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Need help with spelling/phonics rules? 😕
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Hey Reader, In my first year as a teacher, I had a student complain to me that English didn't make sense. She wanted to know why the word love was spelled with an O for the /u/ sound and why it had a silent E at the end. It didn't follow the rules she knew. I was stumped. I had no idea why it was spelled like that so I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Yeah, I don't know. English is just confusing." 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️ What a terrible response to give but I didn't know any better. Have you ever felt like this too? If so, I have something just for you. My brand new FREE workshop is all about 8 common phonics and spelling rules that explain why English seems so "confusing" and "weird": 8 Common Spelling Rules All Teachers Should Know If I knew all the phonics rules back then, I could have told that student that English words don't end in V (so they add a silent e) to explain the final silent E in the word love. 📅 This online workshop is happening on Monday, July 1st, at 2pm EDT on Zoom, and is perfect for teachers who want to enhance their spelling instruction. During this training we'll cover: ➡️8 common spelling/phonics "rules" ➡️ Activity ideas for teaching & practicing these rules ➡️ How you can learn about more English spelling and phonics rules By the end of the training, you'll have: ✅an understanding of 8 common spelling generalizations ✅ more confidence teaching spelling and phonics rules ✅ long vowel spelling generalizations cheat sheet for students ✅ handout with 8 phonics rules for your reference ✅ 1 hour PD certificate! Even if you can't attend live, sign up anyway because I'll send out a replay after. And you still get access to all the other free goodies!
Hope to see you on Monday! Delilah |
Thrive Literacy Corner
Join 40,000+ educators who want to learn how to easily incorporate the science of reading into their lessons. Get free downloads, weekly tips, and access to sales on literacy resources to help you create more effective and engaging lessons, and ultimately, cultivate strong and confident readers.
Hi Reader, The long U sound can be tricky because it has two different pronunciations—/ū/ (as in music) and /ü/ (as in rule). A great way to help students hear the difference is to sort words into two categories. Write words like cube, unicorn, and use in one column, and words like blue, moon, and truth in another. Then, have students say each word out loud and listen for the two distinct sounds. This simple sort builds awareness and helps them recognize patterns in spelling! Need a visual...
Hi Reader, Teaching phonics rules can feel like a constant challenge—some students get it, while others need constant reminders. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a simple, go-to reference to help them along the way? These phonics anchor charts give K-2 students clear, visual support for tricky phonics rules, helping them decode and spell with confidence. Perfect for classroom displays, phonics notebooks, and small group lessons! No prep—just print and use! Here is everything included in this...
Hi Reader, I received a few questions about why -nk was split into 2 sounds on my worksheets when -ng is not. The simple answer is that -nk is 2 sounds and -ng is 1 sound. Here is an example that helps clarify: Say the word seen. Segment it: /s/ /ē/ /n/ Now say the word sin. Segment it as /s/ /ĭ/ /n/ Now say the word sing. Segment it as /s/ /ē/ /ng/. Notice the /ng/ sound is not the same as the /n/ in seen and sin. Also notice that you don't pronounce the G in /ng/ (you don't hear the same...