The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Analysis of Sounds · Part 1: The key to the sounds and the alphabet
1. How the book marks long and short vowels
Goal: Your child knows that each vowel has a long sound and a short sound, and can tell the book's long mark (a straight line over the letter) from its short mark (a little curve).
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
The "Analysis of Sounds in the English Language" explains vowels, consonants and diphthongs, then shows how the book marks each vowel sound: a straight line over a letter for its long sound, a curve over it for its short sound, and a few other marks for the "occasional" sounds.
The lesson, step by step
Why the marks matter
Webster's speller does not just list words. Over many of the vowels it prints a small mark that tells you exactly how to say that vowel. Once your child knows the marks, the book teaches pronunciation by itself.
You do not need to read these front pages aloud to a young child. Read them yourself first, then teach the marks a few at a time with real words.
Long and short
SayEvery vowel has a long sound, where it says its own name, and a short sound.
Say pairs and let your child copy: "ā as in cake, ă as in cat. ē as in me, ĕ as in met. ī as in bind, ĭ as in bin. ō as in note, ŏ as in not. ū as in tube, ŭ as in tub."
The two main marks
Write a on the slate with a straight line over it (ā). Say: This line means the long sound.
Write a with a little curve over it (ă). Say: This curve means the short sound.
Do the same with e, i, o and u. The book uses these same two marks for every vowel.
Find the marks in the book
Look together at the examples the book gives on these pages, such as the short e in
met
and the long and short i in
bind, bin
Let your child point to each mark and say the sound it stands for.
A quick game
Write five short words with the long or short mark over the vowel (for example: ā in cake, ă in hat, ō in rope, ŏ in hot, ĭ in pin). Your child reads each one, using the mark to decide the sound.
Wrap up
Ask: What does a straight line over a vowel mean? What does a curve mean? That is all for today. The other marks come next time.
Afterwards
For a few days, write three marked words on the slate each morning for your child to read.
Tip
Teach the marks by ear first. A child who can hear the difference between "cake" and "cat" learns the marks in a day or two.