Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 2
Lesson 2.1 i and n
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 /ĭ/ when I see i (as in it ), and write it. I can say /n/ when I see n (as in net ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as in , it , pin . I can read the heart words the , I , is and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Tip the Ant” and tell it back.
- You need
- Counters (dried beans, buttons or pebbles)
- 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 (5:04) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: First sound game: in, it, igloo (/ĭ/). nest, nut, net (/n/).
Do this: New sound: i. Show the card and say: “This says /ĭ/, as in it.” 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 /ĭ/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: n. Show the card and say: “This says /n/, as in net.” 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 /n/ 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:
- i says /ĭ/, as in it. Make a sound card: write i on the front and draw a it on the back.
- n says /n/, as in net. Make a sound card: write n on the front and draw a net on the back.
Show: Blend in.
Say this: “Touch and say: /i/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: in . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: in
Show: Blend it.
Say this: “Touch and say: /i/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: it . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: it
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: in · it · pin · tin
Listen for: in = i | n; it = i | t; pin = p | i | n; tin = t | i | n
Ask: Read: pit · sit · nap · tan
Listen for: pit = p | i | t; sit = s | i | t; nap = n | a | p; tan = t | a | n
Ask: Read: nip · tip · pan · ant
Listen for: nip = n | i | p; tip = t | i | p; pan = p | a | n; ant = a | n | t
5 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Guessing the vowel. Point to the vowel and say its sound first if needed, then blend from the beginning.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- i: Start at the middle line. Straight line down. Lift and dot above.
- n: Start at the middle line. Straight line down. Back up, hump over and down.
- 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: in, it, pin, tin, pit, sit.
Word Sounds Heart part the /th/ /ŭ/ ♥ e says /ŭ/ I /ī/ ♥ I says its name; it is always a capital is /ĭ/ /z/ ♥ s says /z/ Tip the Ant
Tip is an ant. Tip is in a pit.
Pip is an ant. Pip naps in a tin pan.
Tip taps Pip. "Sit! Sit!"
Tip, Pip: sit in the pit.
Original, in the spirit of Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Tip, Pip.
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 is Tip?
Answer
An ant.
- Where did Pip nap?
Answer
In a tin pan.
- What did Tip say?
Answer
"Sit! Sit!"
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who is Tip?
Aesop: The Ant and the Dove. Read the fable from The Aesop for Children. Ask: How did the dove help the ant? How did the ant help the dove?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Make a 3-by-3 grid with s a t p i n. Call a sound; your child covers the letter with a bean.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ĭ/ when I see i (as in it ), and write it.; I can say /n/ when I see n (as in net ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as in , it , pin .; I can read the heart words the , I , is and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Tip the Ant” and tell it back.
We love him, because he first loved us.
This week: Big voice. Speak so a person at the back of the room hears every word. Big, not shouting: fill the room, do not scream.
- 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.
The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
Ants are small but wise. They get food ready before winter comes.
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.”