Vowel team question...spelling

[In2why]

Are there any tricks to knowing when to use a vowel team in a word, verus the silent E? Or is it just a matter of memorization at this point? My son gets confused and instead of spelling seed he writes sede, or other words like that. We are using AAS and I can only see it getting harder as we learn more vowel teams. Or perhaps there is a rule to learn that we haven't come across as of yet?

Thanks

[MerryAtHope]

Did you see the gray tip box in Step 8 where it says that E_E is not a common pattern? The only E_E word up to that point is "here." The other common words that use the pattern are listed there as well--so let your son know that you'll point out those few words as they come up.

 

You want to really make good use of the Word Banks in AAS--read them more often than scheduled if needed. These reinforce visual memory, which is an important strategy for spelling. You can also read the word cards and use some of the strategies mentioned for rule-breakers if there is a word he tends to miss. There are rules that guide some vowel teams and in some instances (And AAS will teach them when there is one), but there are also plenty of times where more than one choice would be phonetically correct. So rules are one important strategy to know, but not the only one. AAS teaches 4 main strategies. As you go through the program, AAS will gradually introduce your student to these and how to use them, and will help your son learn how to choose the strategies he needs to apply to each word.

 

HTH! Merry :-)

[In2why]

Thanks Merry. I knew it was somewhere, but I couldn't remember if there was a rule or section that covered it. I will go back to step 8 and reread it. My mommy brain gets cluttered sometimes.