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Section 1
Reading
The ability to read predicts a student's future success not only in school but in life as well. Reading is the foundation for all other subjects and disciplines. It opens the doors to countless discoveries and opportunities.
List 1.1 Long Vowels and Spellings
Vowels are speech sounds that typically form the central sound of syllables. The letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y represent the main vowels in the English alphabet. The following list contains common spellings of those sounds and example words.
The
long a /
/ has several spellings, including:
a: lady, basic, vacation
ai: main, claim, wait
ay: say, play, maybe
a-consonant-e: ate, name, space
ei: eight, neighbor, freight
ey: hey, prey, they
The
long e /
/ has several spellings, including:
e: we, me, she
ea: east, weak, flea
ee: see, keep, knee
e-consonant-e: these, complete, concrete
ie: field, brief, piece
i-consonant-e: police, routine, vaccine
y: memory, scary, very
The
long i /
/ has several spellings, including:
i: idea, title, lion
igh: might, sigh, highway
i-consonant-e: fire, five, wide
ey: eye, eyelid, eyesight
uy: buy, guy, buyer
y: try, cycle, reply
The
long o /
/ has several spellings, including:
o: go, hello, open
oa: coat, goal, oak
ow: owe, snow, bowl
o-consonant-e: hope, nose, spoke
The
long u /
/ has several spellings, including:
u: pupil, menu, human
ue: fuel, value, rescue
eau: beauty, beautiful, beautician
u-consonant-e: use, cube, confuse
Did you know? Students who are well versed in phonics tend to be competent readers.
See List 1.2, Short Vowels and Spellings; List 1.3, Special Vowel Sounds and Spellings; List 1.4, Vowels and a Final E.
List 1.2 Short Vowels and Spellings
Unlike long vowel sounds that sound like the letters they represent, short vowel sounds are not as distinct. Most young students easily recognize the long /
/ in
ate, yet many have trouble recognizing the short /
/ sound in
drink as opposed to the short /
/ sound in
cup. The following list can add some clarity.
Short a /
/: pass, at, after, that, man, stand
Short e /
/: end, gem, held, help, went, kept
Note: The short e sound may also...
