The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 135 · Part 8: Special sounds
102. Ci and ti as sh: precious, special, ambition, delicious
Goal: Your child reads and spells words where ci or ti says "sh" and joins the syllable before it.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
The top of the page continues No. 134 (substantial, confidential, providential, audacious, capacious). No. 135 explains that ci and ti are sounded as sh and joined to the syllable before: precious, special, vicious, addition, ambition, auspicious, capricious, nutritious, delicious, ambitious.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Say "conscience" and "captious" and point to the letters that say sh.
The pattern
Same "sh" sound, in very common words: pre-cious, spe-cial, am-bi-tion. When you spell by syllables, the ci or ti goes with the ending: pre-cious.
Read the table aloud
Read the table aloud together, a column at a time. You say a word, your child says it back while pointing to it. Then your child reads a column alone. Some of the words:
substantial, confidential, audacious
precious, special, vicious
addition, ambition, delicious, ambitious
Spell aloud by syllables
Spell each word a syllable at a time, the way Webster's pupils did: spell the first syllable and say it, spell the next and say it, then say the whole word.
Says, p, e, spe; c, i, a, l, cial; special.
Sayd, e, de; l, i, li; c, i, o, u, s, cious; delicious.
Do a column this way while looking, then cover it and spell a few from memory.
Dictation
Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: precious, special, addition, ambition, delicious.
Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.
Review
Finish with the cards from earlier days: your child reads and spells each one. Put a card away after three right days in a row.