Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 4
Lesson 4.1 ai and ay
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 /ā/ when I see ai (as in rain ), and write it. I can say /ā/ when I see ay (as in day ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as rain , wait , mail . I can read the heart words hold , gold and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Noah and the Rain” 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 (4:47) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: /ā/ can be a_e, ai or ay. ai in the middle (rain), ay at the end (day).
Do this: New sound: ai. Show the card and say: “This says /ā/, as in rain.” 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 /ā/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: ay. Show the card and say: “This says /ā/, as in day.” 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 /ā/ 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:
- ai says /ā/, as in rain. Make a sound card: write ai on the front and draw a rain on the back.
- ay says /ā/, as in day. Make a sound card: write ay on the front and draw a day on the back.
Show: Blend rain.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /ai/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: rain . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: rain
Show: Blend wait.
Say this: “Touch and say: /w/ /ai/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: wait . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: wait
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: rain · wait · mail · tail
Listen for: rain = r | ai | n; wait = w | ai | t; mail = m | ai | l; tail = t | ai | l
Ask: Read: paint · snail · day · play
Listen for: paint = p | ai | n | t; snail = s | n | ai | l; day = d | ay; play = p | l | ay
Ask: Read: stay · gray · tray · away
Listen for: stay = s | t | ay; gray = g | r | ay; tray = t | r | ay; away = a | w | ay
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Reading each letter of a vowel team separately. The two letters work together for one sound.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: Noah made the ark day by day.
- 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: rain, wait, mail, tail, paint, snail.
Word Sounds Heart part hold /h/ /ō/ /l/ /d/ ♥ o says its name before ld gold /g/ /ō/ /l/ /d/ ♥ o says its name before ld Noah and the Rain
God said to Noah, "Make an ark. I will send rain." Noah did it. Day by day he made the ark, just as God said.
The animals came two by two. Then God shut the ark. Rain came, and it rained and rained for days and days. Noah and his sons and their wives were safe. Wet? Yes! But safe.
At last the rain came to a stop. Noah sent a dove away. It came back with a twig in its bill. The land was drying!
Noah and his sons came from the ark. Noah gave thanks to God. God made a promise: "I will not send rain like that again." And God set His bow in the rain.
Retold from Genesis 6–9. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Noah, God, ark, bow, promise, dove.
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 tell Noah to make?
Answer
An ark.
- What did the dove bring back?
Answer
A twig (an olive leaf).
- What did Noah do when he came out?
Answer
He gave thanks to God.
- What is the sign of God’s promise?
Answer
The rainbow.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did God tell Noah to make?
Genesis 8:1–22 and 9:8–17. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Two columns: ai and ay. Read each card and sort it. Notice: ay at the end.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ā/ when I see ai (as in rain ), and write it.; I can say /ā/ when I see ay (as in day ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as rain , wait , mail .; I can read the heart words hold , gold and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Noah and the Rain” and tell it back.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
This week: Eyes up. Look at your listeners, not the floor. Pick three faces (left, middle, right) and give each one a line.
- 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.
While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
God keeps the seasons going.
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.”