Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 5
Lesson 5.4 Long Vowel Review; Unit 5 Check
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 tap and blend words such as night , speak , sleep . I can read the heart words earth , learn , heard and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Samuel, Samuel!” and tell it back.
- You need
- 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 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Sort /ā/ /ē/ /ī/ /ō/ spellings: cake rain day; tree leaf happy; kite night pie my; home boat snow toe.
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.
Show: Blend night.
Say this: “Touch and say: /n/ /igh/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: night . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: night
Show: Blend speak.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /p/ /ea/ /k/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: speak . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: speak
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: night · speak · sleep · stay
Listen for: night = n | igh | t; speak = s | p | ea | k; sleep = s | l | ee | p; stay = s | t | ay
Ask: Read: home · show · light · dream
Listen for: home = h | o_e | m; show = sh | ow; light = l | igh | t; dream = d | r | ea | m
Ask: Read: rain · go
Listen for: rain = r | ai | n; go = g | o
4 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.
- Dictation: rain, sleep, night, boat, my.
- 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: night, speak, sleep, stay, home, show.
Word Sounds Heart part earth /er/ /th/ ♥ ear says /er/ learn /l/ /er/ /n/ ♥ ear says /er/ heard /h/ /er/ /d/ ♥ ear says /er/ Samuel, Samuel!
Samuel was a lad who slept in the house of God. Old Eli was the priest.
One night, Samuel heard, "Samuel!" He ran to Eli. "Here I am!" Eli said, "I did not call. Go and lie down."
It came again, and again. "Samuel!" Each time he ran to Eli. Then Eli said, "It is the LORD. Go and lie down, and say, Speak, LORD. I am Your servant."
The LORD came and said, "Samuel, Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak; I am Your servant." God spoke to Samuel, and Samuel got big and spoke for God.
Retold from 1 Samuel 3. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Samuel, Eli, house, servant.
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.
- Where did Samuel sleep?
Answer
In the house of God (the tabernacle).
- Who did Samuel think was calling?
Answer
Eli.
- What did Eli tell him to say?
Answer
"Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth."
- Who was really calling?
Answer
The LORD.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Where did Samuel sleep?
1 Samuel 3:1–10. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Sort word cards into four houses: /ā/, /ē/, /ī/, /ō/.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can tap and blend words such as night , speak , sleep .; I can read the heart words earth , learn , heard and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Samuel, Samuel!” and tell it back.
An Emerald Is as Green as Grass (Christina Rossetti)
An emerald is as green as grass;
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.
Samuel listened to 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.”