Introduce the long-vowel u sound found in such words as cute, cue, pure, few, and feud.
Also introduce the |ü| sound that is variously spelled oo, o, ue, silent e, u, ui, and ew, as in moon, do, blue, rule, flu, fruit, and new.
Is the u in a particular word pronounced |ū| or |ü|? Usually the answer lies in which sound is more naturally produced.
I REVIEW silent e spelling patterns for the long-vowel u sounds |ū| and |ūr|, as in cute, cue, and pure. The long-vowel sound of u is the same as the name of the vowel. Note the long-vowel u sound in use. Learners will often detect the definite sound change of the long vowel u when r follows u (pure and cure).
NEW PATTERN. Learn the ew and eu spelling patterns for the long-vowel u sound, |ū|, as in few and feud.
II LEARN the oo and o spelling pattern with the |ü| sound, as in moon, do, and lose. Notice the spelling of loose, choose, and snooze; these words end in a silent e.
III LEARN the ue and silent e spelling patterns for the |ü| sound, as in blue and rule.
IV LEARN the u and ui spelling patterns for the |ü| sound, as in flu, truth, and fruit.
V LEARN the ew spelling pattern for the |ü| sound, as in new and flew.