Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 5
Lesson 5.3 y at the End of My; Open Syllables
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/ at the end when I see y (as in my) (as in my ), and write it. I can say long vowel at the end of a syllable when I see open syllables (as in he, go, hi ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as my , sky , fly . I can read the heart words work , word , world and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Fire from the Sky” 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 an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: One-beat words ending in y say /ī/: my, sky, fly, cry. Words ending in a single vowel say its name: he, me, go, so, hi.
Do this: New sound: y (as in my). Show the card and say: “This says /ī/ at the end, as in my.” 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/ at the end is in the word.
Do this: New sound: open syllables. Show the card and say: “This says long vowel at the end of a syllable, as in he, go, hi.” 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 long vowel at the end of a syllable 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:
- y (as in my) says /ī/ at the end, as in my. Make a sound card: write y (as in my) on the front and draw a my on the back.
- open syllables says long vowel at the end of a syllable, as in he, go, hi. Make a sound card: write open syllables on the front and draw a he on the back.
Show: Blend my.
Say this: “Touch and say: /m/ /y/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: my . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: my
Show: Blend sky.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /k/ /y/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: sky . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: sky
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: my · sky · fly · cry
Listen for: my = m | y; sky = s | k | y; fly = f | l | y; cry = c | r | y
Ask: Read: dry · try · why · shy
Listen for: dry = d | r | y; try = t | r | y; why = wh | y; shy = sh | y
Ask: Read: he · she · we · go
Listen for: he = h | e; she = sh | e; we = w | e; go = g | o
5 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: The LORD is God.
- 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: my, sky, fly, cry, dry, try.
Word Sounds Heart part work /w/ /er/ /k/ ♥ or says /er/ after w word /w/ /er/ /d/ ♥ or says /er/ after w world /w/ /er/ /l/ /d/ ♥ or says /er/ after w Fire from the Sky
The people of Israel did not see who was God. So Elijah said, "Let us see. The prophets of Baal will pray to Baal. I will pray to the LORD. The God who sends fire, He is God."
The prophets of Baal cried and cried, "Baal, send fire!" They cried till the sun was high. No fire. Elijah said, "Cry with a big yell! Is he sleeping?"
Then Elijah set up an altar with twelve stones. He had the men soak it with water, three times. Then he prayed, "LORD, show them that You are God."
Fire fell from the sky! It ate up the sticks, the stones and the water. The people fell down flat. "The LORD, He is the God!"
Retold from 1 Kings 18. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Elijah, Baal, Israel, fire, altar, twelve, prophets.
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 test did Elijah set?
Answer
The God who answers by fire is God.
- What happened when Baal’s prophets prayed?
Answer
Nothing.
- What did Elijah pour on the altar?
Answer
Water, three times.
- What did the people say at the end?
Answer
"The LORD, he is the God!"
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What test did Elijah set?
1 Kings 18:20–39. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Tape word cards to the wall. Call a word; your child swats it with a fly swatter and reads it.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ī/ at the end when I see y (as in my) (as in my ), and write it.; I can say long vowel at the end of a syllable when I see open syllables (as in he, go, hi ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as my , sky , fly .; I can read the heart words work , word , world and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Fire from the Sky” and tell it back.
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
This week: Steady pace. Do not race. Take a breath at the end of each line, then go on.
- 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 when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
The people saw that the LORD is the true God.
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.”