Parent guide · Grade 1 Phonics & Reading: Long Vowels and Many Words · Unit 8
Lesson 8.3 kn, wr and mb
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 /n/ when I see kn (as in knot ), and write it. I can say /r/ when I see wr (as in wrap ), and write it. I can say /m/ when I see mb (as in lamb ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as knot , knee , knit . I can read “The Wolf and the Lamb” 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 (7:41) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Silent letters: kn says /n/ (knot), wr says /r/ (wrap), mb says /m/ (lamb).
Do this: New sound: kn. Show the card and say: “This says /n/, as in knot.” 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 /n/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: wr. Show the card and say: “This says /r/, as in wrap.” 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 /r/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: mb. Show the card and say: “This says /m/, as in lamb.” 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 /m/ 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:
- kn says /n/, as in knot. Make a sound card: write kn on the front and draw a knot on the back.
- wr says /r/, as in wrap. Make a sound card: write wr on the front and draw a wrap on the back.
- mb says /m/, as in lamb. Make a sound card: write mb on the front and draw a lamb on the back.
Show: Blend knot.
Say this: “Touch and say: /kn/ /o/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: knot . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: knot
Show: Blend knee.
Say this: “Touch and say: /kn/ /ee/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: knee . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: knee
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: knot · knee · knit · know
Listen for: knot = kn | o | t; knee = kn | ee; knit = kn | i | t; know = kn | ow
Ask: Read: wrap · write · wrong · wren
Listen for: wrap = wr | a | p; write = wr | i_e | t; wrong = wr | o | ng; wren = wr | e | n
Ask: Read: lamb · climb · thumb · comb
Listen for: lamb = l | a | mb; climb = c | l | i | mb; thumb = th | u | mb; comb = c | o | mb
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Saying two letters of a digraph separately (s-h instead of /sh/). Underline the two letters together; they make one sound.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: God sees.
- 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: knot, knee, knit, know, wrap, write.
The Wolf and the Lamb
A lamb was drinking at a stream. A wolf came by. He wanted a meal, but he wanted a reason.
"You are making my water muddy!" said the wolf. The lamb said, "Sir, I am down the stream from you. The water runs from you to me."
The wolf knew he was wrong. "Then last spring you said wrong things to me!" "Sir, I was not born last spring."
"Then it was your dad!" said the wolf, and he snapped up the lamb. A bad man will find a reason to do wrong. But God sees, and God is the judge.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: reason, things.
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.
- What did the wolf say the lamb was doing?
Answer
Making the water muddy.
- Why was that not true?
Answer
The lamb was downstream.
- Did the wolf care about the truth?
Answer
No; he only wanted an excuse.
- Who sees all wrong and will judge?
Answer
God.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the wolf say the lamb was doing?
Aesop: The Wolf and the Lamb. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Cross out the silent letter in each card: knot, wrap, lamb. Read the word.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /n/ when I see kn (as in knot ), and write it.; I can say /r/ when I see wr (as in wrap ), and write it.; I can say /m/ when I see mb (as in lamb ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as knot , knee , knit .; I can read “The Wolf and the Lamb” and tell it back.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
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.
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
God is a fair judge.
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.”