Lesson 31: x /ks/
Overview
Focus: x at the end of words (two sounds, one letter); heart word you
Graphemes and Heart Words
New grapheme: x /ks/
New heart words: you
Heart words so far: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, look, book, are, was
No longer heart words: and, is, as
Letter Formation Cues
Big X: Slant down one way. Slant down the other way.
Small x: Same as big X, but small.
Say while modeling: "This is x. It says /ks/." Have the child say the sound each time they write the letter.
Word List
Words: lox, nut, ox, dad, trap, box, mix, slam, fax, fox, flag, fix, six, grin, flax, tag, next, text, nip, flex, nest, rest, rent, runt, hunt, hint, lint, lift, lax, fled, sled, slid
Made-up words (✱): jex, nom, neb, gan, san, nog
Sentences
- Are you next?
- You can fix the box.
- The fox is next to the tent.
Parent guide: what to say for each slide
Use only previously taught letters and sounds during review before New Concept. Have paper, a marker, and letter tiles ready. Say sounds where slashes appear. For sentence dictation, keep the goose slide showing, read the sentence aloud, and reveal the next slide only after writing.
Slide 1 — Welcome to Lesson 31
SAY
Today we’ll learn a new letter, x, and the sounds it makes. We’ll also learn a new heart word. Then we’ll read sentences together.
LISTEN FOR
Gets ready.
PARENT TIP
Have the known letter tiles and x ready.
Slide 2 — Blending Practice
SAY
Listen to my sounds. Put them together to tell me the whole word.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 3 — Listen and blend
SAY
What word is /ă/ /t/? Now /s/ /ă/ /t/. Now /s/ /ĭ/ /p/. Now /p/ /ă/ /t/.
LISTEN FOR
at; sat; sip; pat.
PARENT TIP
Parent-supplied prompts for the ear picture. These words use letters already taught. Do not introduce x during this review.
Slide 4 — Segmenting Practice
SAY
Now listen to a whole word and tell me each sound you hear.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 5 — Listen and segment
SAY
Say sip. Tell me its sounds. Now do sap. Now do mat.
LISTEN FOR
sip: /s/ /ĭ/ /p/; sap: /s/ /ă/ /p/; mat: /m/ /ă/ /t/.
PARENT TIP
Parent-supplied prompts for the ear picture. Tap one finger per sound. These three words each have three sounds.
Slide 6 — Visual Drill
SAY
Tell me the sound of each letter as it appears.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 7 — Visual drill i
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/ĭ/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 8 — Visual drill l
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/l/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 9 — Visual drill w
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/w/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 10 — Visual drill j
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/j/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 11 — Visual drill y
SAY
What sound does this letter spell?
LISTEN FOR
/y/
PARENT TIP
Ask for the sound rather than the letter name. Model once if needed.
Slide 12 — Auditory Drill
SAY
Listen, say the sound back, and write the letter that spells it.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 13 — Listen and write three letters
SAY
Listen to my sound. Say it back, then write the letter that spells it.
LISTEN FOR
/t/ → t; /s/ → s; /p/ → p
PARENT TIP
Give only three sounds, one at a time, in this order: /t/, /s/, /p/. Keep the answer slide hidden until your child has written the letters.
Slide 14 — Check your three letters
SAY
Let’s check your writing. Point to each letter and tell me its sound. Watch how the letter is made, then try it once more.
LISTEN FOR
t, s, p
PARENT TIP
These are the three letters shown. Pause or replay the formation animations as needed.
Slide 15 — Word Building
SAY
Let’s use our known letters to build and read.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 16 — Get the letter tiles ready
SAY
Put your letter tiles where you can reach them. I’ll say a word. You’ll say the sounds, choose the letters, and read the word you built.
LISTEN FOR
Gets the known letters ready.
PARENT TIP
The board picture is a cue to use your own tiles or letter cards. Use the letters your child has learned; the decorative letters in the picture are not the word list.
Slide 17 — Build words with tiles
SAY
I’ll say a word. Say each sound, choose the letters, and read the word you built. Our review words are yam, yes, yup.
LISTEN FOR
yam: /y/ /ă/ /m/; yes: /y/ /ĕ/ /s/; yup: /y/ /ŭ/ /p/.
PARENT TIP
Use only letters and sounds from earlier lessons. Keep today’s new concept out of this review; introduce it in the New Concept section.
Slide 18 — New Concept
SAY
Now we are going to learn a new letter.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 19 — Meet x
SAY
This is uppercase X and lowercase x. The letter x spells /k/ /s/. Say the sound with me.
LISTEN FOR
/k/ /s/
PARENT TIP
Point to both letter forms in the supplied paired-letter image. The animated formation practice comes later in this lesson.
Slide 20 — Find different forms of x
SAY
These letters look a little different, but they are all x. Can you find a capital one? Can you find a lowercase one? They can all spell /ks/.
LISTEN FOR
Points to uppercase and lowercase forms; says /ks/.
PARENT TIP
Use this as letter recognition practice. There is no need to name every font or trace every example.
Slide 21 — X is a Consonant
SAY
Look at the mouth picture for /ks/. Say it with me: /ks/.
LISTEN FOR
Says /ks/ while watching the mouth picture.
PARENT TIP
The speaker icon with the red X shows that /ks/ is an unvoiced sound. Have your child touch their throat: there is no buzz. The letter x spells two sounds, /k/ and /s/.
Slide 22 — Ending sound
SAY
Fox ends with /ks/. Say the last sound with me.
LISTEN FOR
Says /ks/ for the end of fox.
PARENT TIP
Point to the x at the end of the word. Remind your child that x is one letter that spells two sounds.
Slide 23 — Blend the sounds
SAY
Point to each letter and say its sound: /b/ /ŏ/ /ks/. Now blend them together and read the word.
LISTEN FOR
box
PARENT TIP
Slide your finger under the letters from left to right as your child says each sound. The x is one letter but two sounds.
Slide 24 — Write lowercase x
SAY
Watch how to write small x. Same as big X, but small. Now you try. Say /ks/ each time you write it.
LISTEN FOR
Writes x and says /ks/.
PARENT TIP
Have your child say the sound each time they write the letter.
Slide 25 — Write uppercase X
SAY
Watch how to write big X. Slant down one way. Slant down the other way. Now you try.
LISTEN FOR
Writes X and says /ks/.
PARENT TIP
Let your child trace in the air first if that helps.
Slide 26 — Heart Words
SAY
Some words are not spelled the way they sound. We learn parts of them by heart.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 27 — Heart word: you
SAY
This is the word you. Say the word with me: you. Look at the letters and say the word again.
LISTEN FOR
Reads or repeats the word you.
PARENT TIP
Have your child point to each letter, say the word, and write it once. Revisit this word during the sentences that follow.
Slide 28 — Reading
SAY
Now we are going to read some sentences.
LISTEN FOR
Let your child settle into the next activity.
Slide 29 — Sentence 1
SAY
Read this sentence. Sound out any word you need to.
LISTEN FOR
Are you next?
PARENT TIP
Point to each word as your child reads. Are and you are heart words. Celebrate the effort.
Slide 30 — Sentence 2
SAY
Read this sentence. Sound out any word you need to.
LISTEN FOR
You can fix the box.
PARENT TIP
Point to each word as your child reads. You and the are heart words. Celebrate the effort.
Slide 31 — Sentence dictation — listen and write
SAY
Listen to this sentence: The fox is next to the tent. Say the whole sentence back to me. Now write it.
LISTEN FOR
The fox is next to the tent.
PARENT TIP
Do not show the sentence before dictating it. Keep the goose-writing cue on screen. Say the sentence twice at a natural pace. Let your child repeat it, write it, and reread their own writing. Check the new concept, capitals, spaces, and punctuation. Then go to the NEXT slide to reveal the sentence and check together.
Slide 32 — Sentence reveal and check
SAY
Now let’s check the sentence you wrote. Read your writing, then compare it with this sentence.
LISTEN FOR
The fox is next to the tent.
PARENT TIP
This is the first time your child sees the complete dictation sentence. Check the new concept, capitals, spaces, and punctuation. Help with previously taught heart words as needed.
Slide 33 — Good Bye
SAY
Great job today! We learned the letter x, the sound /ks/, and the heart word you.
LISTEN FOR
Says /ks/ when shown x.
PARENT TIP
Celebrate the effort. Keep practice short and positive.
Slide 34 — Copyright
SAY
This slide is for the teacher or parent. There is nothing to read aloud.
LISTEN FOR
Nothing for your child to do here.
Workbook Pages
Letter formation
Do: Trace the big and small X and x. Circle the best one in each row. Say /ks/ each time you write it.
If stuck: "Show me where you start." Model once on a whiteboard, then have the child copy it there before the page.
Letter sort
Do: Find every X and x, even when the letter looks different. Circle each one. Count the circles and write the number in the box.
Missing sound
Do: Name the picture. Say the word slowly and listen for the last sound. Circle the letter that makes it, write it in the empty box, then read the word.
If stuck: "Say the picture name slowly. What sound is at the end?"
New heart word
Do: Read the heart word. The ♡ marks the part to remember. Trace it, fill in the missing letters, color it (the ♡ part in red, the rest any color), write it, then circle it every time you find it.
Say: "This is a heart word. Most of it follows the sounds we know. The heart shows the part we learn by heart."
If stuck: "Which part can we sound out? Which part has the heart, the part we remember?"
Roll and read
Do: Roll a die. Find the column with the same dots and read the next word in it. Keep rolling until every word is read. The ✱ row has made-up words.
If stuck: Point to the letter they missed: "Check this sound." Then "Say the sounds, now blend them fast."
Read and draw
Do: Read each sentence. Tick the box, then draw a picture that matches it.
If stuck: "Point to each word as you read." Ask what the picture needs to show before they draw.
Word ladder
Do: Read the ladder from the bottom up. Only one sound changes each step. Then write the words your grown-up says (Teacher's Guide).
Say: Dictate in order: lax → flax → flex → fled → sled → slid.
If stuck: "What changed? Which sound is different from the word before?"
Sentence scramble
Do: Read the words in each row. Put them in order to make a sentence. Write the sentence on the line. Check for a capital letter, spaces, and an end mark.
Watch For
- Writing ks or cks for x.
- Counting x as one sound when tapping (it is two sounds, one box).
Game: X Marks the Spot
Materials
- A box or bucket for the treasure chest
- Word cards: box, fox, six, mix, wax, ox
- Masking tape or paper to make an X
How to play
- Hide the word cards around the room. Mark the chest with a big X.
- The learner finds a card and reads the word. They point to the x at the end and say /ks/.
- They carry the card to the chest and put it in.
- When all the treasure is found, dump out the chest and read every word again.
Word list
box, fox, six, mix, wax, ox