Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 3
Lesson 3.2 e and u
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 /ĕ/ when I see e (as in egg ), and write it. I can say /ŭ/ when I see u (as in up ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as pen , ten , net . I can read the heart words you and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “A Pup in the Mud” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few cups
- 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 (5:02) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Short vowel song: /ă/ apple, /ĭ/ itch, /ŏ/ octopus, /ĕ/ egg, /ŭ/ up. Make the mouth shape for each.
Do this: New sound: e. Show the card and say: “This says /ĕ/, as in egg.” 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 /ĕ/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: u. Show the card and say: “This says /ŭ/, as in up.” 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 /ŭ/ 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:
- e says /ĕ/, as in egg. Make a sound card: write e on the front and draw a egg on the back.
- u says /ŭ/, as in up. Make a sound card: write u on the front and draw a up on the back.
Show: Blend pen.
Say this: “Touch and say: /p/ /e/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: pen . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: pen
Show: Blend ten.
Say this: “Touch and say: /t/ /e/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: ten . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: ten
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: pen · ten · net · men
Listen for: pen = p | e | n; ten = t | e | n; net = n | e | t; men = m | e | n
Ask: Read: pet · get · up · us
Listen for: pet = p | e | t; get = g | e | t; up = u | p; us = u | s
Ask: Read: sun · cup · mud · nut
Listen for: sun = s | u | n; cup = c | u | p; mud = m | u | d; nut = n | u | t
6 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.
- e: Straight line across the middle of the space, then circle up and back around, stopping open at the bottom.
- u: Start at the middle line. Down and around the bottom, up to the middle line, then straight line down on the right.
- 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: pen, ten, net, men, pet, get.
Word Sounds Heart part you /y/ /oo/ ♥ ou says /oo/ A Pup in the Mud
Ken has a pet pup. The pup is in the mud!
"Get up, pup!" said Ken. The pup did not get up.
Ken got a cup. Ken dumps it on the pup.
The pup is a damp pup, not a mud pup. Ken pats his pup.
Original. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Ken.
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.
- Where was the pup?
Answer
In the mud.
- What did Ken do with the cup?
Answer
He dumped water on the pup.
- Is the pup still muddy at the end?
Answer
No, it is damp but clean.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Where was the pup?
Genesis 6–7: God tells Noah to build an ark. Read Genesis 6:13–22 aloud or tell it. Ask: What did God tell Noah to build? Who went in?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Make pin. Change the vowel: pan, pen, pun. Which ones are real words?
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /ĕ/ when I see e (as in egg ), and write it.; I can say /ŭ/ when I see u (as in up ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as pen , ten , net .; I can read the heart words you and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “A Pup in the Mud” and tell it back.
Mix a Pancake (Christina Rossetti)
Mix a pancake,
Stir a pancake,
Pop it in the pan;
Fry the pancake,
Toss the pancake,—
Catch it if you can.This week: Clear words. Say every ending sound: the t, the d, the s. Open your mouth wider than feels normal.
- 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.
Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Noah obeyed God and did all that God told him.
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.”