Section

3 Short Vowels
Section 3 teaches spelling of short vowel sounds in stressed
syllables (e.g., apple, button).

Important to Know
Segmenting Sounds
Lesson Crossovers
The misspelling of short vowel sounds may occur because the student is unable
Unstressed vowels (e.g.,
to separate vowel sounds from adjacent consonant sounds. To successfully spell
about, lesson) are covered in
Section 12, Lesson 62. short vowel sounds, a student needs adequate segmentation skills to divide a
word into its component sounds. The student also needs to understand that
every sound must be represented by at least one letter and that every syllable
contains one vowel sound represented by one or more vowel letters.
Lesson Crossovers Short vowel segmentation errors most often occur when any short vowel sound
Homophones (e.g., red – read,
is followed by the consonant sounds / r, l, m, n, ŋ / and when the short vowel u
sun – son) are included in this sound is preceded by the consonant sounds / b, p, t, d, g, k, ,  /. To facilitate
section and covered more learning, begin with words in which the short vowel sound is not followed by
extensively in Section 15, the letters ‘r, l, m, n, ng, nk’ and the short vowel u sound is not preceded by the
Lesson 73. letters ‘b, p, t, d, g, j, hard c, k, ch’.

ae
A student may also struggle with segmenting sounds if she is familiar with the
spelling of a particular word and thinks about letters instead of sounds during
the segmentation task. In this case, it may be helpful to begin with nonsense
words until the student fully understands the concept of segmenting a word into
sounds and not into letters.

Discriminating Sounds
Spelling errors of short vowel sounds are common and may occur because
the student cannot distinguish between similar vowel sounds. Provide ample
practice to firmly establish a student’s ability to discriminate between vowel
sounds. The most common perceptual confusions among short vowel sounds
are listed below.
• Short vowel a sound vs. short vowel e sound (bat vs. bet)
• Short vowel i sound vs. short vowel e sound (bit vs. bet)
• Short vowel a sound vs. short vowel o sound (cap vs. cop)
• Short vowel o sound vs. short vowel u sound (cop vs. cup)
The particular consonant sound that follows a vowel sound also affects a student’s
ability to perceive differences between vowel sounds. Vowel discrimination is
most difficult when the vowel sound is followed by the consonant sounds / m, n /
and is generally not possible when the vowel sound is followed by the consonant
sounds / r, l, ŋ /. To facilitate learning, begin with words in which the vowel
sound is not followed by the letters ‘m, n’ and exclude all words in which the
vowel sound is followed by the letters ‘r, l, ng, nk’ when working on discrimina-
tion of vowel sounds.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–1

 Section
3 Short Vowels
Section 3 teaches spelling of short vowel sounds in stressed
syllables (e.g., apple, button).

Letter-Sound Relationships
Short vowel spelling errors may occur due to a reliance on a letter-name strategy.
With this strategy, the student correctly hears the vowel sound but relates it to
the name of a vowel that most closely resembles that sound. For example, a stu-
dent correctly hears the short vowel e sound in a word like “pet” but spells the
vowel sound with the letter ‘a’ as in “pat.” A student using a letter-name strategy
will benefit from explicit instruction in correct letter-sound relationships. Two
common letter-name misspellings for short vowels are listed below.
• ‘a’ for the short vowel e sound (‘pet’ as ‘pat’)
• ‘e’ for the short vowel i sound (‘bit’ as ‘bet’)

iu
There are several allowable spellings for each short vowel sound, though some
occur more frequently than others. For example, the short vowel e sound is most
commonly spelled with the letter ‘e’ (net), but can also be spelled with the letter
‘a’ (many) or the letters ‘ea’ (head), ‘ai’ (said), ‘ie’ (friend), ‘ee’ (been), ‘ei’ (heifer),
or ‘eo’ (leopard).

Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules

The short vowel sounds in stressed syllables are usually spelled with their corre-
sponding letters (e.g., cat, net, sit, pot, cup). Discovering and applying this
knowledge about spelling patterns can be an effective spelling strategy, especial-
ly for the beginning speller.

Vocabulary
Some words containing short vowel sounds are homophone words (e.g., red –
read; sun – son). To successfully spell homophone words, a student needs explicit
instruction in word meaning coupled with development of mental images of words.

o
Misspellings of homophone words may occur because the student does not
understand the effect of a word’s spelling on its meaning or because he has not
established a solid link between the meaning of a word and its printed form. As a
result, the student may choose a spelling that does not fit the intended meaning
(e.g., “red” for “read”—I red two books last week.).

Mental Images of Words

The student must rely upon clear and complete mental images of words to
correctly spell the short vowel sound if the sound is not spelled with its corre-
sponding vowel letter (e.g., head not hed); if the word contains a word ending
that is pronounced the same but spelled differently from another word ending
(e.g., bed and head); and if the short vowel sound is followed by ‘r, l, ng, nk’
because pronunciation of the corresponding consonant sounds distorts the short
vowel sound, leaving the student unable to rely on a spell-by-sound strategy.

3–2    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 Section
3 Contents

Short Vowels
Lesson Component Page
Lesson 20 1. Tap & Map 3–5 PA
Segmenting Sounds
Short Vowel a Sound 2. Smack Jack 3–7 PA
as in cat, laugh Discriminating Sounds
3. Sort It Out 3–9 OK
Letter-Sound Relationships
4. What’s the Pattern? 3–11 OK
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime 3–13 MOI
Mental Images of Words
6. Picture This! 3–15 MOI
Mental Images of Words
Annotated Journal Page 3–17
Writing Activities 16–1
Reading Activities 17–1

Lesson 21 1. Lines & Letters 3–18 PA
Segmenting Sounds
Short Vowel e Sound 2. Hear Here 3–20 PA

as in bed, head Discriminating Sounds

3. Sort It Out 3–22 OK
Letter-Sound Relationships
4. What’s the Pattern? 3–24 OK
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime 3–26 SEM   MOI
Vocabulary; Mental Images of Words
6. Picture This! 3–28 MOI
Mental Images of Words
Annotated Journal Page 3–30
Writing Activities 16–1
Reading Activities 17–1

Lesson 22 1. Tap & Map 3–31 PA

Segmenting Sounds
Short Vowel i Sound 2. Hear Here 3–33 PA

as in fish, gym Discriminating Sounds

3. Sort It Out 3–35 OK
Letter-Sound Relationships
4. What’s the Pattern? 3–37 OK
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime 3–39 MOI
Mental Images of Words
6. Picture This! 3–41 MOI
Mental Images of Words
Annotated Journal Page 3–43
Writing Activities 16–1
Reading Activities 17–1

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–3

 Section
3 Contents

Short Vowels
Lesson Component Page
Lesson 23 1. Sound Strings 3–44 PA
Segmenting Sounds
Short Vowel o Sound 2. Hidden Treasure 3–46 PA
as in pot, father Discriminating Sounds
3. Sort It Out 3–48 OK
Letter-Sound Relationships
4. What’s the Pattern? 3–50 OK
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime 3–52 SEM   MOI
Vocabulary; Mental Images of Words
6. Picture This! 3–54 MOI
Mental Images of Words
Annotated Journal Page 3–56
Writing Activities 16–1
Reading Activities 17–1

Lesson 24 1. Cut Ups 3–57 PA
Segmenting Sounds
Short Vowel u Sound as 2. Slug a Bug 3–59 PA
in cup, some Discriminating Sounds
3. Sort It Out 3–61 OK
Letter-Sound Relationships
4. What’s the Pattern? 3–63 OK
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime 3–65 SEM   MOI
Vocabulary; Mental Images of Words
6. Picture This! 3–67 MOI
Mental Images of Words
Annotated Journal Page 3–69
Writing Activities 16–1
Reading Activities 17–1

3–4    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 3
Segmenting Sounds
Section

Short Vowels 1. Lines & Letters
Learning Objective: Develop the ability to segment phonemes
Lesson 21
and map letters to the short vowel e – / ε / – sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Performance Objectives: The student will segment spoken
words into individual sounds and will write the letter or letters
that represent the / ε / vowel sound in the words with 100%
accuracy. The student will explain two strategies for spelling the
/ ε / sound.

Starter Word List DID YOU KNOW?

Materials Needed Segmentation of short vowel
1 syllable 2 syllables
• Word list sounds is most difficult when the
bed penny
vowel sound is followed by the con-
• Index cards set exit
sonant sounds / r, l, m, n, ŋ /. To
• Pencil and eraser head any
facilitate learning, begin with words
• Highlighter pen said many
in which the vowel sound is not
• Writing paper tell
followed by the letters ‘r, l, m, n,
well
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies ng, nk’.
then
for Spelling Success
mouse pad when To correctly spell vowel sounds, the
been student must understand that every
• Student’s Word Study
syllable contains one vowel sound
Journal
represented by one or more vowel
Teacher Preparation
letters.
1. Gather the materials.
2. Print each word from the Starter Word
List or another word list on an index card. (Remember to use the Starter Word
List the first time you present this activity to a student.)
3. Arrange the cards so that words in which the / ε / sound is followed by the
letters ‘r, l, m, n, ng, nk’ will be presented last.
4. Review the directions for the activity.

Directions for the Activity

1. Explain that this activity involves counting the number of sounds the student
hears in a word, writing down the letter or letters that spell each sound, and
checking the spelling of the word when finished.
2. Read aloud a word from a word card and place it, printed side down, at the
top of the student’s writing paper.
3. Instruct the student to repeat the word and then sound it out aloud, drawing
one horizontal line on her writing paper as she says each sound. For example,
she draws three lines ( ___ ___ ___ ) for the word “head”. Make sure the
student correctly pronounces each sound as she sounds out the word.
4. Direct the student to flip over the card and sound out the word again, writing
the corresponding letter(s) on each line as she says each sound ( h ea d ).
Make sure she says the sounds as she copies the corresponding letters from
the word card.

3–18    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 1. Lines & Letters  (continued)

Group Adaptation 5. Repeat steps 2–4 until each word has been segmented and spelled.
For each word in the word list, the 6. For each word, ask the student to verify that each syllable has one vowel
teacher prints the word on the sound represented by at least one vowel letter. If necessary, direct her to complete
board after the students have the following steps: clap out the syllables in the word; draw lines between the
drawn lines to segment the word letters to divide the word into syllables as spoken; write the number of sylla-
into sounds. The students copy the
bles next to the word; and highlight the letter or letters that spell the vowel
word’s letters onto the appropriate
sound in each syllable.
lines of their writing papers and
then compare their responses with 7. Repeat the entire activity until the student achieves performance criterion
the correct response displayed on without assistance.
the board. Students earn one point
for each word correctly segmented 8. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct
and spelled. Once the students responses if necessary, pointing to strategies 1 and 3 on the mouse pad as
have segmented sounds in each they are identified.
word they then take turns coming
to the board to mark the syllables
? How do the Sound It Out and Catch the Beat strategies help us to cor-
rectly spell words?
in each word and the vowel
letter(s) in each syllable.
I can say a word out loud, one sound at a time, and write the
letters as I say the sounds. I must remember to pronounce the
sounds correctly as I sound out the word and write at least one
letter for each sound that I hear.
Cross-Curriculum Extension
I can sound out the syllables in a word, one syllable or beat at a
The student and the teacher time. I need to make sure that I write at least one vowel letter for
search content-area reading mate-
each syllable in a word.
rial for words containing the / ε /
sound, keeping a list of each word 9. Direct the student to affix the #1 and #3 strategy stickers in her Word Study Journal.
found. They may choose to race
against the clock or each other.
When finished, the student reads
aloud the words, taps out each
sound in the words, and sorts the
words according to the number of
sounds in each word.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–19

 3
Discriminating Sounds
Section

Short Vowels 2. Hear Here
Learning Objective: Develop the ability to discriminate between
Lesson 21
different vowel sounds and to map letters to the short vowel
Short Vowel e Sound e – / ε / – sound.
as in bed, head
Performance Objectives: The student will recognize the / ε / vowel
sound in spoken words and will identify the letter or letters that
represent the / ε / sound in the words with 100% accuracy. The stu-
dent will explain one strategy for spelling the / ε / sound.

Starter Word List

Materials Needed
Short vowel Short vowel Short vowel
• Word list
e – / ε / – sound a – / æ / – sound i – /  / – sound
• Index cards bed pat sit
• Pencil and eraser set bad bit
• Writing paper head sat pin
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies said am
for Spelling Success then
mouse pad when
• Student’s Word Study them
Journal DID YOU KNOW?
Teacher Preparation The short vowel e sound is com-
monly confused with the short
1. Gather the materials.
vowel a sound and the short
2. Print each word from the Starter Word vowel i sound.
List or another word list on an index
The consonant sound that follows
card. (Remember to use the Starter a vowel sound affects the ability to
Word List the first time you present this perceive differences between vowel
activity to a student. If you are using sounds. To facilitate learning, begin
another word list, remember to exclude with words in which the vowel
words in which the vowel sound is sound is not followed by the letters
followed by the letters ‘r, l, nk, ng’.) ‘m, n’ and exclude words in which
the vowel sound is followed by the
3. Shuffle the cards and then arrange letters ‘r, l, nk, ng’ when working
them so that words in which the vowel on discrimination of vowel sounds.
sound is followed by the letters ‘m, n’
will be presented last.
4. Review the directions for the activity.

Directions for the Activity

1. Explain that this activity involves listening for words that contain the / ε /
vowel sound and then underlining the letter or letters that spell this vowel
sound in each word.
2. Model the / ε / sound, then direct the student to repeat the sound.
3. Tell the student to draw a vertical line down his writing paper to divide it into
two columns. Then instruct him to draw a picture of a word containing the / ε /
sound at the top of the left column of his writing paper. (The student may refer
to this picture during the activity to help him remember the target sound.)

3–20    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 2. Hear Here  (continued)

Group Adaptation 4. Read aloud a word from one of the cards. Then give the card, printed side
down, to the student.
The teacher divides the students
into teams and draws a picture of 5. Ask the student if he hears the / ε / sound in the word. If he answers Yes,
a word containing the / ε / sound direct him to place the word card, printed side down, in the left column of
on the board. The teacher then his writing paper. If he answers No, direct him to place the card in the right
reads aloud each word from the
column. (Do not facilitate responses or provide feedback during this part of
word cards and directs students
the activity.)
to raise their hands if they hear
the / ε / sound in the words. If a 6. Repeat steps 4–5 until all of the word cards have been sorted.
word contains the / ε / sound, the
teacher writes the word on the 7. Direct the student to listen carefully to make sure he hears the / ε / sound in
board underneath the keyword each word as you read aloud the words from the left column. Then direct him
picture. When the teacher has fin- to listen carefully to make sure he does not hear the / ε / sound in each word
ished going through all of the as you read aloud the words from the right column. (Provide feedback but do
word cards, representatives from not show the printed words to the student during this step of the activity.)
each team take turns underlining
the letter or letters that spell the
8. Repeat steps 4–7 until the student achieves performance criterion without
/ ε / sound in each word on the assistance. Then set aside the words that do not contain the short vowel
board. Teams earn one point for e sound.
each word correctly underlined. 9. Instruct the student to copy the words from the cards in the left column onto
his writing paper. Then direct him to read aloud the words and underline the
letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.
Cross-Curriculum Extension 10. Repeat step 9 until the student achieves performance criterion without
assistance.
The teacher searches content-area
reading material for sentences 11. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct response
containing words with the / ε / if necessary, pointing to strategy 4 on the mouse pad as it is identified.
sound. The teacher then reads the
sentences aloud, substituting ? How does the Listen Up strategy help us to correctly spell words?
another vowel sound for the / ε / I need to listen very carefully to correctly identify the sounds
sound in the target words. The I hear in a word.
student raises his hand when he
hears a word that doesn’t make 12. Direct the student to affix the #4 strategy sticker in his Word Study Journal.
sense. The student then repeats
the sentence, substituting the cor-
rect vowel sound so that the word
and the sentence make sense.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–21

 3
Letter-Sound Relationships
Section

Short Vowels 3. Sort It Out
Learning Objective: Develop knowledge of letter-sound relation-
Lesson 21
ships for the short vowel e – / ε / – sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Performance Objectives: The student will identify the letter or let-
ters that represent the / ε / vowel sound in words and will sort the
words according to different spellings of this vowel sound with
100% accuracy. The student will identify the letter-sound relation-
ships for the / ε / sound and explain a related spelling strategy.

Starter Word List

Materials Needed
‘e’ ‘ea’ ‘a’ ‘ai’ ‘ee’ ‘ei’ ‘eo’ ‘ie’ Foil words
• Word list bed head any said been heifer leopard friend eat
• Index cards set please
• Pencil and eraser then key
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies when
for Spelling Success them
mouse pad
• Student’s Word Study Teacher Preparation
Journal DID YOU KNOW?
1. Gather the materials. The short vowel e sound is spelled
with the letter ‘e’ in 91% of words.
2. Print each word from the Starter Word
List or another word list on an index Less common spellings:
card, then shuffle the cards. ‘ea’ (head)
(Remember to use the Starter Word ‘a’ (any)
List the first time you present this ‘ai’ (said)
‘ee’ (been)
activity to a student. If you are using
‘ei’ (heifer)
another word list, exclude words in
‘eo’ (leopard)
which the vowel sound is followed
‘ie’ (friend)
by the letters ‘r, l, nk, ng’.)
3. Review the directions for the activity.

Directions for the Activity

1. Explain that this activity involves discovering different ways to spell the / ε /
vowel sound.
2. One by one, read aloud each word from the word cards and instruct the stu-
dent to indicate whether or not he hears the / ε / sound in each word. (Do not
show him the printed words during this step of the activity.) Once the student
has correctly identified the words that do not contain the / ε / sound (i.e., the
foil words), set aside these foil word cards.
3. Place each of the remaining word cards face up in front of the student. One by
one, read aloud each word and tell him to underline the letter or letters that
spell the / ε / sound.
4. Instruct the student to read aloud the words and sort the cards into piles, one
pile for each different spelling of the / ε / sound.

3–22    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 3. Sort It Out  (continued)

Group Adaptation 5. Repeat the activity until the student achieves performance criterion without
assistance.
The teacher divides the students
into teams, each with its own set 6. Ask the student to examine the marked and sorted word cards and to respond
of word cards. Students raise their to the following question, facilitating the correct answer if necessary.
hands if they hear the / ε / sound
in the words. Students then take ? What are the different ways you can spell the / ε / sound?
turns underlining the letter or let- This vowel sound can be spelled with the letters ‘e, ea, a, ai, ee, ei,
ters that spell the / ε / sound in eo, ie’.
each word. The teacher sets a
time limit for the teams to com- 7. Direct the student to write the allowable spellings for the / ε / sound in his
plete the sorting task. Team mem- Word Study Journal.
bers consult one another before a 8. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct response
spokesperson gives the team’s
if necessary, pointing to strategy 6 on the mouse pad as it is identified.
answer to each question. The
teams earn one point for each ? How does the No Fouls strategy help us to correctly spell words?
question correctly answered. I must use an allowable spelling when spelling the short vowel e
sound in a word.
9. Direct the student to affix the #6 strategy sticker in his Word Study Journal.
Cross-Curriculum Extension
The student searches content-area
reading material and tries to find
at least one word for each differ-
ent spelling of the / ε / sound,
keeping a list of each word found.
When finished, the student under-
lines the letter or letters that spell
the / ε / sound in each word.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–23

 3
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules
Section

Short Vowels 4. What’s the Pattern?
Learning Objective: Develop knowledge of letter patterns and spell-
Lesson 21
ing rules for the short vowel e – / ε / – sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Performance Objectives: The student will identify the letter or
letters that represent the / ε / vowel sound and will sort words
according to different spellings of this vowel sound with 100%
accuracy. The student will identify one spelling rule and explain a
related strategy for spelling the / ε / sound.

Starter Word List

Materials Needed
Short vowel e sound Uncommon spellings of
• Word list spelled ‘e’ the short vowel e sound
• Index cards bed head
• Pencil and eraser set many
• Highlighter pen tell friend
• Writing paper well said
then any
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies
for Spelling Success them been
mouse pad
• Student’s Word Study Teacher Preparation
Journal DID YOU KNOW?
1. Gather the materials.
• Content-area reading The short vowel e sound is usually
material 2. Print each word from the Starter spelled with the letter ‘e’.
Word List or another word list on
an index card, then shuffle the
cards. (Remember to use the Starter
Word List the first time you present this activity to a student.)
3. Review the directions for the activity.

Directions for the Activity

1. Remind the student that there are many ways to spell the / ε / vowel sound.
Explain that this activity involves investigating words to discover one spelling
rule and a related strategy to help spell this vowel sound correctly.
2. One by one, place the word cards face up in front of the student and read
aloud each word. Instruct her to underline the letter or letters that spell the
/ ε / sound in each word.
3. Direct the student to read aloud each word and to sort the cards into piles,
one pile for each different spelling of the / ε / sound.
4. Instruct the student to divide her writing paper into columns, one column for
each different spelling of the / ε / sound, and to write a different spelling at
the top of each column.
5. Direct the student to shuffle the word cards. Then tell her to read the words
aloud and copy them from the cards into the appropriate columns on her writing
paper, underlining the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.

3–24    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 4. What’s the Pattern?  (continued)

Group Adaptation 6. Instruct the student to search content-area reading material for several more
words that contain the / ε / sound, writing each word she finds in the appro-
The teacher divides the students
into teams, each with its own set priate column on her writing paper. Then tell her to underline the letter or let-
of word cards. Students take turns ters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.
underlining letters on the word 7. Repeat steps 2–6 until the student achieves performance criterion without
cards. The teacher sets a time limit
assistance.
for the teams to complete the sort-
ing task. The teacher then writes 8. Challenge the student to think of one or two more words that contain the
each of the different spellings of / ε / sound. When she gives a response, write the word in the appropriate
the / ε / sound represented in the column on her writing paper. Then tell the student to underline the letter or
activity word list on the board. letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.
Students take turns copying the
words from the word cards under- 9. Ask the student to examine the marked word lists and respond to the
neath the appropriate spellings on following question, facilitating the correct answer if necessary.
the board. Students then are chal-
lenged to find or think of words con-
? What is the most common spelling of the / ε / sound?
taining the / ε / sound. Teams earn
This vowel sound is usually spelled with the letter ‘e’.
one point for each new word cor- 10. Direct the student to highlight this spelling rule in her Word Study Journal.
rectly added to the lists on the
board and one point for each ques- 11. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct response
tion correctly answered. if necessary, pointing to strategy 7 on the mouse pad as it is identified.
? How does the Play by the Rules strategy help us to correctly spell the
short vowel e sound?
The short vowel e sound is usually spelled with the letter ‘e’. If I'm
Cross-Curriculum Extension
not sure how to spell the short vowel e sound in a word, I can use
The student searches content-area this spelling rule to help me correctly spell this vowel sound.
reading material for words con-
taining the / ε / sound. To rein- 12. Direct the student to affix the #7 strategy sticker in her Word Study Journal.
force how frequently this vowel
sound is spelled with the letter ‘e’,
the student is challenged to find
an uncommon spelling for the
/ ε / sound within a specified
amount of time. While searching,
the student should also keep a
tally of the number of words in
which the / ε / sound is spelled
with the letter ‘e’.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–25

 3
Vocabulary; Mental Images of Words
Section

Short Vowels 5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime
Learning Objective: Develop vocabulary knowledge and clear
Lesson 21
and complete mental images of words containing the short vowel
Short Vowel e Sound e – / ε / – sound.
as in bed, head
Performance Objectives: The student will sort words according
to word ending and will correctly spell the / ε / vowel sound in
the words with 100% accuracy. The student will explain three
strategies for spelling the / ε / sound.

Starter Word List

Materials Needed
-ed -ead -eld -ell -elf -elp -elt -ealth
• Word list led head held bell elf help belt health
• Index cards red dead weld fell self yelp felt wealth
• Pencil and eraser shelf stealth
• Writing paper Teacher Preparation
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies DID YOU KNOW?
1. Gather the materials.
for Spelling Success
The student must rely upon clear
mouse pad 2. Print each word from the Starter Word List or
and complete mental images to
• Student’s Word Study another word list on an index card, then correctly spell the short vowel e
Journal shuffle the cards. (Remember to use the sound in the phonograms listed
Starter Word List the first time you present below.1, 2
this activity to a student.) -ed (red, bed, led)
3. Review the directions for the activity. -ead (head, read, dead)
-eld (held, meld, weld)
Directions for the Activity -ell (bell, fell, well)
-elf (elf, self, shelf )
1. Remind the student that the / ε / vowel -elp (help, yelp, kelp)
sound is usually spelled with the letter -elt (belt, welt, felt)
‘e’. Explain that this vowel sound can be -ealth (health, wealth, stealth)
distorted and difficult to hear in some
words and that in other words this
vowel sound may not be spelled with the letter ‘e’. Also explain
that sometimes words that rhyme, like “bed” and “head”, have different
spellings of the / ε / sound. Further explain that sometimes words that sound
exactly the same, like “red” and “read”, have different spellings of the / ε /
sound and that these different spellings have different meanings.
1 A list of phonograms containing 2. Advise the student that he must learn to use three strategies that will help to
the short vowel e sound – including spell these words correctly. Then explain that the first part of this activity
those that do not require reliance involves looking closely at the spellings of words and grouping words according
upon mental images to correctly to word endings.
spell the vowel sound – is located
3. As you give each word card to the student, read aloud the word and use it in
in Appendix K (p. A–34).
a sentence that clearly communicates the meaning of the word (e.g. head –
2 To successfully spell homo- The head is a part of the body.). Tell the student to underline the vowel
phones (e.g., red – read), the stu- letter(s) and all the letters that follow the vowel letter(s) in each word (e.g.,
dent needs explicit instruction in led, head, held). If the word is a homophone, direct the student to draw a pic-
word meaning coupled with the ture next to the word to represent its meaning.
development of mental images of
4. Instruct the student to examine the set of marked word cards and to sort the
words.
words into piles according to common word ending (i.e., phonogram), one
pile for each different word ending.

3–26    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 5. Take Time to Inspect the Rime  (continued)

Group Adaptation 5. Direct the student to divide his writing paper into columns, one for each pile
of cards. Tell him to write one different word ending at the top of each column.
The teacher divides the students
into teams, each with its own set (The student may refer to this list of word endings during the remaining part
of word cards. Students take turns of the activity.) Then take back the word cards and shuffle them.
underlining the word ending in 6. Select a card and read aloud the word. Then use the word in a sentence that
each word. The teacher sets a time clearly communicates the meaning of the word and place the card, printed
limit for the teams to complete the side down, in front of the student.
sorting task. When completed, the
teacher collects the cards and 7. Instruct the student to spell the word on the back of the word card, trying
shuffles them and then writes different spellings when necessary (e.g., head – hed) to see which spelling
each of the different word endings looks “right” or less “funny”. If the word is a homophone, remind the student
on the board. The teacher reads that the spelling of the word depends on its meaning and that he must think
aloud each word and uses it in a about the meaning of the word to spell it correctly. Once he has settled on
sentence and the students write one spelling, direct him to flip over the card to verify the correct spelling.
each word on their writing papers. Then tell the student to write the word in the appropriate column on his writ-
The teacher then writes each word ing paper. If the word is a homophone, direct the student to draw a picture
on the board and the students
next to the word to represent its meaning.
check their spellings, correcting
mistakes when necessary. Each 8. Repeat steps 6–7 for each of the remaining word cards.
team earns one point for each 9. Then challenge the student to think of several familiar rhyming words (real
word correctly spelled by all mem- words) and to add these words to the list, using the spellings of the listed words
bers of the team.
to correctly spell the new words. Remind the student to try different possible
spellings, when necessary, to see which spelling looks “right” and matches the
meaning of the word.
Cross-Curriculum Extension 10. Repeat the entire activity until the student achieves performance criterion.
The student searches content-area 11. Prepare a list of nonsense words, one word for each word ending (e.g., teld,
reading material to find one word zelp, vell). Dictate a nonsense word and instruct the student to write this word
for each word ending studied in next to a rhyming word (e.g., held – teld) in the appropriate column on his writ-
this activity. Alternatively, the stu- ing paper. Repeat with each word from your list. Discuss how some word end-
dent may think of one word for ings sound the same but are spelled differently (e.g., -ead and -ed), so there
each word ending. The student may be more than one possible way to spell a rhyming nonsense word.
adds each word to the appropriate
column on his writing paper. Next, 12. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct
the student uses each word in a responses if necessary, pointing to strategies 8, 13, and 9 on the mouse pad
spoken sentence. Then the stu- as they are identified.
dent writes each word in the Word ? How do the Use Rhyme This Time, Fix the Funny Stuff, and Spell What You
Gallery of his Word Study Journal. Mean and Mean What You Spell strategies help us to correctly spell words?
If I don’t know how to spell a word, I can think of a rhyming
word. I can use the spelling of the rhyming word to help me
spell the word I don’t know how to spell.
I can try different allowable spellings for a part of a word that
doesn’t look “right” and choose the spelling of the word that
looks “right” and matches the meaning of what I want to say.
13. Direct the student to affix the #8, #13, and #9 strategy stickers in his Word
Study Journal and to write the words studied in this activity in the Word
Gallery, grouping words with the same phonogram and underlining the letter
*without assistance or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–27

 3
Mental Images of Words
Section

Short Vowels 6. Picture This!
Learning Objective: Develop clear and complete mental images
Lesson 21
of words containing the short vowel e – / ε / – sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Performance Objectives: The student will visualize words with
the / ε / vowel sound and will demonstrate clear and complete
mental images with 100% accuracy. The student will explain one
strategy for spelling the / ε / sound.

Starter Word List

Materials Needed DID YOU KNOW?
very again any
• Word list The student must rely upon clear
head many been
and complete mental images to
• Index cards friend said
correctly spell the short vowel e
• Pencil and eraser
sound when it is followed by the
• Writing paper Teacher Preparation consonant sounds / r, l, ŋ /.1 These
• SPELL-Links 14 Strategies 1. Gather the materials. consonant sounds distort the vowel
for Spelling Success sound (e.g., very).
mouse pad 2. Review the directions for the activity.
The student also must rely upon
• Student’s Word Study
Journal
3. Guide student preparation. (If student clear and complete mental images
handwriting is poor, prepare the word to correctly spell the short vowel e
• Several photographs
of familiar scenes cards yourself. Also, be sure to use the sound in words that contain uncom-
(e.g., a park, a beach) Starter Word List the first time you pre- mon spellings of this vowel sound
sent this activity to a student.) (e.g., head, said, many, friend).

Student Preparation
Copy each word from the word list onto an index card, then shuffle the cards.

Directions for the Activity

1. Remind the student that the / ε / vowel sound is usually spelled with the
letter ‘e’. Explain that in some words this vowel sound may be distorted
and difficult to hear and that in other words this vowel sound may not be
spelled with the letter ‘e’. Tell the student that she must use the “camera in
the mind” to “take pictures” of these words in order to remember their
correct spellings and to help correct misspellings when no other strategy
1 Various resources classify vowel can be used.
sounds that precede the conso- 2. Show the student a photograph and talk about what you see in it (I see the
nant sounds / r, l, ŋ / differently; slide, the swings...). Then turn the photo over and describe it, “pointing” to
phonetic context and regional dia-
significant parts of the imaginary picture.
lect strongly influence the actual
pronunciation of a vowel sound. 3. Direct the student to look at the photograph again, carefully examining it to form
Regardless of how the vowel a clear and complete mental picture. Then turn the photo over and instruct her to
sound is classified (e.g., long vs. describe it, “pointing” to significant parts of the imaginary picture.
short), instruction is the same. The
correct spelling of any vowel sound 4. Tell the student to visualize a familiar place (e.g., her kitchen). Instruct her to
that precedes the letters ‘r, l, ng, describe the place aloud, “pointing” to significant parts of the imaginary picture.
nk’ requires reliance on the mental
5. Repeat steps 2–4 until the student demonstrates an understanding of the
image of a word.
concept of visualization.

3–28    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing

 6. Picture This!  (continued)

Group Adaptation 6. Show one word card to the student, read aloud the word, and use it in a sen-
tence that clearly communicates the meaning of the word (e.g., friend – He is
The teacher directs the students
to stand and divides them into my best friend.).
teams. Together, all the students 7. Allow a few moments for the student to examine the spelling of the word,
complete steps 1–4 and then steps then turn over the word card. Ask her to answer the following questions to
6–7 for each word from the word
demonstrate clear visualization of the word.
cards. Then individuals from each
team take turns spelling the words ? How many letters do you see in your picture?
presented by the teacher. A stu- ? How many letters are consonants?
dent remains standing if she cor- ? How many letters are vowels?
rectly spells a word and correctly
uses the word in a sentence.
? Do you see any words inside the word?
Teams compete to be the team
? Can you spell the word backwards?
with the last person(s) standing. 8. Repeat step 7 with the same word if the student was unable to respond
quickly and correctly to the questions; otherwise repeat steps 6–7 for another
word until all words in the word list have been covered.

Cross-Curriculum Extension 9. Direct the student’s attention to the allowable spellings for the short vowel e
sound in her Word Study Journal. Then write each of the words from the word
The student searches content-area
list on her writing paper, using incorrect spellings for the target sound (e.g.,
reading material for words in which
‘hed’ for ‘head’, ‘seid’ for ‘said’, and ‘meny’ for ‘many’).
the / ε / sound is not spelled with
the letter ‘e’ and adds these words 10. Point to a word on the paper, read it aloud, and ask the student to identify
to the Word Gallery in her Word which part of the word looks “funny”. Then give her the corresponding word
Study Journal. When finished, the card, printed side down, and ask her to write the correct spelling of the word
student underlines the letter or
using one of the allowable spellings to fix the part that looks “funny”. Direct
letters that spell the / ε / sound
the student to try different spellings until the word looks “right”.
in each word. The student then
practices visualizing each word. 11. When the student has settled on one spelling, ask her to flip over the word
card to verify the correct spelling of the word. Then ask her to use the word in
a spoken sentence.
12. Repeat steps 10–11 for each of the remaining words. Repeat the entire activity
until the student achieves performance criterion without assistance.
13. Ask the student to answer the following question. Facilitate the correct response
if necessary, pointing to strategy 13 on the mouse pad as it is identified.
? How does the Fix the Funny Stuff strategy help us to correctly spell words?
I can look carefully at the spelling of a word and make a pic-
ture of the word in my mind to remember the correct spelling.
If my spelling of a word looks “funny”—and no other strategies
can help—I can try different allowable spellings for a part of
the word that doesn’t look “right” and choose the spelling of
the word that looks “right” or less “funny”.
14. Direct the student to affix the #13 strategy sticker in her Word Study Journal
and to write the words studied in this activity in the Word Gallery, underlining
the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.

SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing    3–29

 Section
3
Short Vowels Word Study Journal Page
Sound: Short vowel e sound as in bed, head
Lesson 21

Short Vowel e Sound There are many ways to spell the short vowel e sound.
as in bed, head
e ea a ai ee ie eo ei

Strategies and Rules Covered in This Lesson

Sound It Out! Use Rhyme This Time!

Check the Order! Spell What You Mean and

Mean What You Spell!

Catch the Beat!

Be Smart About Word Parts!

Listen Up!
Build on the Base!

A Little Stress Will Help
This Mess! Invite the Relatives!

No Fouls! Fix the Funny Stuff!

(see allowable spellings above)

Look It Up!
Play by the Rules!
The short vowel e sound is
usually spelled with the letter ‘e’.

My Word Gallery

again head dead fell

bell friend many very

any been

3–30    SPELL--Links to Reading & Writing