What does a PLD SSP lesson look like in Junior, Middle and Upper Primary?
PLD LESSON FORMAT
Research suggests that SSP instruction should be daily and that teachers should allocate a minimum of 30 minutes per day (Monday to Friday) to the explicit teaching of phonics.
In order to achieve this, PLD recommends that teachers establish a weekly process in which three differentiated ability groups can be efficiently facilitated.
YEAR 1 & 2 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
In Year 1 & 2, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction - Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Thursday and Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
YEAR 3 & 4 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
In Year 3 & 4, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction- Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday and Tuesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Wednesday: Schedule vocabulary development tasks to ensure that the phonic list words are understood. Unless the meanings of the words are clear they will not transfer into writing.
Thursday and Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
YEAR 5 & 6 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
In Year 5 & 6, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction- Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday and Tuesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Wednesday & Thursday: Schedule vocabulary development tasks to ensure that the phonic list words are understood. Unless the meanings of the words are clear they will not transfer into writing.
Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
Structuring Synthetic Phonics Within Literary Blocks
Research suggests that SSP instruction should be daily and that teachers should allocate a minimum of 30 minutes per day (Monday to Friday) to the explicit teaching of phonics.
In order to achieve this, PLD recommends that teachers establish a weekly process in which three differentiated ability groups can be efficiently facilitated.
YEAR 1 & 2 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
In Junior Primary, tasks selected should have a “sound-out” and phonics focus, as well as a task to facilitate the transfer of spelling words into written work.
In Year 1 & 2, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction - Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Thursday and Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
For tips on establishing a consistent daily routine, view the Teaching Tips Year 1 & 2 video HERE
YEAR 3 & 4 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
In Middle Primary, teaching and learning should have a “sound-out” and phonics focus, as well as instruction to facilitate the vocabulary (or word knowledge) of the list words. Tasks to rehearse the transfer of phonic list words into extended writing is also a key component for the middle years.
In Year 3 & 4, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction- Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday and Tuesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Wednesday: Schedule vocabulary development tasks to ensure that the phonic list words are understood. Unless the meanings of the words are clear they will not transfer into writing.
Thursday and Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
For tips on establishing a consistent daily routine, view the Teaching Tips Year 3 & 4 video HERE
YEAR 5 & 6 PLD STRUCTURED SYNTHETIC PHONICS LESSON
A major shift in the Upper Primary lessons is that word study and morphology work will be of significant focus within Stage 6 learning.
Linked to this are the word study tasks (that focus on prefixes, suffixes and word building).
This is in conjunction with tasks to rehearse the transfer of phonic list words into extended writing, alongside syllabic spelling and phonics focus.
In Year 5 & 6, PLD suggests the following four part format:
Organisation
Revision
Explicit Instruction- Read, sound-out and discuss each of the phonic-based word lists to the whole class. Explain the grapheme, digraph or trigraph common to each list when sounding for the majority of words, this will be according to phonemes.
Independent Task- Explicitly demonstrate how to complete the task for the day. Select a word or two from each of the different word lists.
Monday and Tuesday: Tasks that focus students on phonemic based spelling. For example, re-writing list words into Elkonin boxes with alternating colours
Wednesday & Thursday: Schedule vocabulary development tasks to ensure that the phonic list words are understood. Unless the meanings of the words are clear they will not transfer into writing.
Friday: Schedule phonic dictation tasks that require students to transfer their phonic knowledge into extended writing.
For tips on establishing a consistent daily routine, view the Teaching Tips Year 5 & 6 video HERE
Updated on: 06/12/2022
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