Comprehension with Confidence

All of the words in every list are meant to be not only read but understood. Make it a point to comment about words or ask your student what the words mean. Use humor when you can. Find ways to enjoy a lesson. Never make fun of your student’s answers or efforts to learn.

I – IV NEW PATTERN. Now we will learn the pronunciation and spelling pattern for the short vowel u, |ŭ|, as in up and run. As a general rule, short-vowel words ending in f or s or z have a double (twin) consonant at the end (e.g., huff, fuss, buzz). But note that the words us and bus (in Roman numeral IV) are spelled with only one s.

A few dictionaries have replaced the short-vowel u symbol, ŭ, with the schwa symbol, ә. In this book, we will continue using the symbol ŭ for short-vowel u. The schwa sound and its symbol are explained in detail in Lessons 66 and 67. Roman numeral IV includes some words that rhyme, such as huff and puff, buzz and fuzz, and fuss and bus. As we have mentioned before, does your student know what rhyming words are? Be sure to explain this concept. Words rhyme when they have the same vowel sounds and ending consonant sounds. Most students enjoy encountering rhyming words.

V NEW PATTERN. Here we will learn the sound that the short-vowel u makes in syllables that end with the ll spelling pattern (hull, gull). The sound is a wee bit different from the usual sound of short-vowel u. As noted briefly above, some dictionaries depict the u sound in the ll words with a schwa (ә). The schwa essentially represents a shortened short-vowel u sound and is frequently found in the unstressed syllables of multi-syllable words. (Again, see Lessons 66 and 67 for more information about the schwa.) Some students will not be aware of the very slight sound difference between |ŭ| and |ә|, but others will detect the difference and might get confused. It is excellent if you have a student who listens closely and detects nuances. If you think your student needs an explanation here, by all means give it.

Review

VI REVIEW the pattern for the short-vowel u. Additional practice is provided
for the letter b.

Can Your Student See and Hear?

If your student is still having difficulty reading and spelling words at this point in the lessons, consider that your student’s eyes and ears may need to be professionally tested. Screening in schools is general in nature and does not always catch every problem.