English Language Crazy Spellings
Have you ever wondered about all those crazy spellings in the English language? I have. It makes me think of the year I had three fifth grade boys with the same name. Fortunately, they were each spelled differently: Erick, Eric, and Erik. They were all pronounced the same; however, each spelling was unique to each boy. We still see this in names. Some parents substitute the letter y for an i or e as in Alicia/Alysia and Linda/Lynda.
While names can be spelled and pronounced any way a parent chooses, many English words have curious spellings. For instance, why does one word end with a
ck, another with just a
k, and yet another with just a
c
as in my three Erick’s? There are actual spelling rules that apply
most
of the time that can help us know when to use each at the end of a word. Remember, they all sound the same.
Here is the key: When following a short vowel sound, the sound for /k/ is spelled with a ck because a k can not follow a short vowel. Examples of these words include: track, truck, trick, sick, and brick. If there is a consonant between the short vowel and the /k/ sound, then using just a k is appropriate. Examples of these words are: desk, milk, mask, risk, and bulk. Many times just the letter c will follow the short i when it comes at the end of a word that is usually more than one syllable. Examples of these words are: music, logic, attic, basic, and comic.
Another spelling rule deals with when to use the tch vs. the ch.
Here is the key: It is similar to the last rule. The sound /ch/ cannot be spelled with a ch when it follows a short vowel. Therefore, in English the letter t is placed before the ch. The t is silent. Here are some examples of words with the tch: batch, match, catch, crutch, and fetch. Examples of words that end with just the ch are: itch, bench, lunch, inch, and bunch. Exceptions to this rule are: much, rich, such, and which.
How do we know when to use a C or a K for the /k/ sound at the beginning of a word?
Here is the key:
It depends on if there is a vowel that follows the
C
or
K, and
which
vowel is following. If the /k/ sound is followed by an
a,
o, or
u
it is appropriate to use the
C. If the /k/ sound is followed by an
e,
i, or
y, it is appropriate to use the
K.
Many times during my tutoring years, parents would sit in on a session. The comments I would get about these simple rules would always be the same. “I wish I would have known these rules when I was in school. It would have made reading and spelling much easier.”
To be honest, I never learned any spelling rules that I can remember when I was growing up. Reading and spelling were easy for me. It wasn’t until I learned about dyslexia that I really learned how the English language worked and how to teach just about anyone to read. During my 16 years of continuous tutoring, up to 18 sessions a week, the skills I learned were effective in teaching every one of my students to read. I look back on that time and realize how blessed I was to be able to make a difference in so many lives.
English can be a crazy language to learn to read and spell. But the methods that I’ve learned have been successful for those who spoke another language, had learning disabilities other than dyslexia, and those who just needed to get some extra help because they were behind in reading.
There is always hope.
Many students are labeled as discipline problems, but in reality they just need to learn to read so their class time is productive. Can you visualize an 8-year-old who is already behind in reading. This may cause them to fidget or to become a class clown because they can’t keep up with what’s going on in class. When a child can’t read, their world closes in on them and many times they resort to all types of inappropriate behavior. The older they get, the worse it becomes. If they are not reading well when they enter 4th
grade, they will fall behind at a much greater rate because the number of new words that are introduced is huge compared to grades K-3, and there is no way they can fake their reading shortcoming any longer.
This is why I’m writing curriculum that can be downloaded and used by parents to help their children read or perhaps catch up to where they should be. I’ve kept it simple for parents and effective for students. Also, I have priced it at an affordable cost. This method will work for just about anyone who wants to read.
Currently, there are 2 levels, with the 3rd one on the way. Check them out in my store at Betty-Goodman.com.
Beginning Sight Words
I to he
can me look
for some many
have and with
his this where
from says done
the go is
of what good
goes any should
we you little
they help who
Mr. could again
see do she
said put come
your would was
a my does
want has Mrs.
as been there
like are how
hear play walk
Note to Parents:
Remember when teaching sight words to your child, it’s best to put them on 3”x 5” cards and start with 5 at a time. When your child is comfortable with the first 5, add in 2 or 3 more at a time.
I would probably look at the list with a reading book in hand. Start with the sight words that they will need to be able to read fluently in their reader. Since different readers have different sight words, this is the best way to get started.
You can start by having them just read the word. When they are proficient with remembering the word, you can also have them learn to spell it. That is the goal: reading and spelling each sight word correctly.
Important Kindergarten Skills to Practice During the Summer and Beyond
A lot of kindergarten work is oral. There are only a few things on this list that requires writing. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
1. High Frequency and Sight Words: (Put them on flash cards if you can)
a. List 1: I, am, see, a, can, we, the, in, and, go, to, like, said, you, is, it, here, come, up, look, at, me, on, this, my
b. List 2: she, was, he, went, by, out, big, little, yes, with, no, not, going, down, where, are, they, from, have, for, run, his, will, one, of
2. Practice identifying upper and lowercase letters and their sound, including the digraphs ch, ck, sh, th, wh.
3. Practice writing their name legibly.
4. If your child knows his/her sounds, they may practice sounding out CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) words. To do this say each sound and then put them together to say the word. Here is a list of sample words to start with: mat, bam, map, Sam, fat, tap, cab, pig, rim, ban, tag, gap, nag, bin, am, pin, rat, lip, at, hit, cat, rat, sat, fig, dog, jam, lid, dim, bog, dip, dig, kid, cob, cub, gum, us, wax, quit, wag, ox, cut, yum, path, neck, chin, rock, back, rush, chop
5. Work on Rhyming Words. Examples Set One: mat, bat, sat, cat, etc. Set Two: jump, bump, lump, etc. Set Three: sing, ring, bring, etc. Set Four: run, bun, fun, etc. (Rhyming words are strictly by ending sound and not the spelling such as fun and done.
6. Math Skills:
a. Practice counting from 1 to 100 by 1’s and practice counting by 10’s to 100.
b. Practice writing numbers from 1 to 20.
c. Practice adding numbers reaching 5, such as 1+2=3, 2+3=5, etc.
d. Practice recognizing flat shapes: triangle, square, rectangle, circle, hexagon.
e. Practice 3-D shapes: sphere, cone, cylinder, prism, cube.
7. Besides these academics, working on small motor skills is also critical for kindergarten children. Suggestions include:
a. Practice cutting with scissors – straight lines and curves
b. Coloring – Staying in the lines
c. Playdough – pinching and shaping
d. Any other activity that requires using fingers with small things
Spending 10 to 15 minutes each day practicing some of these things will really help your child excel.
