Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 5
Lesson 5.2 Short o, u and e Words
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 tap and blend words such as fox , jog , rob . I can read the heart words my , by , all , call and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Hen and the Bun” and tell it back.
- You need
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Which vowel? hot, hut, hit, hat. Say the middle sound only.
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.
Show: Blend fox.
Say this: “Touch and say: /f/ /o/ /x/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: fox . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: fox
Show: Blend jog.
Say this: “Touch and say: /j/ /o/ /g/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: jog . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: jog
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: fox · jog · rob · hum
Listen for: fox = f | o | x; jog = j | o | g; rob = r | o | b; hum = h | u | m
Ask: Read: bud · rub · vet · beg
Listen for: bud = b | u | d; rub = r | u | b; vet = v | e | t; beg = b | e | g
Ask: Read: jet · led · hen · gum
Listen for: jet = j | e | t; led = l | e | d; hen = h | e | n; gum = g | u | m
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.
- Capital letters O U E C. Copy: My pup.
- 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: fox, jog, rob, hum, bud, rub.
Word Sounds Heart part my /m/ /ī/ ♥ y says /ī/ (regular in Grade 1) by /b/ /ī/ ♥ y says /ī/ all /aw/ /l/ ♥ a says /aw/ before ll (regular in Grade 1) call /k/ /aw/ /l/ ♥ a says /aw/ before ll The Hen and the Bun
A red hen had a bag of figs. "Who can help me pick the figs?" Not the pig. Not the cat. Not the dog.
So the red hen did it.
The hen got a hot fig bun. "Who can help me get the bun?" "We can!" said the pig and the cat and the dog.
"No," said the hen. "I did the job, and I get the bun." The red hen had the bun.
Retold from The Little Red Hen.
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 helped the hen?
Answer
No one.
- What did the hen make?
Answer
A hot fig bun.
- Who ate the bun?
Answer
The hen and (in the old tale) her chicks.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Those who will not help with the work should not expect the reward.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who helped the hen?
The Little Red Hen (1918, Project Gutenberg). Read the old tale. Compare it with our short version.
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Make hat. Swap vowels to make hit, hot, hut. Time it.
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 fox , jog , rob .; I can read the heart words my , by , all , call and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Hen and the Bun” and tell it back.
Pease Porridge Hot (Mother Goose)
Pease porridge hot,
Pease porridge cold,
Pease porridge in the pot,
Nine days old.
Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot,
Nine days old.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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
Work is part of God’s good plan.
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.”