Lesson 7.1 -tion and -sion

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: -tion says /shŭn/: nation, action, station. -sion says /shŭn/ (mission) or /zhŭn/ (vision).

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: New sound: tion. Show the card and say: “This says /shun/, as in nation.” 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 /shun/ is in the word.

   Do this: New sound: sion. Show the card and say: “This says /shun/ or /zhun/, as in mission, vision.” 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 /shun/ or /zhun/ 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: 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.

   New cards:

   • tion says /shun/, as in nation. Make a sound card: write tion on the front and draw a nation on the back.
   • sion says /shun/ or /zhun/, as in mission, vision. Make a sound card: write sion on the front and draw a mission on the back.
3. Show how

   Show: Blend nation.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /n/ /a/ /tion/.”

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

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

   Answer: nation

   Show: Blend action.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /a/ /c/ /tion/.”

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

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

   Answer: action

4. Practice together

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

   Ask: Read: nation · action · station · motion

   Listen for: nation = n | a | tion; action = a | c | tion; station = s | t | a | tion; motion = m | o | tion

   Ask: Read: mention · question · mission · vision

   Listen for: mention = m | e | n | tion; question = qu | e | s | tion; mission = m | i | s | sion; vision = v | i | sion

   Ask: Read: television · division

   Listen for: television = t | e | l | e | v | i | sion; division = d | i | v | i | sion

   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: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.
   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: nation, action, station, motion, mention, question.

7. Heart words this week

   Word	Sounds	Heart part
   world	/w/ /er/ /l/ /d/	♥ or says /er/ after w

8. Decodable story: Go to All Nations

   Go to All Nations

   After Jesus rose from the dead, He met His disciples on a mountain in Galilee. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him.

   Jesus gave them a mission. "All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go and teach all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teach them to keep all that I have commanded you. And I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

   Forty days after He rose, Jesus led them out near Jerusalem. "You will be My witnesses," He said, "in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

   Then, as they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. Two men in white stood by them. "Why do you stand gazing up? This same Jesus will come again in the same way." The disciples went back with great joy, ready for their mission.

   Retold from Matthew 28:16–20 and Acts 1:6–11. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, Galilee, Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, disciples, baptizing, commanded, mountain, Ghost, witnesses, cloud.

   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.

9. Talk about the story
   1. What mission did Jesus give?
      Answer

      Go and teach all nations and baptize them.

   2. What promise did He make?
      Answer

      I am with you always.

   3. What happened as they watched?
      Answer

      He was taken up into a cloud.

   4. What did the two men say?
      Answer

      Jesus will come again the same way.

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

10. Read-aloud

    Matthew 28:16–20 and Acts 1:6–11. Read aloud.

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

11. Game: Station to Station

    Set up five "stations" around the house, each with a -tion or -sion word. Walk to each station and read it.

12. Narration

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

    Listen for: I can say /shun/ when I see tion (as in nation ), and write it.; I can say /shun/ or /zhun/ when I see sion (as in mission, vision ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as nation , action , station .; I can read the heart words world and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Go to All Nations” and tell it back.

13. Recitation

    All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

    This week: Expression. Let your voice show what the words mean: glad words sound glad, quiet words sound quiet.

    • 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.
14. Scripture

    Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

    The Great Commission.

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.”