The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 138 · Part 8: Special sounds
105. Light endings: citizen, garrison, venison
Goal: Your child reads and spells words whose last vowel is barely heard, and longer words ending in -ism and -ize.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
This page has a list of words ending in an, en or on in which the vowel is mute or barely sounded (artisan, garrison, citizen, unison, comparison, venison), then words ending in -ism that keep the accent of the word they come from, then words ending in -ize accented on the first syllable. The heading No. 138 is on this page.
The lesson, step by step
The pattern
In "citizen" and "garrison" the last vowel is hardly heard: CIT-i-zn, GAR-ri-sn. Spelling by syllables keeps that vowel in the word.
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:
artisan, garrison, citizen
unison, comparison, venison
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.
Sayc, i, t, cit; i, i; z, e, n, zen; citizen.
Sayg, a, r, gar; r, i, ri; s, o, n, son; garrison.
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: citizen, garrison, unison, comparison, venison.
Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.
Wrap up
Read the -ism and -ize lists through once together. Your child picks one word from each and says it.