The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Nos. 5–7 · Part 2: First syllables
7. Short-vowel syllables: aj, ak, al, ar, ok, ul
Goal: Your child reads and spells syllables where a short vowel is closed by a consonant, and reads short sentences made of two-letter words.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
Nos. 5, 6 and 7 continue the pattern of No. 4: a vowel followed by a consonant (aj, ej, ij; ar, er, ir; ok, uk, ol, ul), with little sentences such as "I am to go in."
The lesson, step by step
Review
Spell and say five syllables from No. 4: ab, ed, ig, ob, ud.
The pattern
Same idea as No. 4: the vowel first, then a consonant to close it, so the vowel is short. Only the closing consonants are new. Note that ar, er and ir have their own sounds when r closes the syllable.
Read the table aloud
Read across the rows of all three tables. They go like this:
aj, ej, ij, ak, ek, ik
ar, er, ir, as, es, is
ok, uk, ol, ul, om, um
Spell aloud
Point to a syllable; your child spells it and says it: "a, k, ak". Then the reverse: you say "ul", your child spells "u, l".
Read the sentences
Read the little sentences together. They use only two-letter words, so your child can read them alone:
I am to go in.
Is he to be by me?
Dictation
Your child writes: am, in, is, it, us, up, on. These are all real words built the same way as the syllables.
Wrap up
Ask your child to find three real words hiding in the tables (am, in, is, up, us, on...).