Lesson 1.4 Unit 1 Check

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Count sounds: splash (5), thrill (4), stamp (5), chest (4).

2. Teach the new idea

   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.

3. Show how

   Show: Blend trench.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /t/ /r/ /e/ /n/ /ch/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: trench . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: trench

   Show: Blend crisp.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /r/ /i/ /s/ /p/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: crisp . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: crisp

4. Practice together

   Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: Read: trench · crisp · shrimp · scrap

   Listen for: trench = t | r | e | n | ch; crisp = c | r | i | s | p; shrimp = sh | r | i | m | p; scrap = s | c | r | a | p

   Ask: Read: swift · plank · thump · flock

   Listen for: swift = s | w | i | f | t; plank = p | l | a | nk; thump = th | u | m | p; flock = f | l | o | ck

   Ask: Read: clench

   Listen for: clench = c | l | e | n | ch

   4 more practice items on the lesson page.

5. Watch for
   • Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
6. Handwriting and copywork
   1. Dictation: The frog can puff up.
   2. 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: trench, crisp, shrimp, scrap, swift, plank.

7. Heart words this week

   Word	Sounds	Heart part
   only	/ō/ /n/ /l/ /ē/	♥ o says its name

8. Decodable story: The Frog and the Ox

   The Frog and the Ox

   A big ox went past a pond. Stomp, stomp! The ox did not spot a little frog, and he split the frog’s nest.

   "Mom!" said the frog’s son. "A big, big thing went past. It was as big as a hill!"

   The mom frog puffs up. "Was it as big as this?" "Bigger!" She puffs and puffs. "As big as this?" "Bigger still!"

   The mom frog puffs and puffs, and then ... pop! Do not puff up to be what you are not.

   Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: little, thing, bigger.

   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.

9. Talk about the story
   1. Who stepped on the frog’s nest?
      Answer

      A big ox.

   2. What did the mother frog keep doing?
      Answer

      Puffing herself up to look as big as the ox.

   3. What happened at the end?
      Answer

      She popped.

   4. What is the lesson?
      Answer

      Do not be proud or try to be what you are not.

   Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).

10. Read-aloud

    Aesop: The Frog and the Ox. Read the original.

    The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.

11. Game: Fast Cards

    All K sound cards and heart words against a timer. Beat yesterday’s time.

12. Narration

    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 trench , crisp , shrimp .; I can read the heart words only and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Frog and the Ox” and tell it back.

13. Recitation

    Who Has Seen the Wind? (second stanza) (Christina Rossetti)

    Who has seen the wind?
    Neither you nor I:
    But when the trees bow down their heads
    The wind is passing by.

    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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
14. Scripture

    Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

    Pride leads to a fall.

Spread over the week

5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
5. 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.”