You will learn
- Say what a consonant is.
- Say the sounds of common consonants.
- Find the consonants in a word.
- Match consonants to words.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- The alphabet has consonants and vowels.
- Consonants are most of the letters.
- Each consonant has a sound.
- Consonants start many words.
Words to know
a letter that is not a vowel
a, e, i, o or u
what a letter says
all the letters
1. Discover: Letters that are not vowels
The teacher writes a word on the board: mat. “m and t are consonants,” she says. “a is a vowel.” Ama says, “m says /m/ and t says /t/.”
Think: Which letters in dog are consonants?
2. Understand: Consonants
Idea 1: What is a consonant?
The letters a, e, i, o, u are vowels. All the other letters are consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.
Idea 2: Consonant sounds
Each consonant has a sound. b says /b/, d says /d/, m says /m/, p says /p/, s says /s/, t says /t/.
Idea 3: In words
In dog, /d/ is a consonant sound and /g/ is a consonant sound. /o/ is a vowel sound.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Find the consonants
Which letters in dog are consonants?
- List d, o, g.
- o is a vowel.
Answer: d and g
Example 2 (We do it together): Say the sound
What does b say?
- Look at b.
- Say it short and clean.
Answer: /b/
Example 3 (You try): Match
Which consonant begins pig?
Show the steps and answer
- Say pig.
- The first sound is /p/.
Answer: p
Did you know?
Of the 26 letters, only 5 are vowels. The other 21 are consonants.
Why this matters
Consonants give most words their shape, so knowing them lets you read quickly.
4. Explore: Consonant hunt
Find consonants in your name.
- Write your name.
- Circle the vowels.
- The rest are consonants.
- Say the sounds of the consonants.
Think about it: what did you notice?
Most of the letters in a name are consonants.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- The consonants in ___ are ___.
- ___ says /__/.
- ___ is a vowel.
- ___ is a consonant.
Guided practice
Question 1. Is d a vowel or a consonant?
a consonant
Question 2. What does p say?
/p/
Question 3. Consonants in cat?
c and t
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Is b a vowel or a consonant?
- Is a a vowel or a consonant?
- What does t say?
- What does m say?
- How many vowels are there?
Level 2: Grow
- Consonants in sun?
- Consonants in pig?
- What does n say?
Level 3: Stretch
- List ten consonants.
- Why do we need to know consonants?
- Ayo says u is a consonant. Is he right?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: English in everyday life
Find the consonants in the names of three family members.
Show a sample answer
Ama: m. Kofi: K, f.
Another one. Choose a consonant. Find five things that begin with it.
Show a sample answer
b: ball, bag, book, boy, bed.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: At the start of a word, y is a consonant.
Fix: Say /b/, not “buh”.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what a consonant is.
- I can say consonant sounds.
- I can find consonants in words.
- I can match consonants to words.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Consonants are all letters that are not vowels.
- Each consonant has a sound.
- Consonants begin and end many words.
- There are 21 consonants.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Short vowel sounds. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- What is a consonant? [1 mark]
- Name the vowels. [2 marks]
- What are the consonants in cat? [1 mark]
- What sound does p make? [1 mark]
- Explain how to tell a consonant from a vowel. [3 marks]
Total: 8 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- a letter that is not a, e, i, o or u [1]
- a, e, i, o, u [2]
- c and t [1]
- /p/ [1]
- vowels are a, e, i, o, u [1]; all other letters are consonants [1]; example given [1]
Score guide: 7 to 8 = secure. 5 to 6 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 5 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Is m a vowel or a consonant?
- Is e a vowel or a consonant?
- Consonants in cat
- Consonants in dog
- Consonants in sun
- Sound of p
- Sound of d
- How many vowels are there?
- True or false: u is a consonant.
- List five consonants.
Homework
Find the consonants in three words at home and say their sounds.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is m a vowel or a consonant? | consonant | 1 |
| 2. Is e a vowel or a consonant? | vowel | 1 |
| 3. Consonants in cat | c, t | 1 |
| 4. Consonants in dog | d, g | 1 |
| 5. Consonants in sun | s, n | 1 |
| 6. Sound of p | /p/ | 1 |
| 7. Sound of d | /d/ | 1 |
| 8. How many vowels are there? | 5 | 1 |
| 9. True or false: u is a consonant. | false | 1 |
| 10. List five consonants. | any five valid consonants | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 a consonant; 2 a vowel; 3 /t/; 4 /m/; 5 5. Level 2: 1 s and n; 2 p and g; 3 /n/. Level 3: 1 any ten of b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z; 2 they begin and end many words; 3 no, u is a vowel.
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what a consonant is | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Say the sounds of common consonants | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Find the consonants in a word | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Match consonants to words | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: Thinking y is always a vowel. At the start of a word, y is a consonant.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Teach three consonants at a time and use picture cards.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns what consonants are and the sounds they make. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Point out consonants in words.
- Say consonant sounds short and clean.
- Play I spy with consonants.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what a consonant is; say the sounds of common consonants; find the consonants in a word; match consonants to words.
Prerequisite knowledge. Letter names and sounds.
Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Show the word mat and ask which letters are consonants.
Explanation (10 min). Teach consonants and vowels.
Guided activity (10 min). Practise with consonant hunt.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners complete the practice and share.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Is it a vowel or a consonant? What sound does it make?
Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use three consonants at a time and picture cards. Extension. Find words with all consonants from a to z.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. Thinking y is always a vowel. At the start of a word, y is a consonant.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 8-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Teach three consonants at a time and use picture cards. Enrichment. Sort words by the number of consonants they have. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 1 » Reading: Foundational Skills. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.
Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core RF.1.3.a (know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonants); IES What Works Clearinghouse practice guide Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade; Cambridge Primary English Stage 1 (phonics). These sources informed the lesson.