Before you start: this is Lesson 52. It uses only sounds already taught in Lessons 1–51. 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.
“She gets junk, but no pink sock.”
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 happens to the pink sock in the sink?
It sank. If they say "it got wet," ask "and then what did it do?" to get them back to the word sank.
2. Meg tries a cup and a mug first. What gets the sock back in the end?
The thin net from the fish tank. Line seven says it. Mom gives a hint, but Meg fetches the net.
3. Meg gets junk out of the sink. What is junk?
Odds and ends nobody wants. Line five. Ask what junk might turn up in a sink at home.
Checked word by word: all 78 words in this story use only sounds taught by Lesson 52, plus heart words already learned. Nothing here needs guessing.
The story is on the next page →
Meg has a pink sock with mud on it. She dips it in the sink. It sank! "That sock sank!" said Meg. Meg dips a cup in, then a mug. She gets junk, but no pink sock. Mom said, "Think. What is long and thin?" Meg gets the thin net from the fish tank. Tug, tug! Up pops the pink sock! "Thank you, Mom," said Meg with a hug. "Hang it up," said Mom. "Not in the sink!"
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.