Lesson 7.4 Unit 7 Check

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this: Count the sounds: jump (4), sing (3), thank (4), milk (4).

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 plant.

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

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

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

   Answer: plant

   Show: Blend hunt.

   Say this: “Touch and say: /h/ /u/ /n/ /t/.”

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

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

   Answer: hunt

4. Practice together

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

   Ask: Read: plant · hunt · bring · think

   Listen for: plant = p | l | a | n | t; hunt = h | u | n | t; bring = b | r | i | ng; think = th | i | nk

   Ask: Read: chest · drink · must · swing

   Listen for: chest = ch | e | s | t; drink = d | r | i | nk; must = m | u | s | t; swing = s | w | i | ng

   Ask: Read: bank

   Listen for: bank = b | a | nk

   4 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. Dictation: think, sing, nest, a big hand.
   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: plant, hunt, bring, think, chest, drink.

7. Heart words this week

   Word	Sounds	Heart part
   again	/ŭ/ /g/ /ĕ/ /n/	♥ ai says /ĕ/
   friend	/f/ /r/ /ĕ/ /n/ /d/	♥ ie says /ĕ/
   school	/s/ /k/ /oo/ /l/	♥ ch says /k/
   small	/s/ /m/ /aw/ /l/	♥ a says /aw/ before ll

8. Decodable story: The Lion and the Mouse

   The Lion and the Mouse

   A lion had a nap. A mouse ran on him. The lion got up and held the mouse in his big hand.

   "Let me go!" said the mouse. "I will help you." The lion did a big grin. "You? Help me?" But he let the mouse go.

   Then the lion got stuck in a net. He could not get up. He sang a long, sad song.

   The mouse ran up. Chomp, chomp! The mouse cut the net. "A small friend can help a big friend."

   Retold from Aesop. Before reading, show your child these story words and read them together: lion, mouse.

   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. What did the lion do when he caught the mouse?
      Answer

      He let it go.

   2. How did the mouse help the lion?
      Answer

      It chewed through the net.

   3. What is the lesson?
      Answer

      Be kind to the small; little friends can be great friends.

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

10. Read-aloud

    Aesop: The Lion and the Mouse. Read the original.

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

11. Game: Fast Cards

    All sound cards plus sh ch th wh ck ng nk against a timer.

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 plant , hunt , bring .; I can read the heart words again , friend , school , small and say which part is learned by heart.; I can read “The Lion and the Mouse” and tell it back.

13. Recitation

    One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Mother Goose)

    One, two, buckle my shoe
    One, two, three, four, five
    1,2,3,4,5!
    On Saturday night

    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 title and the poet, then the poem. Stand up and say it alone for the family.
14. Scripture

    A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

    A true friend helps in hard times.

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.”