Before you start: this is Lesson 30. It uses only sounds already taught in Lessons 1–29. If they have not done those yet it will feel too hard — ask their teacher where to start.
1. Say the practice words on the words page, then the heart words. A heart word has one part that cannot be sounded out — the little heart marks the bit to just remember.
2. Read the story on the next page. If they get stuck, don’t say the word. Point under the letters and say: “Say each sound, then say them fast” — “mmm – aaa – p … map!”
3. Read it three times — they color a circle each time.
4. They draw what happened, on the top half of the next page. No picture to copy — their drawing is how you see what they understood.
5. They write one sentence, on the lines under their drawing. The sentence to read aloud is in the box below.
“The pup yaps and taps at the pan.”
Once at normal speed, once slowly, and have them say it back before they write. If they get stuck on a word, say its sounds together — don’t spell it letter by letter.
Practice, not a test — don’t mark it wrong. If a word is misspelled, read it back exactly as they wrote it and let them hear the difference.
A wrong word, or a guess? Don’t say “no” — point at the word: “Try that one again — say each sound.” Fixing it themselves is the win.
Sounded it out twice, still stuck? Tell them the word and carry on. A few told words do no harm.
Stuck on nearly every line, or fed up? Stop — that is fine. Try an easier lesson, or this one tomorrow. Five happy minutes beat twenty cross ones.
1. What did the pup do when Mom was napping?
It yaps and yaps. Line two says it. If your child is not sure, point at that line and let them read it again.
2. How did Sal work out what the pup was yapping about?
The pup yapped and tapped at the pan, so Sal knew it had not been fed. Lines four and five tell it together.
3. The story says the pup yaps. What does a yap sound like? Show me.
A short, sharp bark. Line two. Letting them make the sound is the check that they have the word.
Checked word by word: all 66 words in this story use only sounds taught by Lesson 30, plus heart words already learned. Nothing here needs guessing.
The story is on the next page →
Sal has a pup. It can yap a lot. Mom naps, but the pup yaps and yaps. "Do not yap yet," said Sal. "Mom naps." The pup yaps and taps at the pan. "Yes! It is not fed yet," said Sal. Sal gets a bit of ham in the pan. "Yum!" The pup sits and has the ham. It naps on the rug. Sal pats it.
Read it again if you need to. Then draw what happened.
Your grown-up will say one sentence from the story. Say it back, then write it.