Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 3
Lesson 3.4 Unit 3 Check
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 eagle , tortoise , turtle . I can read the heart words machine and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Tortoise and the Eagle” 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 a short video (4:08) and an explainer to read aloud (about 9 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Split and read: raincoat, garden, table, peacock, thunder, candle.
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 eagle.
Say this: “Touch and say: /ea/ /g/ /le/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: eagle . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: eagle
Show: Blend tortoise.
Say this: “Touch and say: /t/ /or/ /t/ /oi/ /s/ /e/ (heart part: oise says /əs/, /tor-təs/).”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: tortoise . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: tortoise
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: eagle · tortoise · turtle · nimble
Listen for: eagle = ea | g | le; tortoise = t | or | t | oi | s | e (heart part: oise says /əs/, /tor-təs/); turtle = t | ur | t | le; nimble = n | i | m | b | le
Ask: Read: feather · boulder · trouble · ripple
Listen for: feather = f | ea | th | er; boulder = b | ou | l | d | er; trouble = t | r | ou | b | le; ripple = r | i | p | p | le
Ask: Read: purple · target
Listen for: purple = p | ur | p | le; target = t | ar | g | e | t
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.
- Dictation: table, garden, raincoat, little.
- 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: eagle, tortoise, turtle, nimble, feather, boulder.
Word Sounds Heart part machine /m/ /ŭ/ /sh/ /ē/ /n/ ♥ ch says /sh/; i says /ē/ The Tortoise and the Eagle
A tortoise lay in the sun, grumbling. "I am tired of crawling. I want to fly like the birds."
An eagle flew down. "I can take you up into the sky," said the eagle. "But you will not like it." "I will!" said the tortoise. "Take me up!"
So the eagle picked up the tortoise in his strong talons and flew high over the hills. "Now fly!" said the eagle, and he let go.
The tortoise fell down, down, down, and landed on a hard rock with a thud. His shell was cracked, but he was alive. "I should have been happy as a tortoise," he said, as he crawled slowly home. Be content with the gifts God gave you.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: tortoise, eagle.
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 tortoise want?
Answer
To fly.
- Who took him up?
Answer
An eagle.
- What happened when the eagle let go?
Answer
He fell onto a rock and cracked his shell.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Be content with the gifts God gave you.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the tortoise want?
Aesop: The Tortoise and the Birds. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Bingo with closed, open, silent-e, vowel-team, r-controlled and -le words.
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 eagle , tortoise , turtle .; I can read the heart words machine and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Tortoise and the Eagle” and tell it back.
Let Dogs Delight to Bark and Bite (Isaac Watts)
Let dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God hath made them so;
Let bears and lions growl and fight,
For ’tis their nature too.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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
God made you just as He planned.
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.”