The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 148 · Part 10: Words alike and irregular spellings
122. Sound-alike words in sentences
Goal: Your child reads sentences that use sound-alike words and explains which word is meant.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
After the lists come several pages of short sentences, each using a sound-alike word, so the meaning shows which spelling is right: panes and pains, pairs, pare and pears, peace and piece, peal and peel, plain and plane, plum and plumb, prey and pray, and many more.
The lesson, step by step
Review
Your child spells their, there; two, too.
Read the sentences
Read the sentences aloud together. Some of them:
Panes of glass are put into window frames.
Pains are distressing.
Good people love to live in peace.
Our largest piece of silver coin is a dollar.
Which word?
After each sentence, ask: which spelling of the word is used here, and how do you know? (A piece of coin, not peace.)
Spell the pairs
Your child spells both words of three pairs from the page: peace, piece; plain, plane; pray, prey.
Dictation
Read two of the book's sentences slowly. Your child writes them. Check the sound-alike word first.
Wrap up
Your child makes up one sentence that uses both words of a pair.
Afterwards
These sentences fill about four pages. Read a few each day for a week, with one sentence as dictation.