Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 3

Lesson 3.3 r and h

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 /r/ when I see r (as in rat ), and write it. I can say /h/ when I see h (as in hat ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as rat , ran , rug . I can read the heart words he , she , we , me , be and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Noah Gets In” 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
Print: the lesson page (it also has a short video (3:59) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))

Steps

Warm-up
Do this: Change the first sound: mat to hat, hat to rat, rat to sat.
Teach the new idea
Do this: New sound: r. Show the card and say: “This says /r/, as in rat.” 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 /r/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: h. Show the card and say: “This says /h/, as in hat.” 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 /h/ 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:
- r says /r/, as in rat. Make a sound card: write r on the front and draw a rat on the back.
- h says /h/, as in hat. Make a sound card: write h on the front and draw a hat on the back.
Show how
Show: Blend rat.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /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: rat . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: rat
Show: Blend ran.
Say this: “Touch and say: /r/ /a/ /n/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: ran . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: ran
Practice together
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: rat · ran · rug · red
Listen for: rat = r | a | t; ran = r | a | n; rug = r | u | g; red = r | e | d
Ask: Read: rip · hat · hot · hug
Listen for: rip = r | i | p; hat = h | a | t; hot = h | o | t; hug = h | u | g
Ask: Read: him · hen · hum · rod
Listen for: him = h | i | m; hen = h | e | n; hum = h | u | m; rod = r | o | d
5 more practice items on the lesson page.
Watch for
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
Handwriting and copywork
1. r: Start at the middle line. Straight line down. Back up and make a little arm over.
2. h: Start at the top line. Straight line down. Go back up to the middle and make a hump over and down.
3. 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: rat, ran, rug, red, rip, hat.

Heart words this week

Word	Sounds	Heart part
he	/h/ /ē/	♥ e says its name (regular after open syllables, Grade 1)
she	/sh/ /ē/	♥ e says its name
we	/w/ /ē/	♥ e says its name
me	/m/ /ē/	♥ e says its name
be	/b/ /ē/	♥ e says its name

Decodable story: Noah Gets In
Noah Gets In
God said to Noah, "Get in, Noah."
Noah got in. A hen got in. A rat got in. A cat and a pup got in. A pig got in, as did a ram.
It is damp. It is not a picnic! The rats run, and the hens peck.
Noah is a man of God, and God kept him.
Retold from Genesis 6–8. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Noah.
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.
Talk about the story
1. What did God tell Noah to get into?
  Answer
  The ark (the big boat).
2. Name two animals that got in.
  Answer
  Any two: hen, rat, cat, pup, pig, ram.
3. Who kept Noah safe?
  Answer
  God.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
Read-aloud
Genesis 8: The waters go down; the dove and the rainbow. Read Genesis 8:6–12 and 9:12–17. Ask: What did the dove bring back? What did God put in the sky?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Game: Animal Pairs
Make cards for rat, hen, cat, pup, pig, dog (two of each). Play memory; say the sounds of each word when you turn it.
Narration
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /r/ when I see r (as in rat ), and write it.; I can say /h/ when I see h (as in hat ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as rat , ran , rug .; I can read the heart words he , she , we , me , be and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Noah Gets In” and tell it back.
Recitation
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
Ephesians 6:1 (KJV)
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 reference, then the verse, then the reference again. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
Scripture
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
Genesis 9:13 (KJV)
The rainbow is a sign of God’s promise.

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.”