Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 7
Lesson 7.4 Unit 7 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 prison , midnight , earthquake . I can read the heart words everyone and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Paul and Silas in Prison” 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 (2:35) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Read fast: nation, vision, picture, nature, about, again, second.
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 prison.
Say this: “Touch and say: /p/ /r/ /i/ /s/ /o/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: prison . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: prison
Show: Blend midnight.
Say this: “Touch and say: /m/ /i/ /d/ /n/ /igh/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: midnight . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: midnight
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: prison · midnight · earthquake · jailer
Listen for: prison = p | r | i | s | o | n; midnight = m | i | d | n | igh | t; earthquake = ear | th | qu | a_e | k; jailer = j | ai | l | er
Ask: Read: salvation · question · nature · mission
Listen for: salvation = s | a | l | v | a | tion; question = qu | e | s | tion; nature = n | a | ture; mission = m | i | s | sion
Ask: Read: celebration
Listen for: celebration = c | e | l | e | b | r | a | tion
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: nation, picture, about, vision.
- 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: prison, midnight, earthquake, jailer, salvation, question.
Word Sounds Heart part everyone /ĕ/ /v/ /r/ /ē/ /w/ /ŭ/ /n/ ♥ every + one Paul and Silas in Prison
In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison for preaching about Jesus. The jailer put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns to God, and the other prisoners listened. Suddenly there was a great earthquake! The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains fell off.
The jailer woke up. When he saw the open doors, he was sure all the prisoners had run away. He drew his sword to kill himself. But Paul cried out, "Do not hurt yourself! We are all here!"
The jailer ran in, shaking, and fell down before Paul and Silas. "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." That very night the jailer and all his family believed and were baptized, and there was great celebration in his house.
Retold from Acts 16:16–34. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Paul, Silas, Philippi, Jesus, prison, jailer, earthquake, beaten, sword, stocks, thou, thy.
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.
- Why were Paul and Silas in prison?
Answer
For preaching about Jesus.
- What did they do at midnight?
Answer
Prayed and sang hymns.
- What happened next?
Answer
An earthquake opened the doors and loosed the chains.
- What did the jailer ask?
Answer
"What must I do to be saved?"
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Why were Paul and Silas in prison?
Acts 16:16–34. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Bingo with -tion, -sion, -ture and schwa 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 prison , midnight , earthquake .; I can read the heart words everyone and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Paul and Silas in Prison” and tell it back.
The Wind (Robert Louis Stevenson)
I saw you toss the kites on high
And blow the birds about the sky;
And all around I heard you pass,
Like ladies' skirts across the grass—
O wind, a-blowing all day long,
O wind, that sings so loud a song!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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The way to be saved.
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.”