72. Three-syllable words with short vowels

The lesson, step by step

1. Look at the pattern

   Three-syllable words with short vowels and the accent in the middle: ac-QUIT-tal, de-LIV-er, in-SIP-id.

   Say a few words together and clap once on the loud syllable.

2. Read the list aloud together

   Open the book to the lesson. Read the words aloud together, one column at a time. Some of them:

   acquittal, deliver, insipid, diminish, intrinsic, bewilder, consistent, malignant, commitment

   Then your child reads a column alone, pointing to each word.

3. Spell aloud by syllables

   Spell the old way: say the word, spell each syllable and say it, then say the whole word again. Show one first:

   Saydeliver. d-e, de; l-i-v, liv; e-r, er; deliver.

   Then your child spells eight or ten words from the list the same way. The spaces between syllables in the book show where to break.

4. Write from dictation

   Close the book. Read 10 words from the list, one at a time. Say each word clearly, use it in a short sentence of your own if it is unfamiliar, then say it again.

   Your child writes each word on a slate or paper. No peeking at the book.

5. Check and correct

   Open the book and check each word together, letter by letter. For each mistake, your child looks at the right spelling, says it, spells it aloud, and writes it correctly three times.

   Add any word that was missed to a hard-words list.

6. Quick review

   Ask three or four words from the hard-words list, or from the last lesson if the list is empty. Words spelled right twice in a row can come off the list.