43. ay, oy, aw, and o that sounds like u: play, boy, claw, come

The lesson, step by step

1. The pattern

   Four short tables. ay says long a (play). oy says the sound in "boy". aw says "aw" (claw). And in No. 71 and 72, some o's sound like short u (come, glove, front) and wor sounds like "wur" (work, worm).

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:

   slay, dray, play, may, pay, gray

   boy, joy, toy, claw, raw, jaw

   swamp, quart, wasp, glove, come, work

   sow, vow, key, worm, front, shirt

3. Spell aloud

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

   Sayp, l, a, y, play.

   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:

   The farmer cuts his grass to make hay.

   Bricks are made of clay baked in a kiln.

   A dray is a kind of low cart.

   A swamp is wet, spongy land.

5. Dictation

   Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: play, gray, boy, toy, claw, come, work, shirt.

   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.