Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 7
Lesson 7.1 Endings -s and -s for /z/
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 cats , dogs , pigs . I can read the heart words many , any , very and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Hens and the Fox” and tell it back.
- You need
- A few cups
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (4:59) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: One or many? cat/cats, dog/dogs, bus/buses. Listen to the end: /s/ in cats, /z/ in dogs.
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 cats.
Say this: “Touch and say: /c/ /a/ /t/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: cats . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: cats
Show: Blend dogs.
Say this: “Touch and say: /d/ /o/ /g/ /s/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: dogs . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: dogs
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: cats · dogs · pigs · hens
Listen for: cats = c | a | t | s; dogs = d | o | g | s; pigs = p | i | g | s; hens = h | e | n | s
Ask: Read: beds · cups · ships · chicks
Listen for: beds = b | e | d | s; cups = c | u | p | s; ships = sh | i | p | s; chicks = ch | i | ck | s
Ask: Read: shells · rocks · bugs · fins
Listen for: shells = sh | e | ll | s; rocks = r | o | ck | s; bugs = b | u | g | s; fins = f | i | n | s
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.
- Copy: six hens, ten cups.
- 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: cats, dogs, pigs, hens, beds, cups.
Word Sounds Heart part many /m/ /ĕ/ /n/ /ē/ ♥ a says /ĕ/ any /ĕ/ /n/ /ē/ ♥ a says /ĕ/ very /v/ /ĕ/ /r/ /ē/ ♥ e is short before r here The Hens and the Fox
Six hens sat in a pen. The hens had ten eggs.
A fox sat by the pen. The fox grins. "Hens, hens! Let me in. I am your pal," said the fox.
The hens did not let him in. "A fox is not a pal of hens!" said the hens.
The hens sat on the eggs in the pen. The fox ran off.
Retold from Aesop, The Wolf and the Kid.
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.
- How many hens were in the pen?
Answer
Six.
- What did the fox say?
Answer
"Let me in. I am your pal."
- Why did the hens not let him in?
Answer
A fox is no friend of hens; he only wanted to eat them.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Do not trust someone just because he says nice words.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- How many hens were in the pen?
Aesop: The Wolf and the Kid. Read it. Ask: How is the kid like the hens in our story?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Show one cup, then two. Your child adds an s card to the word to make it many.
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 cats , dogs , pigs .; I can read the heart words many , any , very and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Hens and the Fox” and tell it back.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
This week: Expression. Let your voice show what the words mean: glad words sound glad, quiet words sound quiet.
- 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.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
The Lord takes care of us like a shepherd.
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.”