Building Skills
Phonics
Soft g as in magic
Write the words gem, germ, general, magic, and margin on the board. Have students read the words with you and ask what sound they hear in all of them (/j/). Ask what they notice about the spelling of these words. (They are all spelled with a g for the /j/ sound.) Write the words goat, gas, glove, grape, magnify, long, rug, and guest on the board, and read the words. Ask students if they can see a pattern for when the g is pronounced soft, or /j/, and when it is pronounced hard, or /g/ (hard g when it is followed by a, o, u and most consonants, and soft g when it is followed by e, i, or y). Students can search for more soft g words in the text and in other sources. Words can be added to individual or class word wall, charts, dictionaries, or lists.
Word Work
Suffixes
Say: Suffixes are added to the end of words to change or modify the meaning. Two common suffixes are -ful, and -ness. The suffix -ful means full of, and -ness means a state of being. Let’s look for words with these suffixes in the text (wonderful, thankful, darkness, beautiful, colorful, frightful, careful, and happiness). Discuss the root words and how the meaning changes when the suffix is added.
Grammar
Conjunctions
Say: Conjunctions are words that link or relate two parts of a sentence. In the sentence, “His father tried to teach him the trade, but the boy was so lazy, he refused to do any work.” The word but links “the boy was lazy” to “His father tried to teach him the trade.” Can you think of other words that link parts of a sentence? (and, but, for, or, so, yet) Help students look through the text to find examples of conjunctions.
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