Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 3
Lesson 3.1 Vowel-Team 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 raincoat , seaweed , playground . I can read the heart words cousin and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Peacock and the Crane” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few cups
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (8:14) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: A vowel-team syllable has two letters working together: rain-coat, sea-weed, play-ground, oat-meal.
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 raincoat.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /ai/ /n/ /c/ /oa/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: raincoat . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: raincoat
Show: Blend seaweed.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /ea/ /w/ /ee/ /d/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: seaweed . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: seaweed
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: raincoat · seaweed · playground · oatmeal
Listen for: raincoat = r | ai | n | c | oa | t; seaweed = s | ea | w | ee | d; playground = p | l | ay | g | r | ou | n | d; oatmeal = oa | t | m | ea | l
Ask: Read: daydream · peacock · railroad · sixteen
Listen for: daydream = d | ay | d | r | ea | m; peacock = p | ea | c | o | ck; railroad = r | ai | l | r | oa | d; sixteen = s | i | x | t | ee | n
Ask: Read: cartoon · mailbox
Listen for: cartoon = c | ar | t | oo | n; mailbox = m | ai | l | b | o | x
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: The LORD looketh on the heart.
- 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: raincoat, seaweed, playground, oatmeal, daydream, peacock.
Word Sounds Heart part cousin /k/ /ŭ/ /z/ /ĭ/ /n/ ♥ ou says /ŭ/; s says /z/ The Peacock and the Crane
A peacock spread out his tail in the sunshine. Each feather gleamed with green and blue and gold.
A gray crane walked by. The peacock mocked her. "Look at my fine tail! Your feathers are so dull and plain. You look like a mud spot next to me."
The crane said nothing. She spread her wide wings and flew up, up, up, high over the treetops and into the clouds.
From the sky she called down, "Your tail is fine, but you cannot fly with it! I would rather have plain wings that lift me to the sky." Fine feathers do not make fine birds.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: peacock, crane, feathers.
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 was the peacock proud of?
Answer
His beautiful tail.
- What did he say to the crane?
Answer
That her feathers were dull and plain.
- What could the crane do that the peacock could not?
Answer
Fly high.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Fine looks are not as important as what you can do; do not be proud.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What was the peacock proud of?
Aesop: The Peacock and the Crane. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Underline the vowel team in each syllable before reading the word.
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 raincoat , seaweed , playground .; I can read the heart words cousin and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Peacock and the Crane” and tell it back.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
This week: Clear words. Say every ending sound: the t, the d, the s. Open your mouth wider than feels normal.
- 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.
for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
God looks at the heart.
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.”