Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 1
Lesson 1.1 Short Vowels, Fast
Written for the parent. Read the Say this lines aloud as they are, or in your own words. Answers for you are marked Listen for.
At a glance
- Time
- 5 sessions of 15–20 minutes
- Goal
- I can tap and blend words such as cab , hen , fix . I can read the heart words Jesus , Lord and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “God Did It All” and tell it back.
- You need
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (1:58) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Vowel sounds with hand signs: /ă/ apple (bite), /ĕ/ egg (crack), /ĭ/ itch (scratch), /ŏ/ octopus (wiggle arms), /ŭ/ up (point up).
Do this: Tap and blend. For each word your child touches each letter (or letter team) and says its sound, then sweeps a finger under the whole word and says it smoothly. Never guess from the first letter or a picture. If a word is misread, point to the part that was missed and blend again from the start.
Do this: Spell it. Say a word. Your child says it back, taps the sounds on his or her fingers, then writes one letter (or letter team) for each sound. Check together, sound by sound.
Do this: Heart words. A heart word is mostly regular. We tap it like any other word, and draw a heart over the one part that does not follow the rules we know yet. Practise the heart words on cards every day this week (see the table below).
Do this: The week at a glance. Day 1: warm-up, new sound, handwriting. Day 2: card review, word lists, spelling. Day 3: second new sound or more words, heart words. Day 4: read the story, talk about it. Day 5: reread the story for fluency, play the game, quick check (10 words, 1 sentence, 5 spelling words). Read the read-aloud at another time of day.
Show: Blend cab.
Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /a/ /b/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: cab . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: cab
Show: Blend hen.
Say this: “Touch and say: /h/ /e/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: hen . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: hen
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: cab · hen · fix · job
Listen for: cab = c | a | b; hen = h | e | n; fix = f | i | x; job = j | o | b
Ask: Read: hut · zip · vet · mud
Listen for: hut = h | u | t; zip = z | i | p; vet = v | e | t; mud = m | u | d
Ask: Read: quit · yam · web · fog
Listen for: quit = qu | i | t; yam = y | a | m; web = w | e | b; fog = f | o | g
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy in your best ball-and-stick print: God did it all.
- Use the ball-and-stick lines: tall letters touch the top line, short letters touch the middle line, tails go below the base line.
Copywork: Write each word once, saying the sounds as you write: cab, hen, fix, job, hut, zip.
Word Sounds Heart part Jesus /j/ /ē/ /z/ /ŭ/ /s/ ♥ a name: e says its name, s says /z/ Lord /l/ /or/ /d/ ♥ or says /or/ (regular after Unit 6); written LORD in the Bible for God’s holy name God Did It All
Long, long ago, God said, "Let there be lit up!" And it was so. Then God set up the sun.
God said, "Let the land get plants." Up sprang grass and figs and nuts and big plants.
God said, "Let the ponds fill with fish." Fish swam and swam. God said, "Let birds flap and sing." Then God made bugs and cats and dogs and pigs and frogs.
At last God made a man and his wife, and God was glad. It was all good, so good. Then God had His rest.
Retold from Genesis 1. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: God, birds, made, wife, good.
Every word in this story uses only the sounds and heart words taught so far (checked by the School Launch decodability checker). Read a page a day on Days 3 and 4, and the whole story on Day 5.
- What did God make first?
Answer
Light.
- Name three things God made.
Answer
Any three: sun, plants, grass, fish, birds, bugs, animals, man and woman.
- What did God say about all He made?
Answer
It was very good.
- What did God do last?
Answer
He rested.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did God make first?
Genesis 1. Read the whole chapter over the week, a few days of creation at a time.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read a word card; make the hand sign for its vowel before you say it.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can tap and blend words such as cab , hen , fix .; I can read the heart words Jesus , Lord and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “God Did It All” and tell it back.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
This week: Stand tall. Feet still and a little apart, hands quiet at your sides, chin up. Stand still from the first word to the last.
- Day 1: The teacher says it twice; the child echoes it one line at a time.
- Days 2–4: Say it together each morning; drop one line of help each day.
- Day 5: Say the reference, then the verse, then the reference again. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
God spoke, and light was made.
Spread over the week
5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
- Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
- Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
- Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
- Session 5. Quick check: narration and a few practice items. Move on when it is mostly right.
For you
For families. Keep each session short and cheerful: 15 to 20 minutes, then stop. If your child is tired or frustrated, stop and finish tomorrow. A lesson can take more than a week; move on when the quick check on Day 5 is mostly “Got it.”