Before you start: this is Lesson 93. It uses only sounds already taught in Lessons 1–92. 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.
“Pam went in to get her dad.”
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 was the paw caught on?
A bit of rope in the straw. Have them find the line.
2. What did Pam do after the cat hissed at her?
She went in to get her dad. He set out cat food, and they sat still until the cat ate and stopped hissing.
3. Do you think the cat trusts Pam now? Tell me why.
Either answer is fine. Lines fourteen and fifteen are the best clues: it did not run away, and it sat by Pam.
Checked word by word: all 155 words in this
story use only sounds taught by Lesson 93, plus heart words already learned. Nothing here
needs guessing. The spelling ea, ey, ow 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 →
Pam went to the barn to get straw for the hens. She saw a small cat deep in the straw. One paw was caught on a bit of rope. Pam had to haul the straw away to see it. Pam did not reach for the caught paw. The cat hissed and held up a sharp claw. Pam went in to get her dad. Dad came with a bowl of cat food. He set it by the cat, and they sat still. They did not speak, and they did not reach. At last the cat ate the food and stopped hissing. Then Dad got the paw free with soft hands. The rope fell off, and the cat was free. It did not run away from them at all. It sat by Pam and licked its paw clean. Pam gave the small cat a name: Straw. The small cat sleeps in the barn on the soft straw.
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.