Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 8
Lesson 8.3 Special Plurals
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 wolves , leaves , loaves . I can read the heart words wolves and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Wolves and the Sheepdogs” 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: Some plurals are special: wolf → wolves, leaf → leaves, loaf → loaves, knife → knives; man → men, child → children, foot → feet, tooth → teeth, mouse → mice, sheep → sheep.
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 wolves.
Say this: “Touch and say: /w/ /o/ /l/ /v/ /e/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: wolves . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: wolves
Show: Blend leaves.
Say this: “Touch and say: /l/ /ea/ /v/ /e/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: leaves . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: leaves
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: wolves · leaves · loaves · knives
Listen for: wolves = w | o | l | v | e | s; leaves = l | ea | v | e | s; loaves = l | oa | v | e | s; knives = kn | i_e | v | s
Ask: Read: halves · men · women · children
Listen for: halves = h | al | v | e | s (heart part: the l is silent); men = m | e | n; women = w | o | m | e | n; children = ch | i | l | d | r | e | n
Ask: Read: feet · teeth · mice · geese
Listen for: feet = f | ee | t; teeth = t | ee | th; mice = m | i_e | c; geese = g | ee | s | e (the final e is silent)
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: The LORD is my shepherd.
- 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: wolves, leaves, loaves, knives, halves, men.
Word Sounds Heart part wolves /w/ /ŏŏ/ /l/ /v/ /z/ ♥ o says /ŏŏ/ The Wolves and the Sheepdogs
A flock of sheep lived on the hillside with their shepherd and his faithful sheepdogs. The wolves wanted to eat the sheep, but the dogs kept them safe.
So the wolves came to the sheep with smiles on their faces. "Why should we always fight?" they said. "It is all the fault of those dogs. They bark at us and make us angry. Send the dogs away, and we will live in peace with you forever."
The sheep were foolish. They believed the wolves and sent their faithful dogs away.
That very night the wolves came back. With no dogs to stop them, the wolves ate the sheep one by one. Do not give up the friends who keep you safe because an enemy speaks sweet words.
Retold from Aesop, The Wolves and the Sheep. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: sheepdogs, peace, treaty, alone.
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 kept the sheep safe?
Answer
The sheepdogs.
- What did the wolves tell the sheep to do?
Answer
Send the dogs away.
- What happened when the sheep obeyed the wolves?
Answer
The wolves ate them.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Do not give up faithful protectors because an enemy speaks sweetly.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who kept the sheep safe?
Aesop: The Wolves and the Sheep. Read the original.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Match each singular card to its special plural: wolf/wolves, child/children, foot/feet.
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 wolves , leaves , loaves .; I can read the heart words wolves and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Wolves and the Sheepdogs” and tell it back.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
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.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
The Good Shepherd keeps us safe.
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.”