Spelling lessons based on phonics which many teachers feel is the most effective way for children to learn to spell. These lessons are written primarily for students in grades two and three. Students of above average ability in mid to late grade two will benefit from the approach used, which is based upon sound theories of spelling, used by experienced teachers for many years.

For students of average ability in grade three, the lessons will serve as a very good review of some of the important principles of spelling. For many students in grade three who are having difficulty in reading and/or spelling, the lessons will serve as an excellent remedial aid that will assist them in building the skills necessary to become good readers/spellers.

Fifteen lessons and three review lessons cover these topics:

• short vowels

• long vowels

• rhyming words

• plurals

• rules of syllabication

• blends

• digraphs

• prefixes

• suffixes

• word meanings

• alphabetization

Recommended Schedule: The schedule below is recommended for the lessons, with sessions lasting approximately fifteen to twenty minutes.

Day One

Have students read over each of the words in the word list, paying close attention to the focus of each lesson, (long a, short a, consonant blends etc.) which is found directly below each word list. Provide students with a spelling notebook, and have them write out the words in the word list two times each. Check their work for accuracy when they have finished and have them write out any misspelled words.

Day Two

Have students complete all of the questions in Exercise A, writing the answers in the spaces provided, and then mark their work. Have them correct any mistakes which they have made.

Day Three

Have students complete all of the questions in Exercise B, following the procedure outlined in day two.

Day Four

Give students a dictation in the notebook you have provided, making sure to start on a fresh page, where no other words are visible. Or copy the dictation lists with the lessons.

To give a dictation, take the words from the word list, in random order, and do it like this:

Educator says - "The first word is dog. The dog ran down the street - dog. Now carefully write the word dog." The child now writes the word dog in his/her notebook. After all of the words have been written, correct them and the score is placed in the space provided. The same procedure should be followed for all of the lessons in the book.

Lessons cover:

Lesson 1 – Short sound of the letter 'a'

Lesson 2 - Short sound of the letter 'e'

Lesson 3 - Short sound of the letter 'u'

Lesson 4 - Short sound of the letter 'o'

Lesson 5 – Short sound of the letter 'i'

Lessons 6 - Reviews the short vowel words covered in Lessons 1 to 5

Lesson 7 and 8 – Long sound of the letter ‘a’

Lesson 9 and 10 – Long sound of the letter ‘o’

Lesson 11 – Long sound of the letter ‘u’

Lesson 12 - Reviews the long vowel sound lessons 7 to 11

Lesson 13 – Long vowel sound of the letter ‘e’

Lesson 14 – Long vowel sound of the letter ‘i’

Lesson 15 – Long vowel sound of the letter ‘e’

Lesson 16 and 17 - Blends

Review Lesson 18 – Reviews the long vowel sounds and blends from 13 to 17