Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 7
Lesson 7.1 oo: moon and book
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 /oo/ and /ŏŏ/ when I see oo (as in moon, book ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as moon , food , cool . I can read the heart words listen , often and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Good Shepherd” 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 (5:32) and an explainer to read aloud (about 11 minutes))
Steps
Do this: oo says /oo/ (moon, food) and /ŏŏ/ (book, good). Try /oo/ first; if it does not make a real word, try /ŏŏ/.
Do this: New sound: oo. Show the card and say: “This says /oo/ and /ŏŏ/, as in moon, book.” 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 /oo/ and /ŏŏ/ 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:
- oo says /oo/ and /ŏŏ/, as in moon, book. Make a sound card: write oo on the front and draw a moon on the back.
Show: Blend moon.
Say this: “Touch and say: /m/ /oo/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: moon . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: moon
Show: Blend food.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /oo/ /d/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: food . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: food
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: moon · food · cool · pool
Listen for: moon = m | oo | n; food = f | oo | d; cool = c | oo | l; pool = p | oo | l
Ask: Read: soon · room · good · book
Listen for: soon = s | oo | n; room = r | oo | m; good = g | oo | d; book = b | oo | k
Ask: Read: look · took · wood · foot
Listen for: look = l | oo | k; took = t | oo | k; wood = w | oo | d; foot = f | oo | t
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: I am the good shepherd.
- 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: moon, food, cool, pool, soon, room.
Word Sounds Heart part listen /l/ /ĭ/ /s/ /ŭ/ /n/ ♥ t is silent often /ŏ/ /f/ /ŭ/ /n/ ♥ t is often silent The Good Shepherd
Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd."
A good shepherd keeps his sheep. He leads them to good food and to cool pools. Each sheep has a name, and they come to him.
When a wolf creeps up, the good shepherd does not run. He stands and keeps the sheep safe.
"I am the good shepherd," Jesus said. "I lay down My life for My sheep."
Retold from John 10:1–15. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, shepherd, life.
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.
- Who is the Good Shepherd?
Answer
Jesus.
- Where does a shepherd lead his sheep?
Answer
To food and water.
- What does he do when a wolf comes?
Answer
Stays and protects them.
- What did Jesus do for His sheep?
Answer
Laid down His life for them.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who is the Good Shepherd?
John 10:1–15 and Psalm 23. Read aloud. Learn Psalm 23:1.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Two cards: a moon and a book. Read an oo word; point to the one with the same sound.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /oo/ and /ŏŏ/ when I see oo (as in moon, book ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as moon , food , cool .; I can read the heart words listen , often and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Good Shepherd” and tell it back.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
This week: Expression. Let your voice show what the words mean: glad words sound glad, quiet words sound quiet.
- 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.
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Jesus gave His life for us.
Spread over the week
5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then New sound: oo. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 2. Warm-up, then Tap and blend. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 3. Warm-up, then Spell it. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 4. Warm-up, then Heart words. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- 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.”