Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 8
Lesson 8.1 Homophones
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 sea , see , son . I can read the heart words their , there and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Boy Jesus in the Temple” 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 an explainer to read aloud (about 9 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently and mean different things: there/their/they’re, to/two/too, sea/see, son/sun, knew/new.
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 sea.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /ea/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: sea . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: sea
Show: Blend see.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /ee/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: see . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: see
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: sea · see · son · sun
Listen for: sea = s | ea; see = s | ee; son = s | o | n; sun = s | u | n
Ask: Read: knew · new · road · rode
Listen for: knew = kn | ew; new = n | ew; road = r | oa | d; rode = r | o_e | d
Ask: Read: tail · tale · meet · meat
Listen for: tail = t | ai | l; tale = t | a_e | l; meet = m | ee | t; meat = m | ea | t
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: Jesus increased in wisdom.
- 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: sea, see, son, sun, knew, new.
Word Sounds Heart part their /th/ /air/ ♥ eir says /air/ there /th/ /air/ ♥ ere says /air/ The Boy Jesus in the Temple
Every year Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When Jesus was twelve years old, He went with them.
When the feast was over, they started home with a big group of friends and family. They believed Jesus was with the others. But Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem!
After a day on the road, they could not find Him. They hurried back and looked for three days. At last they found Him in the temple, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Everyone was astonished at His understanding and His answers.
"Son, why have You done this?" said Mary. "We have been looking for You!" Jesus said, "Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?" Then He went home to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Retold from Luke 2:41–52. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Jerusalem, Passover, Nazareth, twelve, temple, teachers, understanding, answers, astonished, obedient.
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.
- How old was Jesus?
Answer
Twelve.
- Where did they find Him?
Answer
In the temple with the teachers.
- What did Jesus say?
Answer
I must be about My Father’s business.
- How did Jesus grow?
Answer
In wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- How old was Jesus?
Luke 2:41–52. Read aloud.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Match pairs (sea/see, son/sun, road/rode). Use each in a sentence.
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 sea , see , son .; I can read the heart words their , there and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Boy Jesus in the Temple” and tell it back.
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
This week: Begin and end well. Say the title and author (or the Bible reference) first. At the end, pause, then say “thank you” and sit down.
- 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.
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
Jesus grew up obeying His parents.
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.”