Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 7
Lesson 7.4 ew and ue; Unit 7 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 say /oo/ when I see ew (as in new ), and write it. I can say /oo/ when I see ue (as in blue ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as new , few , grew . I can read the heart words idea and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Big Catch” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few real coins
- 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 (4:20) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: /oo/ as in new and blue. Say: few, grew, threw, true, glue.
Do this: New sound: ew. Show the card and say: “This says /oo/, as in new.” 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/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: ue. Show the card and say: “This says /oo/, as in blue.” 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/ 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:
- ew says /oo/, as in new. Make a sound card: write ew on the front and draw a new on the back.
- ue says /oo/, as in blue. Make a sound card: write ue on the front and draw a blue on the back.
Show: Blend new.
Say this: “Touch and say: /n/ /ew/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: new . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: new
Show: Blend few.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /ew/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: few . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: few
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: new · few · grew · drew
Listen for: new = n | ew; few = f | ew; grew = g | r | ew; drew = d | r | ew
Ask: Read: threw · crew · chew · blue
Listen for: threw = th | r | ew; crew = c | r | ew; chew = ch | ew; blue = b | l | ue
Ask: Read: true · glue · clue · due
Listen for: true = t | r | ue; glue = g | l | ue; clue = c | l | ue; due = d | ue
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.
- Dictation: new, blue, coin, boy, cloud, moon.
- 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: new, few, grew, drew, threw, crew.
Word Sounds Heart part idea /ī/ /d/ /ē/ /ŭ/ ♥ three syllables: i-de-a The Big Catch
Peter and his crew fished all night. They got not one fish.
Jesus said, "Let down your nets on the deep side." Peter said, "We fished all night and got not one. But if You say so, I will."
He threw the net. It was true: so many fish that the nets began to rip! The crew had to call for help. Two ships were so full of fish they began to sink.
Peter fell down at the feet of Jesus. Jesus said, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men." They left all and went with Jesus.
Retold from Luke 5:1–11. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Peter, Jesus, follow.
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.
- How many fish did they catch at night?
Answer
None.
- What did Jesus tell Peter?
Answer
Let down your nets.
- What happened?
Answer
So many fish that the nets broke and the boats began to sink.
- What did Jesus say Peter would catch?
Answer
Men.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- How many fish did they catch at night?
Luke 5:1–11. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Paper fish with ew, ue, oo, ou and oi words. Catch one with a magnet; read it to keep it.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /oo/ when I see ew (as in new ), and write it.; I can say /oo/ when I see ue (as in blue ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as new , few , grew .; I can read the heart words idea and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Big Catch” and tell it back.
O Wind, Why Do You Never Rest (Christina Rossetti)
O wind, why do you never rest,
Wandering, whistling to and fro,
Bringing rain out of the west,
From the dim north bringing snow?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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
Jesus called Peter to tell others about Him.
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.”