Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 5
Lesson 5.3 -er and -est; the Doubling Rule
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 bigger , biggest , hotter . I can read the heart words shoe and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Oak and the Reeds” 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 (3:00) and an explainer to read aloud (about 7 minutes))
Steps
Do this: One vowel, one consonant at the end of a short word? Double the consonant before adding -er or -est: big, bigger, biggest. Otherwise just add: tall, taller, tallest.
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 bigger.
Say this: “Touch and say: /b/ /i/ /g/ /g/ /er/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: bigger . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: bigger
Show: Blend biggest.
Say this: “Touch and say: /b/ /i/ /g/ /g/ /e/ /s/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: biggest . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: biggest
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: bigger · biggest · hotter · hottest
Listen for: bigger = b | i | g | g | er; biggest = b | i | g | g | e | s | t; hotter = h | o | t | t | er; hottest = h | o | t | t | e | s | t
Ask: Read: taller · tallest · stronger · strongest
Listen for: taller = t | all | er; tallest = t | all | e | s | t; stronger = s | t | r | o | ng | er; strongest = s | t | r | o | ng | e | s | t
Ask: Read: thinner · flattest
Listen for: thinner = th | i | n | n | er; flattest = f | l | a | t | t | e | s | 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: God giveth grace unto the humble.
- 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: bigger, biggest, hotter, hottest, taller, tallest.
Word Sounds Heart part shoe /sh/ /oo/ ♥ oe says /oo/ The Oak and the Reeds
A big oak tree stood by a river. It was the tallest and strongest tree in the woods. Down by the water grew thin, green reeds.
"Look at me," said the oak. "I am bigger and stronger than all of you. When the wind blows, you bend and bow. I stand tall."
One night the biggest storm of the summer came. The wind howled. The reeds bent low, flat to the ground, and let the wind rush over them. But the oak stood stiff and would not bend.
Crack! The great oak was torn up by its roots and thrown into the river. In the morning the little reeds stood up again, safe and green. It is better to bend than to break. God helps the humble.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: reeds, storm.
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 oak boast about?
Answer
Being bigger and stronger than the reeds.
- What did the reeds do in the storm?
Answer
Bent low and let the wind pass.
- What happened to the oak?
Answer
It was torn up and thrown into the river.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
It is better to bend (be humble) than to break.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the oak boast about?
Aesop: The Oak and the Reeds. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read a base word. Your child says "double" or "just add" and writes the -er and -est forms.
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 bigger , biggest , hotter .; I can read the heart words shoe and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Oak and the Reeds” and tell it back.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
This week: Steady pace. Do not race. Take a breath at the end of each line, then go on.
- 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.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
God helps the humble.
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.”