Lesson 8.1 aw, au, all and alk

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: /aw/ as in saw, Paul, ball, walk. Say: draw, crawl, haul, fall, talk.

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: New sound: aw. Show the card and say: “This says /aw/, as in saw.” 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 /aw/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: au. Show the card and say: “This says /aw/, as in haul.” 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 /aw/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: all. Show the card and say: “This says /awl/, as in ball.” 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 /awl/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: alk. Show the card and say: “This says /awk/, as in walk.” 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 /awk/ 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: 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:

   • aw says /aw/, as in saw. Make a sound card: write aw on the front and draw a saw on the back.
   • au says /aw/, as in haul. Make a sound card: write au on the front and draw a haul on the back.
   • all says /awl/, as in ball. Make a sound card: write all on the front and draw a ball on the back.
   • alk says /awk/, as in walk. Make a sound card: write alk on the front and draw a walk on the back.
3. Show how

   Show: Blend saw.

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

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

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

   Answer: saw

   Show: Blend draw.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /d/ /r/ /aw/.”

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

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

   Answer: draw

4. Practice together

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

   Ask: Read: saw · draw · crawl · straw

   Listen for: saw = s | aw; draw = d | r | aw; crawl = c | r | aw | l; straw = s | t | r | aw

   Ask: Read: Paul · haul · fault · ball

   Listen for: Paul = p | au | l; haul = h | au | l; fault = f | au | l | t; ball = b | all

   Ask: Read: fall · small · walk · talk

   Listen for: fall = f | all; small = s | m | all; walk = w | alk; talk = t | alk

   5 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: Paul did not fall.
   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: saw, draw, crawl, straw, Paul, haul.

7. Decodable story: Paul and the Snake

   Paul and the Snake

   Paul was on a ship in a big storm. The ship broke to bits on the rocks. But God kept all the men safe. They swam to the land.

   It was raining and cold. Paul went to get sticks for a fire.

   A snake crawled from the sticks and bit his hand! The people saw Paul and said, "He will fall down dead."

   But Paul shook the snake off into the fire. He did not fall. He was not sick at all. God kept Paul safe, so he could tell all the people about Jesus.

   Retold from Acts 27–28. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Paul, Malta, Jesus, fire, broke.

   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.

8. Talk about the story
   1. What happened to the ship?
      Answer

      It broke on the rocks.

   2. What bit Paul?
      Answer

      A snake.

   3. What did the people think would happen?
      Answer

      He would fall down dead.

   4. Why did God keep Paul safe?
      Answer

      So he could tell people about Jesus.

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

9. Read-aloud

   Acts 28:1–10. Read aloud.

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

10. Game: Chalk Walk

    Write aw, au, all and alk words in chalk on the sidewalk. Walk the path and read each one.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: I can say /aw/ when I see aw (as in saw ), and write it.; I can say /aw/ when I see au (as in haul ), and write it.; I can say /awl/ when I see all (as in ball ), and write it.; I can say /awk/ when I see alk (as in walk ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as saw , draw , crawl .; I can read “Paul and the Snake” and tell it back.

12. Recitation

    For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

    This week: Begin and end well. Say the title and author (or the Bible reference) first. At the end, pause, then say “thank you” and sit down.

    • 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.
13. Scripture

    And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

    God protected Paul.

Spread over the week

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

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
5. 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.”