The Forest Treasure Game Reading guide

Phonics focus

Lessons 58–59: c as /s/ and g as /j/ before e, i and y

Practise soft c and soft g in these words: Soft c: Alice, piece, fence, place, face, rice, city, cycle. Soft g: gem, giant, magic, gentle, gym; both g letters in George. Blend practice words using the focus spelling and compare short and long vowel examples where appropriate. Use the programme lessons to introduce new sounds; the story is original.

Bold red vowel letters and bold blue consonant letters show the selected focus spellings. Read split digraphs as one spelling across the intervening consonant; do not add a separate final-e sound. Only their paired vowel letters are bold red. Soft c and g focus letters are bold blue. Colours identify letter categories, not pronunciation. Read the guide note for each pattern. Help children with other letters and patterns in the word when needed. A highlighted letter does not mean the whole word is independently decodable.

Adult supported words

An adult reads the title with the child. Preview Alice, George, forest, treasure, game, Dad, walks, them, follow, paper, clues, along, path, prize, pretend, sends, tree, next, gone, looks, beside, trunk, checks, branches, spot, only, picnic, list, says, map, wind, may, moved, shows, bench, hedge, sees, underneath, opens, inside, shiny, glass, smiles, found, way, finish. Help with unfamiliar words.

Before reading

Read three practice words and name the selected spelling. Look at the cover, name the setting and predict what might happen.

During reading

Read each sentence aloud together. Point to the highlighted letters, blend the focus words and reread naturally. Use Talk Together to discuss the character, problem, actions and ending.

Narrative structure

A clue goes missing in Alice and George’s forest treasure game. A scrap of paper is a false lead. Dad’s game map helps them reach the next hiding place and find the pretend gem.

After reading

Invite the child to retell what happened first, what went wrong, what the character tried and how the story ended. Reread the book to build confidence.

C often represents /s/ before e, i or y; g often represents /j/ before e, i or y. This is a useful pattern, not every word: get, give, girl and gift keep hard g. Highlight the selected consonant only in blue; other letters stay their normal colour and weight. Both g letters in George are followed by e and sound /j/, but the rest of this name needs adult support. Hedge has dge already taught and is not marked as an isolated soft-g example. The oversized pretend glass gem is a game prop kept out of mouths.