Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 2
Lesson 2.1 Closed Syllables
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 tap and blend words such as rabbit , napkin , sunset . I can read the heart words nothing and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Elijah and the Ravens” and tell it back.
- You need
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: A closed syllable ends with a consonant, and its vowel is short: rab-bit, nap-kin, sun-set. Clap and say each part.
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.
Show: Blend rabbit.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /a/ /b/ /b/ /i/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: rabbit . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: rabbit
Show: Blend napkin.
Say this: “Touch and say: /n/ /a/ /p/ /k/ /i/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: napkin . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: napkin
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: rabbit · napkin · sunset · muffin
Listen for: rabbit = r | a | b | b | i | t; napkin = n | a | p | k | i | n; sunset = s | u | n | s | e | t; muffin = m | u | ff | i | n
Ask: Read: basket · insect · problem · goblin
Listen for: basket = b | a | s | k | e | t; insect = i | n | s | e | c | t; problem = p | r | o | b | l | e | m; goblin = g | o | b | l | i | n
Ask: Read: kitten · button
Listen for: kitten = k | i | t | t | e | n; button = b | u | t | t | o | n
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Trying to read a long word all at once. Find the vowels, split the word into syllables, read each part, then put it together.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: God fed Elijah.
- 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: rabbit, napkin, sunset, muffin, basket, insect.
Word Sounds Heart part nothing /n/ /ŭ/ /th/ /ĭ/ /ng/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ Elijah and the Ravens
Ahab was a wicked king. He did not follow God. So God sent His prophet Elijah to tell him, "There will be no rain in the land until I say so."
Then God told Elijah, "Go and hide by the brook Cherith. You can drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
So Elijah did as God said. Each morning and each evening the ravens came flapping down with bread and meat in their beaks. Elijah drank from the brook.
No one in the land had rain, but God did not forget Elijah. The ravens never missed a meal. God looks after His people, even with birds.
Retold from 1 Kings 17:1–7. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Elijah, Ahab, Cherith, Israel, ravens, brook, prophet.
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 Elijah tell King Ahab?
Answer
There would be no rain until God said so.
- Where did God send Elijah?
Answer
To the brook Cherith.
- What did the ravens bring?
Answer
Bread and meat, morning and evening.
- What does this teach about God?
Answer
He takes care of His people.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did Elijah tell King Ahab?
1 Kings 17:1–16. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Write two-syllable words on strips. Cut each one between the syllables, mix them up, and match them again.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can tap and blend words such as rabbit , napkin , sunset .; I can read the heart words nothing and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Elijah and the Ravens” and tell it back.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
This week: Big voice. Speak so a person at the back of the room hears every word. Big, not shouting: fill the room, do not scream.
- 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.
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
God fed Elijah through the ravens.
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.”