Year 1 phonics – lesson 49

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Video transcript
Hello everyone my name's Ashlee, and thank you for joining me today for your Year One phonics lesson.
Now you're probably wondering where Simone is... and she's actually gone on holiday and she asked me
to fill in for her while she's away, but she did say that she'd left something for me.
Simone, have you left the homework for me to do? Goodness gracious! Well, I guess when you're on
holiday you don't want to do too much work do you? How about you help me with the homework? Here
we go... right what did we have to do? Looks like there's some missing words here. I think we might have
to work out which word is missing and finish the sentence. What do you reckon? Can you help me? Let's
go.
The hmm stole the brownie... hmm who would steal a brownie? Let's have a look. Would the chief steal a
brownie? I don't think so. The thief... hmm, I think that's a good one. Let's write that in there. The thief
stole the brownie. Good job.
Okay, next one. I had a ... something rest. I had a /sh/ /r/ /ie/ /k/, shriek rest? No, it doesn't sound right. I
had a /b/ /r/ /ie/ /f/ rest. That sounds right doesn't it. Brief means short. Let's write that one in and see
how we go. Brief. Cross that out.
We something on the /r/ /ī/ /d/, ride. We chief on the ride? We shriek on the ride? Oh yes, I shriek on the
ride. I'm going to write shriek. /sh/ /r/ /ie/ /k/. Especially those ones where you go up and down and
upside down, they really make me shriek.
Last one. Think this one's going to be easy. The something had a shield... hmm a chief. The chief had a
shield, that makes sense doesn't it. Okay let's write that in there. Oh, I can see a pattern... you must have
been working on [i] [e] saying /ee/. You must be pretty clever Year Ones if you're working on that.
Well Simone, I hope you're happy with the homework I've done. I hope I got it right... but you enjoy your
holiday and we'll get on with the lesson while you're resting up.
Okay, let's start with... activating our prior knowledge and I think that's a really good way to start a lesson.
So we're going to be activating some vowel sounds that you've learned let's see what you've been
learning.
/er/
/er/
/er/
/or/
trigraph /ī/
/or/
/ay/at the end of a word
/ai/ in the middle of a word
/ar/
long sound /ē/ short sound /ĕ/
/ē/
/or/
/f/in Greek derived words
/ē/
/ē/
long sound /ā/ short sound /ă/
long sound /ī/ short sound /ĭ/
long sound /ō/ short sound /ŏ/
One more.
long sound /ū/ short sound /ŭ/
Well done.
Now let's look at some definitions you've been learning...
An open syllable is when the vowel is open.
A closed syllable is when the vowel is closed in by a consonant or two.
An adverb describes a verb.
A noun is a thing person object or concept.
A verb is the action part of a sentence that tells us something is happening.
A syllable is a beat in a word and always has a vowel sound.
An adjective describes a noun.
Have you been learning the 1:1:1 rule? What type of Year Ones are you? Amazing Year Ones? So you
know that if the base word has one syllable, one short vowel followed by a consonant you double the last
consonant when adding a vowel suffix. Miss Simone's a pretty good teacher if you've been learning that.
Wow.
Okay. Should we get started with our lesson? Let's do it. We're going to start with some phonological
awareness so if you stand up... stretch out your body get ready... switch on those ears to listen for
sounds. So, today we're going to be counting syllables. I think you would have done that before because
you're pretty clever Year Ones. So today when we're counting syllables, I want you to use your choppers
and we'll just chop the syllables. All right. Listen carefully. We'll do the first one slowly. The first word is
pizza. Ready.
peet/za
Good job. Next word, sofa.

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so/fa, two syllables. Next one, doctor.
doc/tor
I didn't say that right. let's do that again.
doc/tuh
It's a funny sound on the end isn't it? Next one...
teach/uh, teacher, two syllables. Next one....
uh/bout, about, two syllables. Next word is today.
to/day... two syllables again! Let's see if we can get some trickier ones.
Here we go, the next word is holiday.
hol/i/day... did you count three syllables in that word. Good job. Next word is Saturday.
Sat/ur/day...hmmm....Sat/ur/day. Three syllables! Right we're on a roll here. Let's do one more. The word
is beside.
be/side be/side, two syllables. We finished with an easy one.
All right are you ready to do some spelling? We're going to change things up a little bit today, so I want
you to go and get a pencil and something to write on. While you do that I'll stop, pause, have a cup of tea
see you back in a minute.
Okay, got your pencil and paper because we're going to do things a little bit differently today. I know you
usually start with reading at the beginning of your lesson but today I'd like to start with some writing
and.... we're going to practice those long /ē/ sounds you've been working with, with miss Simone. So, at
the top of your page I want you to write these graphemes [i] [e] saying /ē/
[e] [y] saying /ē/
open syllable /ē/ saying /ē/ , do you sort of get my drift here at what's happening?
[e] [e] saying...you guessed it, /ē/
and [e] [a] saying /ē/
Feel like we're working on long /ē/ today do you? Let's get started. The first word I want you to write is
grief.
Good grief, how many ways is there to spell the long /ē/ sound! Seriously! Here we go. I'm going to tell
you that it's the [i] [e] in the middle of a word. Are you ready? Get ready to write.
/g/ /r/ /ie/ /f/
I can't put that finger up... sorry I'll try it. Four phonemes, let's go.
/g/ /r/ /ie/ /f/
First sound.
/g/ /r/ /ie/ /f/
If yours looks like that, give yourself a tick. Pretty proud of that one actually. I love spelling. Next word,
keys.

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Where did I put my keys? You know that [e] [y] at the end of a word, let's use that one.
/k/ /ey/ /s/
/k/ [k], [e] [y], /ē/, /s/, keys. Don't lose your keys!
Tick it if it looks like mine. Next word, even.
e/ven
/ē/ is the first syllable, there's no other consonants... must be that open syllable /ē/ let's try it.
/ē/ /v/ /uh/ /n/... that was a funny sound, let's have a go.
/ē/ /v/ /uh/ /n/
I know it's an [e] there, but it didn't sound like /ĕ/ or /ē/... had a funny sound. Hmm I might have to think
about that one. Okay we'll come back to it.
Next word, meet.
Today I'm going to meet my friend for a cup of tea.
meet
hmm.... /m/ /ē/ /t/, three phonemes.
/m/ /ē/ /t/
The /ē/ is in the middle of the word, so I know it's going to be either [ee] or [ea] and I'm pretty sure
Simone said that [ea] is usually when you're eating something... I'm not going to eat my friend when we
go for a cup of tea. I'll try [ee]. Let's see.
/m/ /ee/ /t/
I'm pretty happy with, that I'll give it a tick. I'm going to tick this one too, pretty sure that one looks right.
Last word, meat.
Meat! We just wrote meat...this must mean the meat that you eat.
/ea/ /t/, meat
eat
meat
Thanks Simone, that makes it so much easier for me to write that word.
/m/ /ē/ /t/, three sounds.
/m/ /ē/ /t/, this is going to be so easy watch......
/m/ /ē/ [ea] /t/
What's the special word we use for words that sound the same but they're spelled differently?
Homophones? They sound the same but they're written differently and they have a different meaning.
Yep, they're homophones. Okay, great spelling ...you ready to do some new learning?
Now, Simone said she left something for us for this lesson... she said it would help us do the lesson, but I
can't really find anything different. Maybe she's hidden it here in the castle? Let's have a look.

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(Knock, knock, knock)
Hello?
This looks a bit strange.
Oh my gosh! There's someone asleep in here.
Umm... hello, hello... looks like an [e].
Looks like an [e], but it's the wrong way round. Umm... I'll just leave him here for a minute while I have a
think about why Miss Simone has left this for us. What if it's got anything to do with this card she left? A
schwa, is a vowel sound that is spoken without any stress.
This must be our new learning today! We're learning about the schwa and now it all makes sense. A
schwa is a vowel sound that is spoken without any stress. Hmm... okay well let's think about that a little
bit... must be a clue in these words. Let's put these words up.
Okay. I might just put my little schwa here, I know he looks pretty unstressed... might take off his clothes
or his sunglasses. I might pop him here. I think he's got something to do with this. Sorry Mr Schwa, I hope
that doesn't hurt too much.
Right, should we try and do some reading and... when we're reading let's try and listen for those
unstressed vowel sounds. We all know what a vowel is. Let's give it a go.
First word
/b/ /ā/ /c/ /o/ /n/, /b/ /a/ /c/ /on/ (bake on)
I don't say (bake on) I say bake...uhn, bake...uhn
/b/ /ā/ /c/ /ə/ /n/
bacon
I think...that that o in bacon must be the schwa.
/b/ /ā/ /c/ /ə/ /n/
/b/ /ā/ /c/ /ə/ /n/.../uh/...makes a funny sound doesn't it? /uh/
Let's try the next word see if we're on to something.
Here we go, the next word
/u/ /n/ /d/ /er/, un-der
...but I don't say un-der, I'm going un-der the table. I say un-duh, un-duh /uh/ and there's that sound
again. I think it's the schwa.
Okay. Let's try the next one. I think I'll use a different colour now. We're getting serious. Right, detectives
are you ready? Let's see if we can find this other ...schwa sound.
Hmm...looks like it's got two syllables this word as well.
/ā/ /l/ /ī/ /v/
Remember no English word ends in [v], it must have an [e] as well.
a-live

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I am a-live.
I don't say it like that do I? Let's flex that vowel sound. I say I am uh-live, /uh/...schwa
/ə/-live alive
Yeah, I reckon we're onto something here. Next word
/t/ /r/ /a/ /c/ /t/ /or/, track-tor
track-tor
I lived on a farm and we had a track-tor. I don't say track-tor, I say tract-/ə/. /uh/
Did you hear that schwa sound at the end?
Yep. Guys, we've got it. Miss Simone can't trick us. Ready to find some more schwas?Let's go.
Next word
/b/ /ā/ /s/ /i/ /n/, (bay-sin)
When I have to wash clothes with some really sticky stains on them, I put them in the bay-sin... I don't say
baysin, I say bay-suhn, /uh/
Yep, there's that schwa. bas/ə/n
Hmm... next one. I think we're getting really good at this.
Hmm... this looks like a long word, I think there's going to be more than one syllable in there. Let's have a
look.
/m/ /ou/ /n/ /t/ /ai/ /n/, moun-tain
moun-tain
I went hiking on the weekend and walked up a really big moun-tain.
I didn't walk up a moun-tain, I walked up a mount/ə/n, mount /uh/ /n/, mountain.
Did you hear the schwa at the end there? Let's put it in this syllable here and say that word again.
moun /t/ /ə/ /n/, mountain
The [ai] is a schwa sound. Ready to do the last row and then we'll read them all together? Let's go.
/r/ /o/ /ck/, rock /e/ /t/
rock-et, rock-et.
I'm a bit scared, I wouldn't want to go in a rock-et I don't like heights too much.
rock-et. I don't say rock-et, I say rock-uht.
rock /ə/t
Can you hear that schwa sound in the second syllable? There mustn't be any stress on that vowel. All
right, next word. Ooh, it's got a capital... this must be a very important word, let's find out what it is at.
/S/ /a/ /t/ /ur/ /d/ /ay/, remember a y at the end of a word.
Sat-er-day

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Sat-er-day
Sat-er-day, three syllables.
Sat-er-day
On Sat-er-day, (Sat-er-day), I go to the market and do my shopping... but I don't go on Sat-er-day, I go on
Sat/ə/day. Where did you hear the schwa in that word? Saturday... did you hear in the middle syllable?
Sat/ə/day, I did too! So schwa's can be at the end of a word, at the beginning of a word, or in the middle
of a word? Hmm this guy's pretty important. Imagine if we didn't have him we'd sound like robots... I go
up the moun-tain on Sat-ur-day night. He's pretty important, I don't want to sound like a robot. Okay, last
word. Are you ready? Let's go.
/c/ /a/ /b/ /i/ /n/
/c/ /a/ /b/ /i/ /n/
/c/ /a/ /b/, cab
in, cab-in
Sometimes when we go camping and it rains, I say to my husband can we please go get a cab-in, I don't
want to get rained on tonight.
cab-in, I don't say cab-in, I say cab/ə/ n. /uh/
Where did you hear the schwa in that word? In the beginning syllable cab... or in the last syllable uhn?
You're right, it's in the last syllable.
cab-ən.
Okay, are you ready to read these words quickly and fluently. Let's have a go together. I'll try and put the
schwa where it belongs to help you read this word correctly. Let's start.
bacon
under
alive
Let's read it a bit quicker, without the schwa.
bacon
under
alive
Did you hear that /uh/ schwa sound? Right, ready for the second row? Let's go.
tractor
basin
mountain
Good job, let's try and read it without the schwa.
tractor

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basin
mountain
Last row, with the schwa.
rocket
(whispered)...in the middle)... Saturday
cabin
Without the schwa.
rocket
Saturday
cabin
How did you go with that? If you need to do that again just rewind and go back to the beginning of our
reading.
I think it's time for a rest, you've worked really hard today... so have I actually, think I need to go and have
a rest too, so let's wrap it up. So today we learnt about the schwa. The schwa is a vowel sound that is
spoken without any stress and it's actually the most common vowel sound in Australian English. So, when
you're walking around today or talking to people, why don't you listen for all the schwas in the words that
you say? You've got to be a really good listener for that... and you know what, I'm actually not going to set
you any homework. What I'd like you to do is just listen for schwa in all the words that are spoken today.
Be a detective and then tell me all about it next time. You've worked really hard today, I've really enjoyed
working with you, and I'll see you later alligator! See you.
End of transcript.

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