Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 6
Lesson 6.3 th (thin and this)
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 /th/ (thin) and /th/ (this) when I see th (as in thin, this ), and write it. I can tap and blend words such as this , that , them . I can read the heart words other , mother , father , brother , sons and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “Cain and Abel” 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 (6:37) and an explainer to read aloud (about 11 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Put your tongue between your teeth and blow: /th/ (thin). Now hum it: /th/ (this). Feel your throat buzz.
Do this: New sound: th. Show the card and say: “This says /th/ (thin) and /th/ (this), as in thin, this.” 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 /th/ (thin) and /th/ (this) 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:
- th says /th/ (thin) and /th/ (this), as in thin, this. Make a sound card: write th on the front and draw a thin on the back.
Show: Blend this.
Say this: “Touch and say: /th/ /i/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: this . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: this
Show: Blend that.
Say this: “Touch and say: /th/ /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: that . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: that
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: this · that · them · then
Listen for: this = th | i | s; that = th | a | t; them = th | e | m; then = th | e | n
Ask: Read: thin · thick · with · bath
Listen for: thin = th | i | n; thick = th | i | ck; with = w | i | th; bath = b | a | th
Ask: Read: path · moth · math · thud
Listen for: path = p | a | th; moth = m | o | th; math = m | a | th; thud = th | u | d
5 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Saying two letters of a digraph separately (s-h instead of /sh/). Underline the two letters together; they make one sound.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- th. Copy: This is my mother.
- 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: this, that, them, then, thin, thick.
Word Sounds Heart part other /ŭ/ /th/ /er/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ mother /m/ /ŭ/ /th/ /er/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ father /f/ /ah/ /th/ /er/ ♥ a says /ah/ brother /b/ /r/ /ŭ/ /th/ /er/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ sons /s/ /ŭ/ /n/ /z/ ♥ o says /ŭ/ Cain and Abel
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain. Then they had a son, Abel. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam.
Cain got crops from his land. Abel kept the lambs.
Abel gave God the best of his lambs. God was glad with Abel. Cain did not give his best.
Cain got mad at his brother. That was sin. God said, "Do well, Cain!" We must do well, and give God the best.
Retold from Genesis 4. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, lambs, gave.
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 were Cain and Abel?
Answer
The sons of Adam and Eve; brothers.
- What did Abel give God?
Answer
The best of his lambs.
- What did Cain do wrong?
Answer
He did not give his best, and he grew angry at his brother.
- What can we learn?
Answer
Give God our best and do not be angry with our brother.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- Who were Cain and Abel?
Genesis 4:1–8. Read it aloud (parents may stop at verse 7 for young children). Ask: What did God tell Cain?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Read a th word. Hand on throat: if it buzzes (this, that, then), thumbs up; if not (thin, bath, moth), thumbs to the side.
Say this: “Tell me the new sounds you learned this week, and read me one word.”
Listen for: I can say /th/ (thin) and /th/ (this) when I see th (as in thin, this ), and write it.; I can tap and blend words such as this , that , them .; I can read the heart words other , mother , father , brother , sons and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “Cain and Abel” and tell it back.
Pray without ceasing.
This week: Pause at the marks. Stop briefly at every comma and a little longer at every period. Pauses help listeners think.
- 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.
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.
God told Cain to do well and to rule over sin.
Spread over the week
5 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.
- Session 1. Warm-up, then New sound: th. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 2. Warm-up, then Tap and blend. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 3. Warm-up, then Spell it. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 4. Warm-up, then Heart words. Finish with a little practice or the game.
- Session 5. Warm-up, then The week at a glance. Finish with a little practice or the game.
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.”