The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · No. 111 · Part 7: Long words and common endings

80. Words ending in -ate: estimate, nominate, advocate

Goal: Your child reads and spells three-syllable words ending in -ate, accented on the first syllable.

⏱ About 15 minutes · 6 steps

Open it at the Internet Archive ↗

You'll need

  • The book, open to this table
  • A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil

What's in the book

No. 111, "Words of three syllables, accented on the first", with the note that a in the termination ate has an obscure sound of long a: venerate, intimate, estimate, fascinate, nominate, germinate, passionate, dissipate, desolate, advocate, ventilate, speculate, and on the next page irritate, hesitate, gravitate, excavate, aggravate, graduate.

The lesson, step by step

  1. The pattern

    Three beats, first strong: "ES-ti-mate", "NOM-i-nate". The book says the a in -ate is "obscure": not quite a full long a, because the strong beat is far back at the start.

  2. 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:

    venerate, intimate, estimate, fascinate

    nominate, desolate, advocate, ventilate

    irritate, hesitate, excavate, graduate

  3. 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.

    Saye, s, es; t, i, ti; m, a, t, e, mate; estimate.

    Sayh, e, s, hes; i, i; t, a, t, e, tate; hesitate.

    Do a column this way while looking, then cover it and spell a few from memory.

  4. Read the sentences

    Read sentences from this page and the next:

    A deponent is one who makes oath to any thing.

    Men often toil all their lives to get property, which their children dissipate and waste.

    We should emulate the virtuous actions of great and good men.

  5. Dictation

    Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: estimate, nominate, advocate, hesitate, excavate, graduate.

    Check together against the book. Any word that came out wrong goes on a card for tomorrow.

  6. 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.

@teddyrookbook GitHub