Lesson 5.1 Short a and i Words

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Short a or short i? Say the word and the child holds up the a or i card: tap, tip, pan, pin, sat, sit.

2. Teach the new idea

   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.

3. Show how

   Show: Blend hip.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /h/ /i/ /p/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: hip . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: hip

   Show: Blend lap.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /l/ /a/ /p/.”

   Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”

   Say this: “Say the word: lap . Use it in a sentence.”

   Answer: lap

4. Practice together

   Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: Read: hip · lap · fin · jab

   Listen for: hip = h | i | p; lap = l | a | p; fin = f | i | n; jab = j | a | b

   Ask: Read: wig · tab · rim · vat

   Listen for: wig = w | i | g; tab = t | a | b; rim = r | i | m; vat = v | a | t

   Ask: Read: zip · mix · yap

   Listen for: zip = z | i | p; mix = m | i | x; yap = y | a | p

   5 more practice items on the lesson page.

5. Watch for
   • Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
6. Handwriting and copywork
   1. Capital letters A I D G. A capital starts every name.
   2. Use the ball-and-stick lines: tall letters touch the top line, short letters touch the middle line, tails go below the base line.

   Copywork: Write each word once, saying the sounds as you write: hip, lap, fin, jab, wig, tab.

7. Heart words this week

   Word	Sounds	Heart part
   come	/k/ /ŭ/ /m/	♥ o says /ŭ/; e is silent
   some	/s/ /ŭ/ /m/	♥ o says /ŭ/; e is silent
   one	/w/ /ŭ/ /n/	♥ the whole word: o-n-e says "won"
   were	/w/ /er/	♥ ere says /er/
   who	/h/ /oo/	♥ w is silent; o says /oo/

8. Decodable story: David and the Big Man

   David and the Big Man

   Goliath was a big, big man. He had a big lid and a big pin. "Who can come and win?" he said.

   The men of Israel hid. Not one man ran at him.

   David was a lad. David had a bag of rocks. "God can win," said David.

   David ran at Goliath. Zip! Bam! Goliath is flat. God did win!

   Retold from 1 Samuel 17. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: David, Goliath, Israel.

   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.

9. Talk about the story
   1. Who was the big man?
      Answer

      Goliath.

   2. Who was not afraid?
      Answer

      David, the young shepherd.

   3. Who did David say would win?
      Answer

      God.

   Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).

10. Read-aloud

    1 Samuel 17: David and Goliath. Read 1 Samuel 17:32–50 aloud, or tell it from the Bible. Ask: Why was David brave?

    The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.

11. Game: Short Vowel Sort

    Make two columns, a and i. Read each word card and put it in the right column.

12. Narration

    Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”

    Listen for: I can tap and blend words such as hip , lap , fin .; I can read the heart words come , some , one , were , who and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “David and the Big Man” and tell it back.

13. Recitation

    And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

    This week: Steady pace. Do not race. Take a breath at the end of each line, then go on.

    • 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.
14. Scripture

    And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.

    David trusted God, not his own strength.

Spread over the week

5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then teach the new idea (steps 1 and 2).
2. Session 2. Warm-up again, then show how with the examples.
3. Session 3. Practice together, then play the game.
4. Session 4. More practice, handwriting and reading, and the daily habit.
5. 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.”