Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 4
Lesson 4.2 l and j
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 /l/ when I see l (as in leg ), and write it. I can say /j/ when I see j (as in jam ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as leg , lid , log . I can read the heart words do , go , no , so , wolf and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Lad and the Wolf” 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 (3:51) and an explainer to read aloud (about 12 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Rhyme: log, jog, fog, bog, hog.
Do this: New sound: l. Show the card and say: “This says /l/, as in leg.” 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 /l/ is in the word.
Do this: New sound: j. Show the card and say: “This says /j/, as in jam.” 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 /j/ 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:
- l says /l/, as in leg. Make a sound card: write l on the front and draw a leg on the back.
- j says /j/, as in jam. Make a sound card: write j on the front and draw a jam on the back.
Show: Blend leg.
Say this: “Touch and say: /l/ /e/ /g/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: leg . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: leg
Show: Blend lid.
Say this: “Touch and say: /l/ /i/ /d/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: lid . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: lid
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: leg · lid · log · lot
Listen for: leg = l | e | g; lid = l | i | d; log = l | o | g; lot = l | o | t
Ask: Read: lap · jam · jet · jog
Listen for: lap = l | a | p; jam = j | a | m; jet = j | e | t; jog = j | o | g
Ask: Read: jug · job · lip · lad
Listen for: jug = j | u | g; job = j | o | b; lip = l | i | p; lad = l | a | d
5 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- l: Start at the top line. Straight line down to the base line.
- j: Start at the middle line. Straight line down below the base line, then hook left. Lift and dot above.
- 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: leg, lid, log, lot, lap, jam.
Word Sounds Heart part do /d/ /oo/ ♥ o says /oo/ go /g/ /ō/ ♥ o says its name (regular after open syllables) no /n/ /ō/ ♥ o says its name so /s/ /ō/ ♥ o says its name wolf /w/ /ŏŏ/ /l/ /f/ ♥ o says /ŏŏ/ as in book The Lad and the Wolf
A lad had a job. He sat on a rock to tend the rams. Did he do his job? No.
The lad said, "A wolf! A wolf!" The men ran up. No wolf. The lad had said a fib.
In a bit, a wolf did run up. "A wolf! A wolf!" said the lad.
Did the men run? No. The lad had said fibs, so the men did not run. The wolf got his rams.
Retold from Aesop, The Boy Who Cried Wolf.
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.
- What was the lad’s job?
Answer
To watch the rams (the sheep).
- What did he say that was not true?
Answer
"A wolf!" when there was no wolf.
- Why did the men not come the last time?
Answer
He had lied before, so they did not believe him.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Tell the truth, or people will not believe you even when you do.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What was the lad’s job?
Aesop: The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf. Read it. Ask: What does it mean to tell a fib?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Lay word cards in a row on the floor. Your child jumps from card to card, reading each one.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /l/ when I see l (as in leg ), and write it.; I can say /j/ when I see j (as in jam ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as leg , lid , log .; I can read the heart words do , go , no , so , wolf and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Lad and the Wolf” and tell it back.
Hey, Diddle, Diddle (Mother Goose)
Hey, diddle, diddle!
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.This week: Eyes up. Look at your listeners, not the floor. Pick three faces (left, middle, right) and give each one a line.
- 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.
Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.
God loves it when we tell the truth.
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.”