Parent guide · Grade 2 Phonics & Reading: Syllables and Stories · Unit 8
Lesson 8.4 Unit 8 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 Lazarus , Bethany , sisters . I can read the heart words front and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Jesus Raises Lazarus” 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 (5:07) and an explainer to read aloud (about 9 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Read fast: thought, through, enough, wolves, children, there, their, sea, see.
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 Lazarus.
Say this: “Touch and say: /l/ /a/ /z/ /ar/ /u/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: Lazarus . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: Lazarus
Show: Blend Bethany.
Say this: “Touch and say: /b/ /e/ /th/ /a/ /n/ /y/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: Bethany . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: Bethany
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: Lazarus · Bethany · sisters · tomb
Listen for: Lazarus = l | a | z | ar | u | s; Bethany = b | e | th | a | n | y; sisters = s | i | s | t | er | s; tomb = t | o | mb
Ask: Read: believe · wept · stone · thought
Listen for: believe = b | e | l | ie | v | e (English words do not end in v, so an e is added; it is silent); wept = w | e | p | t; stone = s | t | o_e | n; thought = th | ough | t
Ask: Read: through · brought
Listen for: through = th | r | ough; brought = b | r | ough | 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.
- Dictation: thought, through, wolves, their.
- 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: Lazarus, Bethany, sisters, tomb, believe, wept.
Word Sounds Heart part front /f/ /r/ /ŭ/ /n/ /t/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ Jesus Raises Lazarus
Lazarus lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. Jesus loved them all. One day Lazarus became very sick, and the sisters sent word to Jesus.
By the time Jesus came, Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days. Martha ran out to meet Him. "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus said, "I am the resurrection, and the life. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she said. "I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God."
When Jesus saw Mary and the others crying, He was troubled, and Jesus wept. They brought Him to the tomb, a cave with a stone in front of it. "Take away the stone," said Jesus. Then He prayed and cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"
And Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in grave-clothes! "Loose him, and let him go," said Jesus. Many who saw it believed in Him. Jesus has power even over death.
Retold from John 11. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Jesus, Lazarus, Mary, Martha, Bethany, tomb, resurrection, grave, grave-clothes, forth.
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 were Lazarus’ sisters?
Answer
Mary and Martha.
- How long had Lazarus been dead?
Answer
Four days.
- What did Jesus say to Martha?
Answer
I am the resurrection, and the life.
- What did Jesus shout at the tomb?
Answer
"Lazarus, come forth!"
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who were Lazarus’ sisters?
John 11:1–44. Read aloud over two days.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Bingo with homophones, ough words and special plurals.
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 Lazarus , Bethany , sisters .; I can read the heart words front and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Jesus Raises Lazarus” and tell it back.
My Bed Is a Boat (Robert Louis Stevenson)
My bed is like a little boat;
Nurse helps me in when I embark;
She girds me in my sailor's coat
And starts me in the dark.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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Jesus has power over death.
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.”