Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 3
Lesson 3.1 -tch and -dge
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 /ch/ when I see tch (as in match ), and write it. I can say /j/ when I see dge (as in badge ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as catch , fetch , ditch . I can read the heart words woman , women and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Judge and the Woman” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few cups
- 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 (3:37) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: After a short vowel we write -tch and -dge: catch, fetch, badge, bridge. After a consonant or long vowel: lunch, bench, huge, page.
Do this: New sound: tch. Show the card and say: “This says /ch/, as in match.” 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 /ch/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: dge. Show the card and say: “This says /j/, as in badge.” 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 /j/ 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:
- tch says /ch/, as in match. Make a sound card: write tch on the front and draw a match on the back.
- dge says /j/, as in badge. Make a sound card: write dge on the front and draw a badge on the back.
Show: Blend catch.
Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /a/ /tch/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: catch . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: catch
Show: Blend fetch.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /e/ /tch/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: fetch . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: fetch
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: catch · fetch · ditch · match
Listen for: catch = c | a | tch; fetch = f | e | tch; ditch = d | i | tch; match = m | a | tch
Ask: Read: patch · stitch · sketch · hedge
Listen for: patch = p | a | tch; stitch = s | t | i | tch; sketch = s | k | e | tch; hedge = h | e | dge
Ask: Read: edge · bridge · judge · badge
Listen for: edge = e | dge; bridge = b | r | i | dge; judge = j | u | dge; badge = b | a | dge
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Saying two letters of a digraph separately (s-h instead of /sh/). Underline the two letters together; they make one sound.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: Do not quit.
- 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: catch, fetch, ditch, match, patch, stitch.
Word Sounds Heart part woman /w/ /ŏŏ/ /m/ /ŭ/ /n/ ♥ o says /ŏŏ/ women /w/ /ĭ/ /m/ /ĭ/ /n/ ♥ o says /ĭ/ The Judge and the Woman
Jesus told this. There was a judge. He did not love God, and he did not love men.
A woman came to the judge. She had a patch on the dress. "Help me! A man ran off with my cash!" The judge said, "Go. I will not help you."
The next time she came back across the bridge to the judge. "Help me!" And she came back again, and again. She did not quit.
At last the judge said, "I will help the woman, so she will quit." Jesus said, "God is not like that bad judge. He is glad to help. So ask God, and do not quit."
Retold from Luke 18:1–8. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, told, across.
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 kind of man was the judge?
Answer
He did not love God or people.
- What did the woman do?
Answer
She kept coming back and asking.
- Why did the judge help her at last?
Answer
So she would stop coming.
- What does Jesus teach?
Answer
Keep praying and do not give up; God is glad to help.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What kind of man was the judge?
Luke 18:1–8. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Toss a ball. Each catch, read a -tch or -dge word card.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ch/ when I see tch (as in match ), and write it.; I can say /j/ when I see dge (as in badge ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as catch , fetch , ditch .; I can read the heart words woman , women and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Judge and the Woman” and tell it back.
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
This week: Clear words. Say every ending sound: the t, the d, the s. Open your mouth wider than feels normal.
- 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 he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Keep praying and do not give up.
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. Spelling /k/: write c before a, o and u (cat, cot, cup); write k before e, i and y (kept, kit); write ck right after a short vowel at the end of a word (duck, pick).