Letters and sounds: a class pack

2 lesson cards, each followed by its sheet. Print the lot, or choose pages in the print dialog.

Ps and Qs

Telling apart the letters children reverse most — p, q, b and d

Warm-up, 5 minutes

Draw a big b on the board and ask the class to make it with their bodies: one arm up for the stick, the other curved at the tummy. Then turn round: what letter is it now?

On the projector

One child comes to the board at a time and drags a letter to its patch; the class shows the letter with their bodies first. Turn "How fast they wander" down for the first go.

Open it with /play/ps-and-qs/?projector: the class plays together, you press Next after each win, and nothing is saved.

Away from the screen

Letter hunt in pairs: each pair gets a page from a picture book and circles every b in one colour and every d in another.

Questions to ask

  • Which way is the round part facing: towards the stick's left, or its right?
  • Where does the stick go on a p? Up to the sky, or down into the dirt?
  • Can you trace that letter in the air with your finger?
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Ps and Qs

Name: ______________________

For the grown-up: Trace b, d, p and q at the top. Then: colour every b, and circle every d. Tip: b has its tummy on the right, d on the left.

pdqbbbpbdbbqqbdbqbbdbqbdbdpqdbpdbdpbbbdqqpqqppdd
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Waterfall

Spotting a letter quickly, under the gentlest kind of time pressure

Warm-up, 5 minutes

Choose the letter of the day. Say its sound together, trace it in the air, and ask everyone to find one on the walls of the room.

On the projector

The class calls "Catch!" when the right letter falls, and a helper catches it. Swap helpers after every three letters.

Open it with /play/waterfall/?projector: the class plays together, you press Next after each win, and nothing is saved.

Away from the screen

Each child gets a strip of newspaper headline and a crayon, and circles every one of the day's letter they can find.

Questions to ask

  • Which letter are you catching this time?
  • How did you know that one wasn't a d?
  • Which box are you going to put it in?
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Waterfall

Name: ______________________

For the grown-up: Find every p and colour its raindrop blue. Then find every q and give it a ring. How many of each did you find?

qqbdppdbqqdddqqqdppqpbpbdddddqbppqdqbdbddbdqbpbqbpqbbppd
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