The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Nos. 10–11 · Part 2: First syllables
9. More blends: pha, qua, spa, sta, spla, stra
Goal: Your child reads syllables beginning with ph, qu, sp, st, sc, sw and the three-letter blends spl, spr, str, shr.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
No. 10 has pha, qua, spa, sta, sca and swa rows. No. 11 finishes swo, swu, then three consonants together: spla, spra, stra, shra. Short sentences follow, such as "She fed the old hen."
The lesson, step by step
The pattern
More consonant pairs, and then three together. ph sounds like f. qu sounds like kw. In spl, spr and str all three sounds are said quickly, one after another.
Read the table aloud
Read No. 10:
pha, phe, phi, pho
qua, que, qui, quo
spa, spe, spi, spo, spu, spy
sta, ste, sti, sto, stu, sty
Then No. 11:
spla, sple, spli, splo
spra, spre, spri, spro
stra, stre, stri, stro
Spell aloud
Your child spells and says each syllable: "s, t, r, a, stra." Then you say one and your child spells it from memory.
Read the sentences
Read the sentences on this page together. Many of the words are already easy now. Two of them:
She fed the old hen.
Did you get my hat?
Dictation
Your child writes: pha, qui, spo, sty, spla, stri.
Wrap up
Celebrate: the syllable tables are finished. From the next table on, everything is a real word.
Tip
A child who can read Nos. 1 to 11 quickly has the sounds needed for most short English words.