Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 1
Lesson 1.2 Digraphs, ng and nk
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 shrub , chest , thick . I can read the heart words eye and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Snake in the Garden” 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 (3:59) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Two letters, one sound: say ship, chin, thin, when, duck, ring, sink. Clap once for each sound (ship = 3).
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 shrub.
Say this: “Touch and say: /sh/ /r/ /u/ /b/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: shrub . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: shrub
Show: Blend chest.
Say this: “Touch and say: /ch/ /e/ /s/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: chest . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: chest
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: shrub · chest · thick · whisk
Listen for: shrub = sh | r | u | b; chest = ch | e | s | t; thick = th | i | ck; whisk = wh | i | s | k
Ask: Read: truck · sting · blink · shelf
Listen for: truck = t | r | u | ck; sting = s | t | i | ng; blink = b | l | i | nk; shelf = sh | e | l | f
Ask: Read: chimp · thank · which · bench
Listen for: chimp = ch | i | m | p; thank = th | a | nk; which = wh | i | ch; bench = b | e | n | ch
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: Adam and Eve hid.
- 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: shrub, chest, thick, whisk, truck, sting.
Word Sounds Heart part eye /ī/ ♥ the whole word says /ī/ The Snake in the Garden
God set Adam and Eve in a rich garden. They had figs and plums and lots of fruit. God said, "You can eat from all of them, but not from this one tree."
A snake slid up. It was full of tricks. "Did God tell you not to eat? Go on. Eat it! You will be as God!"
Eve got the fruit and had a bit. Adam had a bit as well. That was sin.
Adam and Eve hid from God. God said, "Where are you?" God had to send them from the garden. But God still had a plan: a Son of Eve would crush the snake.
Retold from Genesis 2–3. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Adam, Eve, God, snake, garden, tree, eat, fruit.
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 was the one thing God told Adam and Eve not to do?
Answer
Eat from the one tree.
- Who tricked Eve?
Answer
The snake (Satan).
- What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned?
Answer
They hid from God.
- What was God’s promise?
Answer
One day a Son of Eve would crush the snake: Jesus.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What was the one thing God told Adam and Eve not to do?
Genesis 3:1–15. Read it aloud. Explain verse 15: the first promise of a Saviour.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Find every sh, ch, th, wh, ck, ng and nk in the story. Underline each with a colour: one colour per digraph.
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 shrub , chest , thick .; I can read the heart words eye and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Snake in the Garden” and tell it back.
The Pledge of Allegiance (4 U.S.C. § 4)
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
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: Stand, face the flag, right hand over the heart. Say it together, then alone. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The first promise of Jesus, who would defeat the serpent.
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.”