Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 4
Lesson 4.2 Three Consonants in the Middle: VCCCV
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 hundred , children , pilgrim . I can read the heart words country and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Pilgrims Give Thanks” and tell it back.
- You need
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- A small whiteboard or a tray of salt or sand
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (9:14) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Keep the blend or digraph together: hun-dred, chil-dren, pil-grim, mon-ster, king-dom, sand-wich.
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 hundred.
Say this: “Touch and say: /h/ /u/ /n/ /d/ /r/ /e/ /d/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: hundred . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: hundred
Show: Blend children.
Say this: “Touch and say: /ch/ /i/ /l/ /d/ /r/ /e/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: children . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: children
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: hundred · children · pilgrim · monster
Listen for: hundred = h | u | n | d | r | e | d; children = ch | i | l | d | r | e | n; pilgrim = p | i | l | g | r | i | m; monster = m | o | n | s | t | er
Ask: Read: kingdom · sandwich · instruct · complete
Listen for: kingdom = k | i | ng | d | o | m; sandwich = s | a | n | d | w | i | ch; instruct = i | n | s | t | r | u | c | t; complete = c | o | m | p | l | e_e | t
Ask: Read: pumpkin · athlete
Listen for: pumpkin = p | u | m | p | k | i | n; athlete = a | th | l | e_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.
- Copy: O give thanks unto the LORD.
- 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: hundred, children, pilgrim, monster, kingdom, sandwich.
Word Sounds Heart part country /k/ /ŭ/ /n/ /t/ /r/ /ē/ ♥ ou says /ŭ/ The Pilgrims Give Thanks
In sixteen hundred and twenty, about a hundred people sailed from England on a little ship called the Mayflower. Many of them were Pilgrims who wanted to worship God freely.
The trip across the sea took more than two months. The waves were huge and the ship was crowded. At last they landed at a place they named Plymouth. But the first winter was hard and cold, and about half of them died.
In the spring, a man named Squanto came to help them. He spoke English, and he showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn with a fish in each hill to feed the soil. He showed them where to catch fish and eels.
That fall the harvest was good. Governor William Bradford set a time to give thanks. The Pilgrims and Chief Massasoit and his men had a feast together for three days. They thanked God, who had kept them through the hard winter.
A true story from history (1620–1621). Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Mayflower, Plymouth, Squanto, England, America, Massasoit, William, Bradford, pilgrims, sixteen, twenty, winter, harvest, feast.
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 name of the Pilgrims’ ship?
Answer
The Mayflower.
- Why was the first winter so hard?
Answer
It was cold, there was little food, and many got sick and died.
- How did Squanto help?
Answer
He showed them how to plant corn and catch fish.
- Whom did the Pilgrims thank?
Answer
God.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What was the name of the Pilgrims’ ship?
Of Plymouth Plantation (selections, read by a parent). William Bradford’s own account. Read a short part about the first harvest, or simply retell it.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Find the blend or digraph in each word before you split it: hun-dred (dr), chil-dren (dr), king-dom (ng).
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 hundred , children , pilgrim .; I can read the heart words country and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Pilgrims Give Thanks” and tell it back.
Windy Nights (Robert Louis Stevenson)
Whenever the moon and stars are set,
Whenever the wind is high,
All night long in the dark and wet,
A man goes riding by.
Late in the night when the fires are out,
Why does he gallop and gallop about?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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Give thanks to God in every season.
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.”