Parent guide · Kindergarten Phonics & Reading: First Sounds, First Words · Unit 7
Lesson 7.3 Ending Blends: -st -nd -mp -nt -lk
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 nest , best , rest . I can read the heart words find , kind , child and say which part is learned by heart. I can read “The Ant and the Grasshopper” and tell it back.
- You need
- Heart-word cards (printables pack)
- A small whiteboard or a tray of salt or sand
- Primary-ruled paper and a pencil
- A King James Bible
- the lesson page (it also has a short video (2:56) and an explainer to read aloud (about 10 minutes))
Steps
Do this: Say the last two sounds: nest (/s/ /t/), hand (/n/ /d/), lamp (/m/ /p/), tent (/n/ /t/), milk (/l/ /k/).
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 nest.
Say this: “Touch and say: /n/ /e/ /s/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: nest . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: nest
Show: Blend best.
Say this: “Touch and say: /b/ /e/ /s/ /t/.”
Say this: “Sweep your finger under the word and say the sounds again, faster, without stopping between them.”
Say this: “Say the word: best . Use it in a sentence.”
Answer: best
Do this: Your child does these with you. Let them try first; help only after a real try.
Ask: Read: nest · best · rest · hand
Listen for: nest = n | e | s | t; best = b | e | s | t; rest = r | e | s | t; hand = h | a | n | d
Ask: Read: sand · land · lamp · camp
Listen for: sand = s | a | n | d; land = l | a | n | d; lamp = l | a | m | p; camp = c | a | m | p
Ask: Read: jump · tent · went · milk
Listen for: jump = j | u | m | p; tent = t | e | n | t; went = w | e | n | t; milk = m | i | l | k
6 more practice items on the lesson page.
- Dropping a sound in a blend (sip for slip, fog for frog). Tap one finger for each sound.
- Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Cover the picture and ask the child to tap every sound.
- Copy: The ant has a nest.
- 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: nest, best, rest, hand, sand, land.
Word Sounds Heart part find /f/ /ī/ /n/ /d/ ♥ i says its name before nd kind /k/ /ī/ /n/ /d/ ♥ i says its name before nd child /ch/ /ī/ /l/ /d/ ♥ i says its name before ld The Ant and the Grasshopper
An ant had a job. In the hot sun, the ant got lots of nuts and figs and set them in the den.
Gus the grasshopper did not help. Gus sang and sang and went for a jump in the sand. "Rest, ant! Sing with me!"
Then the frost and the wind and the cold set in. The ant had a full den. Gus had not one bit.
"Help me!" said Gus. The kind ant gave him a bit. Gus said, "Next fall I will get bits as well."
Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: Gus, grasshopper, gave, fall.
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 did the ant do in the summer?
Answer
Gathered crumbs (food) for winter.
- What did Gus do?
Answer
Sang and played.
- What happened when winter came?
Answer
The ant had food; Gus had none.
- What is the lesson?
Answer
Work now to be ready for later.
Then ask your child to tell the whole story back in his or her own words (narration).
- What did the ant do in the summer?
Aesop: The Ant and the Grasshopper. Read the original and compare. Which ending do you like better?
The read-aloud is for listening, not decoding. Read it to your child at another time of day.
Make bingo cards with the endings st, nd, mp, nt, lk. Read a word; cover its ending.
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 nest , best , rest .; I can read the heart words find , kind , child and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Ant and the Grasshopper” and tell it back.
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
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.
Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
The wise ant gets ready ahead of time.
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.”