Lesson 8.2 Soft c and Soft g

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: c says /s/ before e, i and y (cent, city, ice). g often says /j/ before e, i and y (gem, giant, page).

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: New sound: soft c. Show the card and say: “This says /s/ before e, i, y, as in cent, city.” 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 /s/ before e, i, y is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: soft g. Show the card and say: “This says /j/ before e, i, y, as in gem, page.” 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 /j/ before e, i, y 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:

   • soft c says /s/ before e, i, y, as in cent, city. Make a sound card: write soft c on the front and draw a cent on the back.
   • soft g says /j/ before e, i, y, as in gem, page. Make a sound card: write soft g on the front and draw a gem on the back.
3. Show how

   Show: Blend cent.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /e/ /n/ /t/.”

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

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

   Answer: cent

   Show: Blend city.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /i/ /t/ /y/.”

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

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

   Answer: city

4. Practice together

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

   Ask: Read: cent · city · ice · face

   Listen for: cent = c | e | n | t; city = c | i | t | y; ice = i_e | c; face = f | a_e | c

   Ask: Read: race · place · nice · gem

   Listen for: race = r | a_e | c; place = p | l | a_e | c; nice = n | i_e | c; gem = g | e | m

   Ask: Read: giant · page · huge · large

   Listen for: giant = g | i | a | n | t; page = p | a_e | g; huge = h | u_e | g; large = l | ar | g | e (g says /j/ because of the e; the final e is silent)

   4 more practice items on the lesson page.

5. Watch for
   • 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: I come in the name of the LORD.
   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: cent, city, ice, face, race, place.

7. Decodable story: David and the Giant

   David and the Giant

   Goliath was a giant. He was huge! He had a large sword and a spear. Day by day he made fun of the men of Israel.

   David was just a young lad, but he trusted God. He picked five smooth stones from a brook and put them in his bag.

   Goliath came at David. David said, "You come with a sword, but I come in the name of the LORD."

   David ran at Goliath. He put a stone in his sling and let it fly. Whack! It hit the giant on the face, and Goliath fell flat. David gave the glory to God.

   Retold from 1 Samuel 17. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: David, Goliath, Israel, sword, spear, glory, smooth, philistine.

   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. Who was Goliath?
      Answer

      A giant who mocked Israel.

   2. What did David take from the brook?
      Answer

      Five smooth stones.

   3. In whose name did David come?
      Answer

      The name of the LORD.

   4. Who got the glory?
      Answer

      God.

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

9. Read-aloud

   1 Samuel 17:32–51. Read aloud.

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

10. Game: Soft or Hard?

    Sort c and g words: hard (cat, go) or soft (city, gem). Look at the next letter!

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: I can say /s/ before e, i, y when I see soft c (as in cent, city ), and write it.; I can say /j/ before e, i, y when I see soft g (as in gem, page ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as cent , city , ice .; I can read “David and the Giant” and tell it back.

12. Recitation

    A Good Play (Robert Louis Stevenson)

    We built a ship upon the stairs
    All made of the back-bedroom chairs,
    And filled it full of sofa pillows
    To go a-sailing on the billows.

    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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
13. Scripture

    Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

    David trusted God, not weapons.

Spread over the week

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

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then New sound: soft c. Finish with a little practice or the game.
2. Session 2. Warm-up, then New sound: soft g. Finish with a little practice or the game.
3. Session 3. Warm-up, then Tap and blend. Finish with a little practice or the game.
4. Session 4. Warm-up, then Spell it. Finish with a little practice or the game.
5. 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.”