Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 7
Lesson 7.3 The Schwa
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 about , ago , again . I can read the heart words another and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Crow and the Pitcher” and tell it back.
- You need
- Counters (dried beans, buttons or pebbles)
- 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 9 minutes))
Steps
Do this: In many long words, one vowel gets lazy and says /ŭ/: a-bout, a-go, sec-ond, wag-on, ba-na-na, lem-on. This lazy sound is called schwa.
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 about.
Say this: “Touch and say: /a/ /b/ /ou/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: about . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: about
Show: Blend ago.
Say this: “Touch and say: /a/ /g/ /o/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: ago . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: ago
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: about · ago · again · around
Listen for: about = a | b | ou | t; ago = a | g | o; again = a | g | ai | n; around = ar | ou | n | d
Ask: Read: second · wagon · banana · lemon
Listen for: second = s | e | c | o | n | d; wagon = w | a | g | o | n; banana = b | a | n | a | n | a; lemon = l | e | m | o | n
Ask: Read: pencil · problem
Listen for: pencil = p | e | n | c | i | l; problem = p | r | o | b | l | e | m
3 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: Little by little does the trick.
- 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: about, ago, again, around, second, wagon.
Word Sounds Heart part another /ŭ/ /n/ /ŭ/ /th/ /er/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ The Crow and the Pitcher
On a hot summer day a crow was so thirsty she could hardly fly. At last she found a pitcher with a little water in it.
But the pitcher was tall, and the water was at the bottom. The crow put her beak in as far as it would go. She could not reach the water!
She tried to tip the pitcher over, but it was too heavy. Then she had an idea. She picked up a pebble and dropped it in. Then another, and another.
With each pebble the water rose a little higher. At last it came up to the top, and the crow drank and drank. Little by little does the trick. Keep thinking, and do not give up.
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: thirsty, pebble, pebbles, pitcher.
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 crow need?
Answer
Water.
- Why could she not drink?
Answer
The water was too low in the tall pitcher.
- What did she drop in?
Answer
Pebbles.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Little by little does the trick; think and do not give up.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the crow need?
Aesop: The Crow and the Pitcher. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read each word and circle the vowel that says /ŭ/.
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 about , ago , again .; I can read the heart words another and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Crow and the Pitcher” and tell it back.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
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.
A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
Wisdom makes us strong.
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.”