Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 2
Lesson 2.2 Open 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 baby , robot , music . I can read the heart words month and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Hannah’s Prayer” 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: An open syllable ends with a vowel, and the vowel says its name: ro-bot, ba-by, mu-sic, ti-ger. Try long first (V/CV).
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 baby.
Say this: “Touch and say: /b/ /a/ /b/ /y/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: baby . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: baby
Show: Blend robot.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /o/ /b/ /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: robot . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: robot
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: baby · robot · music · tiger
Listen for: baby = b | a | b | y; robot = r | o | b | o | t; music = m | u | s | i | c; tiger = t | i | g | er
Ask: Read: paper · open · even · silent
Listen for: paper = p | a | p | er; open = o | p | e | n; even = e | v | e | n; silent = s | i | l | e | n | t
Ask: Read: pilot · zero
Listen for: pilot = p | i | l | o | t; zero = z | e | r | o
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: For this child I prayed.
- 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: baby, robot, music, tiger, paper, open.
Word Sounds Heart part month /m/ /ŭ/ /n/ /th/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ Hannah’s Prayer
Hannah was sad. She had no baby, and she cried and cried. Her husband Elkanah said, "Am I not better to you than ten sons?" But Hannah still was sad.
At the house of God in Shiloh, Hannah prayed silently. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. "O LORD, if You will give me a son, I will give him back to You all his life."
Eli the priest saw her and said, "Go in peace. May God give you what you asked." Hannah was not sad any more.
In time, God gave Hannah a baby boy. She named him Samuel, which means “asked of God.” When he was old enough, she took him to Eli to serve God, just as she had promised.
Retold from 1 Samuel 1. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Hannah, Eli, Samuel, Elkanah, Shiloh, prayer, temple.
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.
- Why was Hannah sad?
Answer
She had no children.
- What did she promise God?
Answer
To give her son back to serve Him.
- What does the name Samuel mean?
Answer
Asked of God.
- Did Hannah keep her promise?
Answer
Yes; she took Samuel to serve at the house of God.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Why was Hannah sad?
1 Samuel 1:9–28. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read a two-syllable word. Hold your hand open for an open first syllable (ro-bot), make a fist for a closed one (rab-bit).
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 baby , robot , music .; I can read the heart words month and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Hannah’s Prayer” and tell it back.
He Prayeth Best (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things, both great and small:
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
God heard Hannah’s prayer.
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.”