The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Nos. 112–113 · Part 7: Long words and common endings
81. Two and three syllables: curtain, dolphin, citadel, paradise
Goal: Your child reads and spells two-syllable words with light second syllables (-ain, -in, -ent) and three-syllable words accented on the first.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
No. 112, "Words of two syllables, accented on the first": chilblain, villain, plantain, vervain, curtain, dolphin, and on the next page serpent, solvent, torrent, convent, zealot. No. 113, "Words of three syllables, accented on the first": calomel, alcohol, citadel, vitriol, furniture, infidel, parasol, sepulture, sentinel, paradise. Sentences: "A curtain is used to hide something from the view."
The lesson, step by step
The pattern
No. 112: two beats, the first strong. The second syllable is light: in "curtain" and "villain" the ai is hardly heard ("-tin"). Learn the spelling by syllables.
No. 113: three beats, the first strong: "CIT-a-del", "PAR-a-dise".
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:
chilblain, villain, plantain, curtain
dolphin, serpent, torrent, convent
calomel, alcohol, citadel
furniture, parasol, sentinel, paradise
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, u, r, cur; t, a, i, n, tain; curtain.
Sayp, a, r, par; a, a; d, i, s, e, dise; paradise.
Do a column this way while looking, then cover it and spell a few from memory.
Read the sentences
Read sentences from these two pages and the next:
A curtain is used to hide something from the view.
The colors of the dolphin in the water are very beautiful.
A citadel is a fortress to defend a city or town.
Dictation
Say each word, use it in a short sentence of your own, and say it again. Your child writes it. Try these: villain, curtain, dolphin, serpent, furniture, paradise.
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.
Afterwards
Two tables: take two days, one table each.