Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 2
Lesson 2.2 Silent e: i_e and o_e
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 say /ī/ when I see i_e (as in kite ), and write it. I can say /ō/ when I see o_e (as in bone ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as kite , fine , ripe . I can read the heart words wild , mind and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Fox and the Grapes” and tell it back.
- You need
- Sound cards (printables pack)
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (2:55) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: kit/kite, pin/pine, hop/hope, not/note, rob/robe. Hold up one finger for the short word, the e card for the long one.
Do this: New sound: i_e. Show the card and say: “This says /ī/, as in kite.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /ī/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: o_e. Show the card and say: “This says /ō/, as in bone.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /ō/ is in the word.
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.
New cards:
- i_e says /ī/, as in kite. Make a sound card: write i_e on the front and draw a kite on the back.
- o_e says /ō/, as in bone. Make a sound card: write o_e on the front and draw a bone on the back.
Show: Blend kite.
Say this: “Touch and say: /k/ /i_e/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: kite . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: kite
Show: Blend fine.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /i_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: fine . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: fine
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: kite · fine · ripe · vine
Listen for: kite = k | i_e | t; fine = f | i_e | n; ripe = r | i_e | p; vine = v | i_e | n
Ask: Read: bite · time · home · rope
Listen for: bite = b | i_e | t; time = t | i_e | m; home = h | o_e | m; rope = r | o_e | p
Ask: Read: stone · hope · note · those
Listen for: stone = s | t | o_e | n; hope = h | o_e | p; note = n | o_e | t; those = th | o_e | s
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Saying the silent e. It makes no sound of its own; it tells the vowel to say its name.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: The fox gives up.
- 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: kite, fine, ripe, vine, bite, time.
Word Sounds Heart part wild /w/ /ī/ /l/ /d/ ♥ i says its name before ld mind /m/ /ī/ /n/ /d/ ♥ i says its name before nd The Fox and the Grapes
A fox spots ripe grapes on a vine up on a pole. "Yum! I will dine on those grapes," he said.
He jumps. Not close! He jumps and jumps and jumps. He can not get a bite.
At last the fox quits. He stomps home. "Those grapes are not fine grapes at all," he said. "Who wants them? Not me!"
But the grapes were fine. When we can not get a thing, it is a sin to sulk and blame the thing.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: grapes.
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 the fox want?
Answer
The ripe grapes.
- Could he reach them?
Answer
No.
- What did he say about the grapes?
Answer
That they were not good anyway (sour).
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Do not blame or belittle what you cannot have.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the fox want?
Aesop: The Fox and the Grapes. Read the original. Teach the phrase “sour grapes.”
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read a word card. Stand tall for a long vowel (silent e words), crouch for a short vowel.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ī/ when I see i_e (as in kite ), and write it.; I can say /ō/ when I see o_e (as in bone ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as kite , fine , ripe .; I can read the heart words wild , mind and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Fox and the Grapes” and tell it back.
Happy Thought (Robert Louis Stevenson)
The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.This week: Big voice. Speak so a person at the back of the room hears every word. Big, not shouting: fill the room, do not scream.
- 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.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
Paul learned to be content.
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.”