Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 4
Lesson 4.1 VC/V: When the First Vowel Is Short
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 cabin , river , seven . I can read the heart words wash and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Naaman in the River” 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 (6:05) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Try long first (ro-bot). If it does not sound like a real word, move the line and make it short: cab-in, riv-er, sev-en, lem-on.
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 cabin.
Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /a/ /b/ /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: cabin . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: cabin
Show: Blend river.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /i/ /v/ /er/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: river . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: river
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: cabin · river · seven · robin
Listen for: cabin = c | a | b | i | n; river = r | i | v | er; seven = s | e | v | e | n; robin = r | o | b | i | n
Ask: Read: lemon · never · visit · planet
Listen for: lemon = l | e | m | o | n; never = n | e | v | er; visit = v | i | s | i | t; planet = p | l | a | n | e | t
Ask: Read: shiver · finish
Listen for: shiver = sh | i | v | er; finish = f | i | n | i | sh
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: Naaman dipped seven times.
- 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: cabin, river, seven, robin, lemon, never.
Word Sounds Heart part wash /w/ /ŏ/ /sh/ ♥ a says /ŏ/ after w Naaman in the River
Naaman was a great captain in Syria, but he was sick with leprosy. His skin was covered in sores.
A little girl from Israel served his wife. "If only my master could visit the prophet in Israel!" she said. "He could heal him."
So Naaman went to the home of Elisha with his horses and his chariot. Elisha did not even come out. He sent a servant to say, "Go and wash in the river Jordan seven times." Naaman was angry. "Our rivers at home are better!" And he turned away.
But his servants said, "If he told you to do a hard thing, would you not do it? He only said, Wash." So Naaman went down and dipped in the river Jordan seven times. His skin became like the skin of a little child! "Now I know," said Naaman, "that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel."
Retold from 2 Kings 5. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Naaman, Syria, Israel, Elisha, Jordan, servant, leprosy, girl, 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 was wrong with Naaman?
Answer
He had leprosy.
- Who told him about the prophet?
Answer
A little servant girl from Israel.
- What did Elisha tell him to do?
Answer
Wash in the Jordan seven times.
- What did Naaman learn?
Answer
There is no God in all the earth but the God of Israel.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What was wrong with Naaman?
2 Kings 5:1–15. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read each word long first, then short. Which one is the real 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 cabin , river , seven .; I can read the heart words wash and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Naaman in the River” and tell it back.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This week: Eyes up. Look at your listeners, not the floor. Pick three faces (left, middle, right) and give each one a line.
- 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.
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
Naaman obeyed and was healed.
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.”