Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 1
Lesson 1.3 t and p; First Blending
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 say /t/ when I see t (as in top ), and write it. I can say /p/ when I see p (as in pan ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as at , sat , pat . I can read the heart words a and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Pat Sat” and tell it back.
- You need
- Sound cards (printables pack)
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (3:59) and an explainer to read aloud (about 8 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Robot talk: say a word in sounds, /s/ /ă/ /t/, and let your child say the word: sat. Try /m/ /ă/ /p/, map.
Do this: New sound: t. Show the card and say: “This says /t/, as in top.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /t/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: p. Show the card and say: “This says /p/, as in pan.” Your child says it three times, then writes it in the air, on the table with a finger, and on paper. Then play a quick ears game: you say words and your child gives a thumbs up whenever /p/ is in the word.
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.
New cards:
- t says /t/, as in top. Make a sound card: write t on the front and draw a top on the back.
- p says /p/, as in pan. Make a sound card: write p on the front and draw a pan on the back.
Show: Blend at.
Say this: “Touch and say: /a/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: at . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: at
Show: Blend sat.
Say this: “Touch and say: /s/ /a/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: sat . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: sat
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: at · sat · pat · tap
Listen for: at = a | t; sat = s | a | t; pat = p | a | t; tap = t | a | p
Ask: Read: sap · pats · taps · tat
Listen for: sap = s | a | p; pats = p | a | t | s; taps = t | a | p | s; tat = t | a | t
Ask: Silly words (not real words; read them by their sounds): tas · pab · sap
Listen for: tas = t | a | s; pab = p | a | b; sap = s | a | p. If your child turns a silly word into a real word, point to the sound that changed.
4 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Adding "uh" to stop sounds (/tuh/, /puh/). Clip them short: /t/, /p/. Extra "uh" makes blending hard (tuh-a-puh is not tap).
- Dropping a sound in a blend (sip for slip, fog for frog). Tap one finger for each sound.
- t: Start above the middle line. Straight line down. Cross at the middle line.
- p: Start at the middle line. Straight line down below the base line. Back up and circle forward around to close the ball.
- Trace three, then write three on your own on the printable handwriting page. Circle your best one.
Copywork: Write each word once, saying the sounds as you write: at, sat, pat, tap, sap, pats.
Word Sounds Heart part a /ŭ/ ♥ a says /ŭ/ when it is a word by itself (it can also say /ā/) Pat Sat
Pat sat.
Tap, tap, tap!
Pat taps a sap.
Original. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Pat.
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 sat?
Answer
Pat sat.
- What sound did Pat make?
Answer
Tap, tap, tap.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who sat?
Mother Goose: "Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake". Say the rhyme together and clap. Listen for /p/ and /t/ in "pat."
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Lay out the cards s, a, t, p. Build a word (s-a-t). Your child taps each card and says its sound, then sweeps a finger under the word and says it fast.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /t/ when I see t (as in top ), and write it.; I can say /p/ when I see p (as in pan ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as at , sat , pat .; I can read the heart words a and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Pat Sat” and tell it back.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
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.
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph.
God is glad when His children praise Him. Clap your hands as you say it.
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.”