# Teacher-only key and next teaching · Days 21–30

Keep this file off learner printouts. Use [learner checks](student-checks.md) only at Days 25 and 30. Record each subskill as **independent / prompted (name prompt) / not observed**; a single total does not diagnose a reader. Check the school's actual phonics progression before Route A. A correct oral meaning after an adult supplied the printed word does not count as independent decoding. A child-directed scribe can show composition, but note separately any adult spelling or sentence wording.

## Daily response keys

| Day | Three core lines: exact printed meaning, in order | Oral/literature/writing signal | If missed, next move |
|---:|---|---|---|
| 21 | Meg mends a net; Ben taps a tin; map in bag. A: Sam packs a sack. | In heard story, first sign faces model wall; intended reader cannot see it. | Rebuild first-to-last grapheme track; retell with sign/visitor objects. |
| 22 | Red cap on mat; Pat sits on rug; van stops. A: Pat picks a rock. | Heard story: sign turns towards model door and is tested with a second paper figure; colour not stated. | Reread turning paragraph; contrast stated detail with an invented one. |
| 23 | Bus stops then Pat steps; fish in tub and Ben sits; Dot chats and Meg naps. A: sock in bag, Tim packs. | Two stops mark two ideas; do not infer actual bus route or live fish. | Place a tactile stop tile and one action token per sentence. |
| 24 | Meg shops/Ben mends bag; ship on mat/Pat taps; dog hops/Dot stops. A: duck sits on dock. | Child makes own one-idea sentence and rereads for capital, spaces, full stop; prompt log. | Actor/action oral rehearsal, then child-directed rewrite; avoid adult composing it. |
| 25 | Lid on pot/Ben sits; Pat stands/Meg chats; hen in pen/Dot taps. A: Meg packs sack/Ben sits. **Practice after check only.** | Use held-out key below. | Target exact failed sound, meaning or composition component. |
| 26 | Cat hops/dog sits; Meg mends bag/Pat steps; van stops/Dot stands. A: duck hops on rock. | Heard story: Ada/Neri characters; imagined art room setting; missing middle is event/problem. | Sort person/place/event cards; reread middle paragraph. |
| 27 | Pat taps tin/Ben chats; fish in tub/Meg sits; Dot shops/map in bag. A: Pat checks map/Meg sits. | Ada's guess changes because the middle picture is found under table; proposed other middles are inventions. | Compare “first guess” and “found picture” cards with textual clues. |
| 28 | Ben stops/Meg stands; dog on mat/hen in pen; Pat mends net/Dot taps tin. A: sock on mat/Dot packs. | Original one-sentence recount has one complete idea; reread makes an observable revision. | Prompt who/did-what and track before/after change. |
| 29 | Map on mat/Pat chats; red cap in bag/Ben sits; bus stops/Meg steps. A: duck on mat/Ben picks sock. | Caption must match invented drawing; do not request real location or home story. | Invite author to change drawing or wording, then check a reader's interpretation. |
| 30 | Dot mends net/Pat sits; cat hops/Ben stands; Meg taps tin/dog stops. A: Meg checks map/Pat packs. **Practice after check only.** | Use held-out key below. | Target exact failed sound, plot step or edit component. |

## Day 25 held-out key

**Route B:** `dash` = /d/ /a/ /sh/ (three boxes); `cash` = /c/ /a/ /sh/ (three); dictated `bush` = /b/ /u/ /sh/ → `b-u-sh`. Line: a short drawn dash is on a map; Ben can sit. **Route A:** `tick` = /t/ /i/ /k/ → `t-i-ck`; `lock` = /l/ /o/ /k/ → `l-o-ck`; dictated `kick` = /k/ /i/ /k/ → `k-i-ck`. Line: a drawn tick is on a map; Ben can sit. Do not demand prior vocabulary knowledge for *dash/tick* before decoding; teach meaning after the attempt and record it separately. A learner who maps /k/ with one `ck` sound box has the relevant concept even if handwriting form needs help.

**Heard story:** The frame covered the title; Mira moved the title to a wide strip below the frame; afterward a paper visitor could see both. The text gives no colour, actual visitor ability or real location. Any ordered first/next response naming the cover and change is acceptable. For writing, accept a child-created complete idea such as “Mira moved the title.” A richer dictated response is also valid for composition if the scribe preserved child wording. Check initial capital and sentence stop as separate observable parts; do not use the model response as child-read print.

## Day 30 held-out key

**Route B:** `band` = /b/ /a/ /n/ /d/ (four boxes); `tend` = /t/ /e/ /n/ /d/ (four); dictated `land` = /l/ /a/ /n/ /d/ → `l-a-n-d`. Line: toy band can stand; Dot can sit. **Route A:** `rack` = /r/ /a/ /k/ → `r-a-ck`; `muck` = /m/ /u/ /k/ → `m-u-ck`; dictated `puck` = /p/ /u/ /k/ → `p-u-ck`. Line: small stand is on mat; Dot can sit. Meaning of *band/rack* can be given after the print attempt. All final `ck` spellings are gated; do not offer these to a learner whose school has not explicitly taught them.

**Heard story:** The middle *shoot* card turned face down; listener incorrectly thought the pictured flower came straight after the seed; Sana turned the middle face up; order is seed–shoot–flower *in the picture*. The story explicitly says the drawings cannot establish real growth time. Accept an AAC/pointed three-card sequence. For writing, a complete child idea such as “Sana turned the card.” is valid; child should reread and identify a relevant edit or verify that no change is needed. Give feedback on meaning and boundary separately from spelling support.

## Decision record after either check

| Evidence | Next teaching within 48 hours | Avoid claiming |
|---|---|---|
| Digraph treated as two sounds or first-letter guess | Return to one `sh/ch` tile, three sound boxes, blend a *different already taught* word, then fresh line. | A generic reading level from one word. |
| Blend loses /n/ or /d/ | Say the word normally, count both end phonemes with counters, build a familiar `nd` word, then fresh word. | Accent or articulation as a print deficit. |
| Route A treats `ck` as two sounds | Re-model one final `ck` tile after a short vowel, compare with a known A word, recheck new word later; Route B stays available. | That Year 1 requires `ck` at this school today. |
| Word mapped but line meaning uncertain | Teach noun meaning orally *after* decode, reread sentence and ask which printed word supports answer. | Vocabulary unfamiliarity as decoding failure. |
| Heard plot confused but print accurate | Adult rereads relevant paragraph; use two then three event objects; ask stated fact vs possible guess. | Weak phonics from oral retell. |
| Child has idea but writing boundary missing | Preserve original attempt, rehearse one actor/action idea, child adds or directs capital/stop and rereads. | Handwriting or scribe support as lack of ideas. |
| Independent transfer plus story evidence secure | Offer an authentic locally approved text read together, more original writing and a new evidence question; stay within taught code for assigned independent decoding. | Full ACARA description or achievement-standard attainment. |

Original teacher keys and decision prompts © 2026 NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd, [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Credit, link and indicate changes.