Reception English and phonics: The sounds of h and b

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /h/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   bus starts with b · leaf starts with l · hen starts with h
2. Find the sound /h/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /h/ is at the start of hen.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   hen

Check. Say hen slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /h/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /h/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   hat starts with h · ball starts with b · fish starts with f
2. Find the sound /h/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /h/ is at the start of hat.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   hat

Check. Say hat slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /h/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /b/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   lamp starts with l · bus starts with b · hat starts with h
2. Find the sound /b/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /b/ is at the start of bus.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   bus

Check. Say bus slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /b/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /b/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   hen starts with h · fan starts with f · bed starts with b
2. Find the sound /b/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /b/ is at the start of bed.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   bed

Check. Say bed slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /b/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Say the name of the picture. Then find the letter that makes its first sound.

1. Read the name. Read every letter in the name.
   hen
2. Find the first sound. The first letter tells the first sound.
   The first sound is /h/.
3. Choose the letter for that sound. Choose from h, b, n.
   h

Check. The word hen starts with h. ✓

Watch out. Some letters make a different sound in other words. Check the start of this word only.

Method. Say the name of the picture. Then find the letter that makes its first sound.

1. Read the name. Read every letter in the name.
   ball
2. Find the first sound. The first letter tells the first sound.
   The first sound is /b/.
3. Choose the letter for that sound. Choose from b, d, p.
   b

Check. The word ball starts with b. ✓

Watch out. Some letters make a different sound in other words. Check the start of this word only.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   hat
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   h - a - t
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   h-a-t

Check. Read the letters back: h-a-t. They spell hat. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   bed
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   b - e - d
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   b-e-d

Check. Read the letters back: b-e-d. They spell bed. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Read the parts in order. Then say the sounds together, faster and faster, to make the word.

1. Read each part, one at a time. Each part makes one sound. Read them from left to right.
   h - e - n
2. Say the sounds, then join them. Blending means joining the sounds together into one word.
   /h/ /e/ /n/
3. Write the word. The blended sounds make the word.
   /h/ /e/ /n/ = hen

Check. Check the picture of a hen. The picture matches the word. ✓

Watch out. Do not say each sound as a separate word. Join them together.

Method. Look at the start of each name. One of them starts with a different sound.

1. Look at the first letter of each name. Read the names as a grown-up points to them.
   hat: h · hen: h · bus: b
2. Find the one that is different. The other names all start with h.
   bus is different.
3. Write the answer. Say what the odd one starts with.
   bus (starts with b)

Check. The other pictures start with h, so bus is the odd one. ✓

Watch out. Find the sound that most names share first. The odd one is the name that does not match.

Method. Look at the first letter of each name.

1. Look at hat. hat starts with h.
   hat: h
2. Look at bus and bed. bus and bed both start with b.
   bus: b; bed: b
3. Write the two names.
   bus and bed

Check. Only bus and bed start with b. ✓

Watch out. Check the first letter of every name.

Method. Look at the first letter of each word.

1. Look at hat. The first letter is h.
   hat: h
2. Look at bed. The first letter is b.
   bed: b
3. Give your answer. Say whether the first letters match.
   Accept any answer that says no: hat starts with h, and bed starts with b.

Check. h and b are different sounds. ✓

Watch out. Compare the first letters only.