Lesson 6.2 eigh, ei and ey

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Three more ways to spell /ā/: eigh (eight, weigh), ei (vein, reins), ey (they, obey, prey).

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: New sound: eigh. Show the card and say: “This says /ā/, as in eight.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /ā/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: ei. Show the card and say: “This says /ā/, as in vein.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /ā/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: ey. Show the card and say: “This says /ā/, as in they.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /ā/ is in the word.

   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: 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.

   New cards:

   • eigh says /ā/, as in eight. Make a sound card: write eigh on the front and draw a eight on the back.
   • ei says /ā/, as in vein. Make a sound card: write ei on the front and draw a vein on the back.
   • ey says /ā/, as in they. Make a sound card: write ey on the front and draw a they on the back.
3. Show how

   Show: Blend eight.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /eigh/ /t/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: eight . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: eight

   Show: Blend weigh.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /w/ /eigh/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: weigh . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: weigh

4. Practice together

   Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: Read: eight · weigh · neighbor · sleigh

   Listen for: eight = eigh | t; weigh = w | eigh; neighbor = n | eigh | b | or; sleigh = s | l | eigh

   Ask: Read: freight · vein · reins · they

   Listen for: freight = f | r | eigh | t; vein = v | ei | n; reins = r | ei | n | s; they = th | ey

   Ask: Read: obey · prey · grey · survey

   Listen for: obey = o | b | ey; prey = p | r | ey; grey = g | r | ey; survey = s | ur | v | ey

   4 more practice items on the lesson page.

5. Watch for
   • 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.
6. Handwriting and copywork
   1. Copy: Thank God.
   2. 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: eight, weigh, neighbor, sleigh, freight, vein.

7. Decodable story: Ten Men Made Well

   Ten Men Made Well

   Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. As He came into a village, ten men stood far off. They had leprosy, and they were not allowed to come close to their neighbors.

   They called out in loud voices, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"

   Jesus said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." They obeyed. And as they went on their way, their skin became clean. All ten were healed!

   One of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back. He praised God with a loud voice and fell down at the feet of Jesus to thank Him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? Where are the other nine?" Then He said to the man, "Rise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." Let us always remember to thank God.

   Retold from Luke 17:11–19. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, Samaria, Galilee, Samaritan, leprosy, priests, loud.

   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.

8. Talk about the story
   1. How many men were healed?
      Answer

      Ten.

   2. What did Jesus tell them to do?
      Answer

      Show themselves to the priests.

   3. How many came back to thank Him?
      Answer

      One, a Samaritan.

   4. What should we remember?
      Answer

      To thank God.

   Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).

9. Read-aloud

   Luke 17:11–19. Read aloud.

   The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.

10. Game: Eight Is Great

    Find eight words with eigh, ei or ey on the cards and read them to someone.

11. Narration

    Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”

    Listen for: I can say /ā/ when I see eigh (as in eight ), and write it.; I can say /ā/ when I see ei (as in vein ), and write it.; I can say /ā/ when I see ey (as in they ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as eight , weigh , neighbor .; I can read “Ten Men Made Well” and tell it back.

12. Recitation

    Foreign Lands (Robert Louis Stevenson)

    Up into the cherry tree
    Who should climb but little me?
    I held the trunk with both my hands
    And looked abroad in foreign lands.

    I saw the next door garden lie,
    Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
    And many pleasant places more
    That I had never seen before.

    This week: Pause at the marks. Stop briefly at every comma and a little longer at every period. Pauses help listeners think.

    • 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.
13. Scripture

    And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

    One man came back to give thanks.

Spread over the week

5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
5. 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.”