth together β air out β sssss!"
"Side A β sss! Side B β sss! Whole class β super snake β sssss!"
Teacher Β· Jolly action β A apple and T tap
"A β apple! A-a-a β munch munch β a-a-a!" (hand to mouth)
"T β tap! T-t-t β tap tap tap on your knee β t-t-t!"
"All three β sss, a-a-a, t-t-t! Faster β sss-a-t β sat sound coming!"
Teacher Β· Jolly audio + copy
"Watch the clip β copy exactly. Snakeβ¦ appleβ¦ tap. Your turn β no video β just us!"
"Side A β sss! Side B β a-a-a! Whole class β t-t-t! You are sound stars!"
Teacher Β· First-sound picture sort
"Three hoops β s, a, t. I hold a picture β you point to the hoop. Snake β which sound?"
"Sss hoop! Apple β a-a-a hoop! Tap picture β t-t-t hoop! You hear first sounds β clever ears!"
If actions become silly dancing, reset: "Watch my snake β small slither β sss. Copy exactly."
If /a/ becomes long "ay" (letter name), model short: "Tiny apple bite β a-a-a β mouth open small."
If tapping is too loud on desks, redirect: "Tap your knee β soft taps β t-t-t."
- Look Β· Listen Β· Sit drill β 2 rounds (β1 min).
- Jolly action chain: s β a β t individually, then combined (β2 min).
- Optional Jolly audio clip β children copy actions (β1 min).
- First-sound hoop sort β snake, apple, tap pictures (β30 sec).
- Transition: "You know s, a, t β now we blend them into words! CVC time!"
Main Activity: CVC Blending & s-a-t Multisensory Drill (15 mins)
Teacher Note: Opening Up introduces sat, at, tap with blending rail and cards; Cheering Up runs the full s+a+t multisensory drill β sound, action, sand trace, choral blend. Accept choral blending before individual reading.
Step 3 Β· Opening Up (β8 min)
Purpose: MAIN theme activity β CVC blending with cards: sat, at, tap.
Teacher Β· Blending rail setup β sat
"Three sounds make a word. Watch the rail β sβ¦ aβ¦ t. Slide them close β sss-a-t β sat!"
"Say it slow β sss β a β t. Faster β sat! Sat!" (hold sat word card)
"Sat β like I sat on my dot. Everyone β sit on your spot β say sat!"
Teacher Β· at and tap blends
"Two sounds β aβ¦ t β at! At! At my spot β at!" (hold at card)
"Back to three β tβ¦ aβ¦ p β tap! Tap tap tap!" (hold tap card + knee tap)
"Round two β I point β you blend. s-a-t?" (wait) "Sat! a-t?" (wait) "At! t-a-p?" (wait) "Tap!"
Teacher Β· Choral blend rounds
"Round three β whisper satβ¦ louder satβ¦ biggest SAT!"
"Girls β at! Boys β tap! Everyone β sat! You are blending champions!"
"Point to the word card β no sounding letter names β sounds only β sat!"
Teacher Β· Card pass blend
"Hold the sat card β show your neighbor β say sat! Pass β at β tap!"
"If you forget β watch my mouth β sss-a-t β I help you."
"Cards on the tray β blending finished β hands quiet in lap."
If a child says letter names while blending ("ess-ay-tee"), restart slow: "Sounds only β sss β a β t β sat."
If a child says "sap" for sat, point to cards in order: "Middle sound a β sat β try again."
If blending feels too hard, accept first-sound only: "Great sss! Tomorrow we finish sat together."
- Teacher models blending rail: s-a-t β sat with slide motion (β2 min).
- Introduce at (2 letters) and tap (3 letters) with same rail (β2 min).
- Choral blend rounds: teacher points β class blends Γ 3 words Γ 2 passes (β2 min).
- Optional card pass: children hold and say one word to neighbor (β1 min).
- Cards returned to tray β "Blending finished! Sit on your spot."
Step 4 Β· Cheering Up (β7 min)
Purpose: Full s + a + t multisensory drill β sound, action, sand trace, choral blend, peer cheer.
Teacher Β· Multisensory drill β sound and action
"Sound drill! Four ways β hear it, move it, trace it, say it!"
"Round one β S! Sssss β snake slither! Trace s in the air β sss!"
"Round two β A! A-a-a β apple munch! Round three β T! T-t-t β knee tap!"
Teacher Β· Multisensory drill β sand trace
"Sand tray time! One finger β one letter β s in the sand β sss!"
"Pass clockwise β a in the sand β a-a-a! t in the sand β t-t-t!"
"Five seconds each β then pass β gentle fingers β no digging!"
Teacher Β· Full blend cheer and partner cheer
"All three β stand up! Sss β a β t β SAT! Sit down."
"Partner cheer: you do snake sss β friend does apple a-a-a β together tap t-t-t β SAT!"
"Last cheer β at! Tap! Sat! β whole class β phonics champions!"
Teacher Β· Air-write giant letters
"Stand up β giant air-write! S β start up, curve, sss! A β circle, stick, a-a-a! T β across, down, t-t-t!"
"Sit down β whisper β sat β at β tap. Beautiful air-writing!"
If sand trace becomes play, reset: "One finger β one letter β pass tray to friend."
If partner cheer is off-task, assign shoulder partners and demo once seated.
If /s/ is shouted, whisper round: "Tiny snake sss β then we cheer big."
- Sound + action drill: s, a, t individually Γ 2 rounds (β2 min).
- Sand or finger-paint trace: one letter per child pass (β2 min).
- Stand-up choral blend: sat, at, tap Γ 3 cheers (β1 min).
- Partner cheer: sss + a-a-a + t-t-t = sat (β1 min).
- Air-write giant s, a, t while saying sounds β final check (β1 min).
Wrap-up: Calming Down (5 mins)
Purpose: Lower energy with quiet sounds, affirm blending effort, air-write review, Goodbye Song.
Step 5 Β· Calming Down (β5 min)
Teacher Β· Breathing & quiet sounds
"Phonics time is finished. Hands on your tummy."
"Breathe inβ¦ 1, 2, 3. Breathe outβ¦ sss, quiet snake. Again β outβ¦ t-t-t, soft tap."
"Whisper blend β sat. Whisper β at. Whisper β tap."
Teacher Β· Compliment praise frames
"Today you made sss, a-a-a, t-t-t. You blended sat! I am proud of you."
"I am proud of [name] for brave blending. I am proud of [name] for quiet snake sounds."
"Everyone gets a sticker. Line up β quiet feet."
Teacher Β· Goodbye song & dismissal
"Stand up slowly. Stretch β big arms up! Goodbye Song time. Wave your hands."
"Goodbye, goodbye, see you again. Goodbye [name], goodbye [name], goodbye everyone β see you again!"
"High five at the door. Bye bye! Next week β more sounds!"
If whisper round becomes shouting, hold Listen card β "Tiny sounds only β sss β try again."
If a child refuses sticker, offer later: "Sticker waits here β you did great work."
- Two breath cycles with quiet /s/ and /t/ (β1 min).
- Whisper blend review: sat, at, tap (β1 min).
- Compliment + stickers (β1 min).
- Goodbye Song with name verse (β1 min).
- Line up, high-five exit (β1 min).
Appendix β Master Lists
Print-ready reference for teachers and directors. Attach download URLs when assets are ready.
A. Master Material List (30-min Lesson)
- Letter cards: s, a, t (Γ3)
- Picture cues: snake, apple, tap (Γ3)
- CVC word cards: sat, at, tap (Γ3)
- Blending rail + sand tray
- Jolly Phonics s-a-t audio
- Look Β· Listen Β· Sit + Listen pause cards
- Stickers, circle dots
B. Master Word & Card List
- s / sss β snake action + slither icon
- a / a-a-a β apple action + munch icon
- t / t-t-t β tap action + finger tap icon
- sat β blend card + picture (child sitting)
- at β blend card
- tap β blend card + tap icon
C. Key Teacher Phrases (Script Bank)
- "Sounds first β letter names later."
- "Sss β a β t β sat!"
- "Say it slow⦠faster⦠sat!"
- "Snake β sss! Apple β a-a-a! Tap β t-t-t!"
- "Trace it in the sand β one finger."
- "Partner cheer β sss plus a-a-a equals sat!"
D. Timing Guide & Home Connection
- 0:00β5:00 Step 1 β Meeting Up
- 5:00β10:00 Step 2 β Jolly action warm-up
- 10:00β18:00 Step 3 β CVC blending: sat, at, tap
- 18:00β25:00 Step 4 β s+a+t multisensory drill
- 25:00β30:00 Step 5 β Calming Down
- Home: "Practice snake sss, apple a-a-a, tap t-t-t with actions."
- Home: "Blend sat together β slow then fast!"