Reading Rule - Hard 'g' and Soft 'g'

ReaDING RULE:

Soft 'g' and Hard 'g'

Start!

tHE RULE:

When ‘g’ is followed by ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’ it makes the soft ‘g’ sound. Otherwise, it makes the hard ‘g’ sound.

Level / grade:

5th - 6th grade

Teaching this rule in the lesson

01

PHONEMIC AWARENESS TASK - Preparing the learners for the rule:

The teacher draws a table on the board and divides it into two columns. The teacher says a word and asks learners to say what its initial sound is. The teacher will say words that begin either with soft ‘g’ or with hard ‘g’ sound. After the learners mention the initial sound, the teacher will write the word on the board, placing it in one of the two columns of the table. By the end of this activity, one side of the table will include all the words with hard ‘g’ sound, and the other will include all the words with the soft ‘g’ sound.

Example:

• guitar

• glue

• game

• go

• giant

• gem

• George

• gym

02

discussing and eliciting the rule

The teacher will discuss with the learners the differences between the two columns, and explain that the letter ‘g’ has two sounds, one is soft, as in the word “giraffe”, and the other is hard as in the word “gorilla”. The teacher will add each word, as well as a picture, to the top of the relevant column as a cue for the hard and soft sounds. After discussing the differences between the sounds, the teacher will mention that we need a rule to help us know which sound to choose when we read unfamiliar words with this letter. The teacher will draw the learners’ attention to the soft ‘g’ column and to the letter which follows the letter ‘g’ in each of the words, and elicit from learners the general rule.

03

presenting the rule explicitly

The teacher will explicitly present the rule:

When ‘g’ is followed by ‘e’, ‘i’ or ‘y’, it makes the soft ‘g’ sound (as in "giraffe"). Otherwise, it makes the hard ‘g’ sound (as in "gorilla").

04

a suitable clip to reinforce the rule

A multisensory activity for practicing the rule:

05

This following activity has different variations, and it can be done as a class, in small groups or in pairs.

Class Activity

Pictures of a gorilla and a giraffe will be displayed on the board, representing the two 'g' sounds. Each time, the teacher will present a word with the letter ‘g’. A learner will read the word with the correct ‘g’ sound according to the rule, explain why they chose the relevant sound (e.g. ״gem – soft ‘g’, because it is followed by an ‘e’”), and say under which animal to place it.

+ info

Example:

soft 'g'

hard 'g'

village

danger

yogurt

imagine

bridge

ring

gate

energy

Group Activity

Each group will receive a board with the table, and word cards with hard / soft ‘g’. Each learner in their turn will pick a card, read it according to the rule, and place it in the correct place on the board.

energy

village

hard 'g'

soft 'g'

ring

imagine

bridge

yogurt

gate

danger

+ info

Pair Activity

Each learner will choose an animal, representing one of the two ‘g’ sounds. Each learner in their turn picks a word card from the pile and reads it. If the word has the same ‘g’ sound as the animal they chose, they keep the card. Otherwise, they put it aside. The learner with the most cards by the end of the game wins.

VS

+ info

hard 'g'

soft 'g'

List of words from bands 1+2 to use while presenting the rule:

• angry
• feeling
• gate
• great
• huge
• imagine
• large
• knowledge
• long
• message
• program
• ring

• glad
• good
• hungry
• again
• vegetable
• age
• ago
• August
• English
• orange
• page

• village

• digital
• young
• wrong
• against
• agree
• change
• engine
• bring
• game
• garden
• grandfather
• agree

• strange
• strong
• yogurt
• refrigerator
• green
• gray
• big
• bridge
• guide
• dangerous
• gate
• large

Sentences to use to practice this rule:

• George is Gal's grandfather.
• Gad likes to go to the gym.
• Ginny's favorite colors are green and orange.
• Graham studies English.
• Galit is the same age as Giselle. Their birthday is in August.
• My grandparents live in a village.
• Gabi grows vegetables in the garden.

Thanks!