The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Nos. 143–144 · Part 8: Special sounds
110. Ch said as sh, and ea said as short e: chaise, bread, health
Goal: Your child reads words from French where ch says sh, and spells words where ea says short e.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
No. 143, "In the following words, ch has the sound of sh, and in many of them i has the sound of e long": chaise, chagrin, chevalier, chivalry, chandelier, chemise, and words like cavalier, marine, caprice. No. 144, "In the following words, the vowel a in the digraph ea has no sound, and e is either short..." : bread, health, dead, wealth, head, tread, dread.
The lesson, step by step
The pattern
No. 143: these words came from French. ch says sh (chaise, chandelier), and i often says long e (marine, caprice). Remember the key word "marine".
No. 144: ea usually says long e, but here the a is silent and the e is short: bread, head, health.
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:
chaise, chagrin, chivalry, chandelier
marine, caprice
bread, health, dead, wealth
head, tread, dread
Spell aloud
Now the old way: your child looks at a word, then spells it aloud and says it.
Sayb, r, e, a, d, bread.
Go down a column like this. Then cover the column, say a word, and have your child spell it aloud without looking.
Two sounds of ea
Your child sorts: bead, bread, heal, health, meat, head. Long e or short e?
Dictation
Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: chandelier, marine, bread, health, head, dread.
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.