Module 3, Week 3 

Structured Literacy: (phonological awareness, phonics, handwriting, spelling, and decoding) 

This week, our focus will be on reading and spelling multisyllabic words that contain VCe (Magic e) syllables. Students already know that: 

• Open syllables end with a vowel that makes a long sound (e.g., tiger). 

• Closed syllables end with a consonant that makes the vowel short (e.g., rabbit). 

Now, we will add VCe syllables, where a silent e at the end makes the vowel say its name (e.g., cake, home, bike). 

Students will learn how to: 

• Break longer words into syllables 

• Identify VCe syllables inside multisyllabic words 

• Blend the syllables back together to read the full word smoothly 

Examples we may practice include: 

• sunshine → sun + shine 

• reptile → rep + tile 

• cupcake → cup + cake 

Understanding how to divide and decode longer words helps students become more confident and fluent readers. 

Heart Words: 
This week’s new heart words are anything and anyone. These are words that students learn “by heart” because part of the spelling doesn’t follow typical phonics patterns. We will practice reading, writing, and using them in sentences throughout the week. 

Reading: 

This week in reading, we will explore theme, retell, and author’s purpose through a variety of texts. 

• We will begin with the read-aloud Serious Farm by Tim Egan, where students will discuss the theme, or the big lesson the author wants us to learn. 

• Next, we will read Pepita and the Bully by Ofelia Dumas Lachtman and practice retelling the story in sequence, and then the next day we will practice identifying the theme. 

• Finally, we will read Be a Hero! Work It Out by Ruben Cooley to learn about the author’s purpose—why the author wrote the text (to persuade, inform, or entertain). 

These lessons help students think deeply about what they read and understand the message behind the story. 

Vocabulary Words: wrinkled, frown, yanked, dragged, mumbled, nearby, excuses, and hesitant. 

Generative Vocabulary: Words About Communication 

This week, students are learning vocabulary related to communication—how we share ideas, feelings, and information with others. We will talk about how communication can happen through words, but also through expressions, gestures, and body language. Students will learn and discuss new words connected to this idea and practice using them in speaking and writing. Understanding these words helps students express themselves clearly and understand others more effectively. 

Writing:   

This week, students will continue working on their persuasive (opinion) writing. They will learn how to research to support their opinions by asking questions, finding facts, and then putting those facts into their own words. Students will gather information in their notes and then use their notes—along with the opinion paragraph structure we’ve been practicing—to draft their own opinion paragraphs. This will help them learn to clearly state an opinion and give strong reasons and evidence to support it. 
 

Grammar: 
This week, we will practice identifying action words in sentences. Students will also work on using action verbs correctly in their own speaking and writing to make their sentences clearer and more descriptive. 

Ways to Support Literacy at Home 

• Make Reading a Daily Habit: Try to set aside a regular reading time each day—before bed, after school, or during breakfast. Consistent short reading time helps build confidence and fluency. Let your child choose the book to keep it fun! 

• Talk About Books: After reading together, ask your child questions like, “Why do you think the character did that?” or “What lesson did the character learn?” Talking about stories helps build comprehension. 

• Watch for Communication Clues: Since we are learning about communication, practice noticing how people share feelings in everyday life. Pause and ask, “How could you tell how they were feeling—was it their words, their face, or their body language?” This supports both our communication vocabulary work and our service-learning focus on empathy, helping children understand and respond to others with care. 

Module 3, Week 2 

Structured Literacy: (phonological awareness, phonics, handwriting, spelling, and decoding) 

This week, our focus will be on the soft c and soft g spelling patterns, as well as the trigraphs -tch and -dge. 

• The soft c makes the /s/ sound, as in city or ice. 

• The soft g makes the /j/ sound, as in giraffe or gem. 

We will also learn that -tch and -dge often come at the end of words to spell the /ch/ and /j/ sounds, like in match and bridge. 
Understanding when to use these spelling patterns helps students read and spell words more accurately. Students will practice identifying these sounds, reading words that contain them, and using them in their writing. 

Heart Words: 
This week, we will review previously learned heart words instead of learning new ones. Students will practice recognizing these words quickly and spelling them with confidence. 

Reading: 

This week, we will read Working with Others by Robin Nelson as we practice making and confirming predictions and identifying the central idea of the text. Then, we will read Gingerbread for Liberty! by Mara Rockliff to learn how to synthesize information across a story and explore how the text is organized to help us understand its message. 

Vocabulary Words: blamed, argue, respectful, practice, booming, skill, threatening, persuade 

Generative Vocabulary: 

We will also learn how adding -ed and -ing to verbs changes their meaning and shows when the action happened (for example: blame → blamed → blaming). Recognizing these word endings helps students read new words and understand sentences more clearly. 

Writing:   

This week, students will be typing and publishing their descriptive paragraphs during independent work time. As a class, we will begin our new unit on persuasive (opinion) writing. Students will learn that when people don’t agree, it helps to clearly explain their point of view. They will explore the elements of an opinion paragraph, including stating a clear opinion and giving reasons to support it. Students will then choose a topic they care about and create a plan to organize their reasons before drafting. 
 
Grammar: 
This week, we will learn about action verbs and practice identifying them in sentences. Students will also work on using action verbs correctly in their own speaking and writing to make their sentences more clear and descriptive. 

Ways to Support Literacy at Home 

• Read Every Day: Even 10–15 minutes of daily reading makes a big difference. Take turns reading aloud and talk about what is happening in the story. Ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” to practice making predictions. 

• Notice Action Verbs: While reading together, point out action verbs in sentences (words that show movement or something happening). Ask your child to act them out or use them in a new sentence for fun! 

• Review Previously Learned Heart Words: Since we are reviewing heart words this week, choose a few your child already knows and practice reading and spelling them quickly. Quick, short practice helps build automaticity.