Lesson 1.1 Words and Rhymes

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Say a short sentence, "The cat sat." Clap once for each word. Then say three words and ask which two rhyme: cat, hat, dog.

2. Teach the new idea

   Do this: All week we use only our ears. No letters yet. We listen for words in a sentence, for words that rhyme, and for the beats (syllables) in a word.

   Do this: Day 1: clap the words in short sentences. Day 2: rhyme pairs (cat-hat, sun-fun, big-pig). Day 3: clap the beats in names (Da-vid, A-dam, Sa-rah). Day 4: finish the rhyme ("Jack and Jill went up the ___"). Day 5: play I Spy with rhymes.

   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: 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.

3. Watch for
   • Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
4. Handwriting and copywork
   1. Pencil grip and posture. Draw big lines and circles in the air, then on paper: a straight line down, a line across, a circle.
   2. Use the ball-and-stick lines: tall letters touch the top line, short letters touch the middle line, tails go below the base line.
5. Read-aloud

   Genesis 1, read from the Bible: the days of creation. Read Genesis 1:1–5 aloud from a King James Bible. Ask: What did God make on the first day? Clap the beats in "light" (1) and "darkness" (2).

   The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.

6. Game: Rhyme or Not?

   Say two words. Thumbs up if they rhyme (cat, mat), thumbs down if they do not (cat, cup). Then let your child give you a pair to judge.

7. Narration

   Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”

   Listen for: I can hear words, rhymes and beats in what I hear.

8. Recitation

   In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

   This week: Stand tall. Feet still and a little apart, hands quiet at your sides, chin up. Stand still from the first word to the last.

   • 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.
9. Talk about it

   The first words of the Bible. Clap them: In / the / be-gin-ning / God / cre-a-ted ...

Spread over the week

5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
5. 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.”