36. The aw sound, and long vowels: yawn, broad, brine, shape

The lesson, step by step

1. The pattern

   No. 60: aw and au both make the "aw" sound in "saw": yawn, dawn, fraud, sauce. Also a after w often sounds like that: wash, squash, watch.

   No. 61: silent-e words again, long vowels with blends.

2. Read the table aloud

   Read the table aloud together, a column at a time. You say a word, your child says it back while pointing to it. Then your child reads a column alone. Some of the words:

   fraud, squash, awl, yawn, broad

   wash, bawl, dawn, sauce, fawn, watch

   brine, scrape, scope, shave, drive

   drove, shape, plate, strove

3. Spell aloud

   Now the old way: your child looks at a word, then spells it aloud and says it.

   Sayd, a, w, n, dawn.

   Go down a column like this. Then cover the column, say a word, and have your child spell it aloud without looking.

4. Read the sentences

   Under the table are short reading lessons that use its words. Your child reads them aloud, pointing to each word. Help with any word not yet learned. Two of them:

   We keep salt meat in brine.

   Smoke goes through the pipe of a stove.

   Shut the gate and keep the hogs out of the yard.

5. Dictation

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: yawn, dawn, sauce, wash, watch, drive, shape, plate.

   Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.

6. Review

   Finish with the cards from earlier days: your child reads and spells each one. Put a card away after three right days in a row.