Lesson 4.2 ee

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: /ē/ as in tree. Say: see, bee, feet, sheep. Spell /ē/ with ee.

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: New sound: ee. Show the card and say: “This says /ē/, as in tree.” 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 /ē/ 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:

   • ee says /ē/, as in tree. Make a sound card: write ee on the front and draw a tree on the back.
3. Show how

   Show: Blend see.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /ee/.”

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

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

   Answer: see

   Show: Blend tree.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /t/ /r/ /ee/.”

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

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

   Answer: tree

4. Practice together

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

   Ask: Read: see · tree · feet · sheep

   Listen for: see = s | ee; tree = t | r | ee; feet = f | ee | t; sheep = sh | ee | p

   Ask: Read: green · sleep · seek · deep

   Listen for: green = g | r | ee | n; sleep = s | l | ee | p; seek = s | ee | k; deep = d | ee | p

   Ask: Read: need · weed · sweet · three

   Listen for: need = n | ee | d; weed = w | ee | d; sweet = s | w | ee | t; three = th | r | ee

   4 more practice items on the lesson page.

5. Watch for
   • 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.
6. Handwriting and copywork
   1. Copy: The sheep is safe.
   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: see, tree, feet, sheep, green, sleep.

7. Heart words this week

   Word	Sounds	Heart part
   people	/p/ /ē/ /p/ /ŭl/	♥ eo says /ē/

8. Decodable story: The Lost Sheep

   The Lost Sheep

   Jesus said: A man had a hundred sheep. One sheep got lost. He did not say, "Oh well, I have lots."

   He left the rest of the sheep and went to seek the one. He peeked in deep weeds and up steep hills. He did not stop to sleep.

   At last he sees the sheep! He sets it on his back and runs home. "Be glad with me! My lost sheep is safe!"

   God is glad like that when a lost one gets back to Him.

   Retold from Luke 15:3–7. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, oh.

   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. How many sheep did the man have?
      Answer

      A hundred.

   2. What did he do when one was lost?
      Answer

      He searched until he found it.

   3. How did he carry it home?
      Answer

      On his shoulders (back).

   4. Who is like the shepherd?
      Answer

      God, who seeks the lost.

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

10. Read-aloud

    Luke 15:1–7. Read aloud.

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

11. Game: Seek the Sheep

    Hide ten paper sheep with ee words around the room. Read each one you find.

12. Narration

    Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”

    Listen for: I can say /ē/ when I see ee (as in tree ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as see , tree , feet .; I can read the heart words people and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Lost Sheep” and tell it back.

13. Recitation

    Singing (Robert Louis Stevenson)

    Of speckled eggs the birdie sings
    And nests among the trees;
    The sailor sings of ropes and things
    In ships upon the seas.

    The children sing in far Japan,
    The children sing in Spain;
    The organ with the organ man
    Is singing in the rain.

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

    I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

    Heaven rejoices over one who turns back to God.

Spread over the week

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

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then New sound: ee. Finish with a little practice or the game.
2. Session 2. Warm-up, then Tap and blend. Finish with a little practice or the game.
3. Session 3. Warm-up, then Spell it. Finish with a little practice or the game.
4. Session 4. Warm-up, then Heart words. Finish with a little practice or the game.
5. Session 5. Warm-up, then The week at a glance. Finish with a little practice or the game.

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.”