Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 6
Lesson 6.4 Unit 6 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 queen , palace , golden . I can read the heart words heard and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Esther the Brave Queen” 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 (3:07) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Read fast: phone, laugh, eight, they, vein, chair, care, bear, deer, hear.
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 queen.
Say this: “Touch and say: /qu/ /ee/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: queen . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: queen
Show: Blend palace.
Say this: “Touch and say: /p/ /a/ /l/ /a/ /c/ /e/ (the second a says a quick /ə/; c says /s/ before e; the final e is silent).”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: palace . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: palace
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: queen · palace · golden · scepter
Listen for: queen = qu | ee | n; palace = p | a | l | a | c | e (the second a says a quick /ə/; c says /s/ before e; the final e is silent); golden = g | o | l | d | e | n; scepter = sc | e | p | t | er (sc says /s/)
Ask: Read: decree · fasted · Persia · orphan
Listen for: decree = d | e | c | r | ee; fasted = f | a | s | t | e | d; Persia = p | er | si | a (si says /zh/); orphan = or | ph | a | n
Ask: Read: prepare · feared
Listen for: prepare = p | r | e | p | are; feared = f | ear | e | d
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: phone, eight, they, chair, near.
- 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: queen, palace, golden, scepter, decree, fasted.
Word Sounds Heart part heard /h/ /er/ /d/ ♥ ear says /er/ Esther the Brave Queen
Esther was a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai. She was so lovely that the king of Persia chose her to be his queen.
A wicked man named Haman hated Mordecai, because Mordecai would not bow down to him. So Haman tricked the king into making a law: on one day, all the Jews in the kingdom would be killed.
Mordecai sent word to Esther. "You must go to the king and beg for your people. Who knows? Perhaps you became queen for such a time as this." But no one could go to the king without being called. If he did not hold out his golden scepter, that person would die.
Esther and all the Jews fasted and prayed for three days. Then she put on her royal robes and went in. The king held out the golden scepter! At a feast, Esther told the king about Haman’s plan. The king was furious with Haman, and the Jews were saved. God had put Esther there to save His people.
Retold from the book of Esther. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Esther, Mordecai, Haman, Persia, Xerxes, queen, palace, scepter, decree, fasted, pray, die, perish, such.
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.
- Who raised Esther?
Answer
Her cousin Mordecai.
- What was Haman’s plan?
Answer
To kill all the Jews.
- Why was it dangerous for Esther to go to the king?
Answer
Anyone who came without being called could be killed.
- What did Mordecai say?
Answer
Perhaps you became queen for such a time as this.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who raised Esther?
Esther 4–7 (told or read in parts). Read Esther 4:13–16 aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Bingo with ph, gh, eigh, ei, ey, air, are, ear and eer 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 queen , palace , golden .; I can read the heart words heard and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Esther the Brave Queen” and tell it back.
My Heart Leaps Up (William Wordsworth)
My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky;
So was it when my life began,
So is it now I am a man,
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The child is father of the man;
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.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.
and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
God places us where He wants us.
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.”