# Teacher-only checks, meanings and exact next moves

**Keep this file out of learner handouts.** Pair each chosen [practice card](learner-practice.md) or [held-out check](student-checks.md) with the learner's actual taught code. Record `exact attempt | independent / after sound cue / after print cue / after full model / not yet observed | response mode | next teaching | later fresh recheck`. A score is a planning sample, not a diagnosis or a reading-level label. A child may understand an adult-read story while still learning to decode; keep those observations separate. Do not treat handwriting, speech volume, speed or standard English accent as the target.

## Daily teacher checks

| Day | What the chosen practice line means | Listen/look for | If incomplete, do this next |
|---:|---|---|---|
| 11 | A Sam taps; B Tim sits; C an imagined hen is inside a pictured pen. | Whole-word grapheme tracking, actor/action or object/place. | If `sh` is split, use one `sh` tile in a phoneme box and reread `ship` then fresh `dish`; if meaning is absent, point to actor/action words after accurate blending. |
| 12 | A Stan stands; B Sam mends a net; C Tim steps. | Two sounds in initial `st` or final `nd`, and one complete event. | If `nd` becomes only /d/, contrast spoken `sad` and `sand`, move two final tokens, then build `bend` with no speed demand. |
| 13 | A Chad chats; B Sam shops in a pretend setting; C a toy ship is on a mat. Adult story: Nia/Eli, signs moved, they clipped and mapped them, then left space for new observation. | `sh/ch` from full print; first/next/last and a reason based on adult-read text. | If retell is unordered, show two or three event cards, reread transition, then use a fresh oral mini-event later. Do not call it a print-reading error. |
| 14 | A cat on a mat; B Tim mends a bag; C Chad fishes in a puppet tale. | One idea with actor/action, reread and boundary mark. | If sentence lacks an end, move a physical stop token after the last word and have child reread their **own** idea; scribe rich words without scoring untaught spellings. |
| 15 | After check only: A Sam taps a tin; B Stan stands on a mat; C invented dog is in a pen. | Use [held-out Day 15 key](#day-15-held-out-key). | Reteach the **specific** sound, print, comprehension or composition part below; do not send every learner back to Day 11. |
| 16 | Route A: Sam packs; duck on rock; Tim packs a sock. Route B: Sam shops; Chad chats; hen on mat. | A final `ck` is one /k/ after a short vowel in these words; B `sh/ch` are one sound each. | A: if child treats `c` and `k` as two sounds, join them in one box and compare `back`/`sick`; B: contrast `ship`/`chip` using sound and print, then fresh `hush`. |
| 17 | A duck on dock; Sam packs a sack; Tim picks a rock. B cat sits; Stan mends a net; Chad chats. | A transfer across vowels and sentence meaning; B digraph/blend distinction. | If a word is decoded but unknown, teach its meaning *after* the print attempt, then read a fresh controlled line; do not score vocabulary unfamiliarity as a grapheme error. |
| 18 | A and B: two separately punctuated events in each selected card. | Exact location of each stop, next capital and actor/action in each idea. | If punctuation is added mechanically, use actor/action tiles to decide whether there is one or two complete ideas, then edit a **new** line. |
| 19 | A: Chad checks a map, duck sits on rock, or Tim packs a sack. B: Stan chats, Tim shops, or Chad mends a net. Adult story: unclear puppet instruction, Miri adds boundaries, new actor follows revised card. | Route word mapping; story problem/action/result; a child-authored idea reread and edited. | If the child gives only “full stop” as plot, reread how the new actor used the card. If spelling is the barrier, scribe the oral idea and teach the target grapheme separately. |
| 20 | After check only: A Sam packs a sack / duck on rock / Chad checks a map. B Sam shops / hen in pen / Tim mends a net. | Use [held-out Day 20 key](#day-20-held-out-key). | Choose the next small-group target from the route-specific error pattern, then test with a new word/text on a later day. |

## Day 15 held-out key

**Before the check:** the two printed words and dictated word below do not occur in the Day 11–15 practice strips or teacher model. Explain a word's meaning **after** the child has attempted print, then assess comprehension separately.

| Item | Exact expected evidence | If not yet independent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 `wish` | /w/ /i/ /sh/; `w-i-sh`, a desire/hope. | If final `sh` is split, place the digraph in one box; recheck later with a different `sh` word. |
| 2 `chum` | /ch/ /u/ /m/; `ch-u-m`, informal word for friend. | If read as initial /sh/, contrast `chip` and `ship`, then transfer later to another `ch` word. |
| 3 dictated `mash` | Say naturally: “mash”, soft crushed mixture; expected `m-a-sh`, three phonemes. Do not display the word before encoding. | If sounds are heard but letters are missing, give one grapheme selection at a time; record that this is encoding support, not a reading failure. |
| 4 `Chad can mend.` | Chad can mend; one complete printed idea. | If word reading is accurate but actor is unclear, ask the child to point to the name and act the verb after a reread. |
| Adult-read microstory | Jo's first label was too small for some; Jo added a larger shape; group found box; they still wonder whether placement might help. First/problem then response plus a question. | If order is unclear, give two tactile/picture events and reread the transition. This is listening comprehension, not independent decoding. |

**Next lesson decision:** A `sh/ch` confusion gets a focused sound–print contrast with two fresh regular words; a blend omission gets a two-counter blend model; good decoding with weak sentence meaning gets a brief reread and actor/action evidence; good oral retell with weaker print gets separate phonics instruction while rich stories continue. Independently accurate word reading on more than one occasion supports moving with the school's scope; one card alone does not certify mastery.

## Day 20 held-out key

**Route A only if `ck` was explicitly taught:**

| Item | Exact expected evidence | Next move if incomplete |
|---|---|---|
| 1 `luck` | `l-u-ck`: /l/ /u/ /k/, chance; `ck` one phoneme. | Join `ck` in one box, blend known `back`, then use a new later transfer word, not this check again. |
| 2 `peck` | `p-e-ck`: /p/ /e/ /k/, a bird's beak tap. | If /e/ differs by accent, listen for the taught short-vowel print link without penalising accent; compare one known word. |
| 3 dictated `tuck` | Say “tuck” naturally; expected `t-u-ck`, one final /k/ unit. | If child writes `tuk`, point to known A word `duck` after scoring and build the final `ck` tile; later recheck elsewhere. |
| 4 `Sam can pick a sock.` | Sam picks a sock; `pick` and `sock` use taught final `ck`; `a` was explicitly taught before this pack. | If child reads words but cannot state actor/action, model one evidence point and ask a new question on a fresh line. |
| 5 `tim can pick` | `Tim can pick.` Capital for familiar proper name/start, full stop after one complete idea. | If marks are added without meaning, ask who acts and where that idea ends, then edit a different sentence. |

**Route B if `ck` is not the school's next correspondence:**

| Item | Exact expected evidence | Next move if incomplete |
|---|---|---|
| 1 `mush` | `m-u-sh`: /m/ /u/ /sh/, soft mixture. | If `sh` splits, use one digraph tile; later recheck with a different short vowel. |
| 2 `much` | `m-u-ch`: /m/ /u/ /ch/, a large amount. | Contrast final `sh/ch` sounds and graphemes in `mush/much` after scoring; later use another unseen pair. |
| 3 dictated `rush` | Say “rush” normally; expected `r-u-sh`, three phonemes. | If /r/ is secure but `sh` is omitted, repeat with a physical final sound counter before a new recheck. |
| 4 `Sam can bend.` | Sam bends; final `nd` keeps both sounds. | If `nd` loses /n/, compare `bed` and `bend` orally and build with four counters later. |
| 5 `stan can mend` | `Stan can mend.` Capital for familiar proper name/start, full stop after one complete idea. | If marks are placed by visual pattern only, ask who acts, then edit a new one-idea line. |

**Common adult-read microstory:** A block stopped a toy bus on a paper road; the group moved the block; in the imagined story the bus reached the finish. A reasonable evidence-based response names the changed path and the second try. This is listening comprehension and not an actual experiment or independent decoding.

**Formative rubric:** Mark each subskill `independent / after a limited cue / after full model / not yet observed`; quote evidence and support. Subskills are (1) phoneme awareness, (2) grapheme choice and word blending, (3) word meaning after reading, (4) connected-text actor/action and phrasing, (5) adult-read retell/sequence, (6) independently composed simple idea, and (7) sentence boundary edit. Recheck a weak subskill with **new** content on a later day. A learner's home language, dialect, motor access or hearing route affects how evidence is gathered; collaborate with school specialists and the family where appropriate. Do not average these into a fixed ability label.

**Reuse:** Original SubjectNest formative guidance © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Credit source and mark changes.