Before you start: this is Lesson 46. It uses only sounds already taught in Lessons 1–45. 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.
“Then Sal sits and taps the wet tub.”
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. How do the dogs get mud on them?
They dig a pit up on the hill. Line three says it — have your child find the word dig.
2. Calling the dogs did not work. What does Sal do next?
She sits down and taps the wet tub. Line eight says it. If they say "she got them in," ask how.
3. Calling did not work, but tapping the tub did. What else could Sal have tried?
Any idea. Line seven is the calling that failed; line eight is the tapping that worked.
Checked word by word: all 87 words in this
story use only sounds taught by Lesson 46, plus heart words already learned. Nothing here
needs guessing. The spelling th can say more than one sound in English; every word here uses only the one taught so far.
The story is on the next page →
Sal and Lin have big dogs, Max and Tug. They let Max and Tug run up the hill. The dogs dig a pit. Mud is on them. "In the tub!" said Sal. "Get them wet." Sal fills a tub and Lin gets a rag. Lin calls the dogs, and they run off! "They do not want the tub," said Lin. Then Sal sits and taps the wet tub. Max hops in the tub. Then Tug hops in. "They do want the tub!" said Sal. "Look at them!"
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.