Unit Overview: 

Unit 4 is devoted to introducing more spelling alternatives for vowel sounds and three tricky spellings. Remember vowel sounds and their spellings are the most challenging part of the English writing system. Only two vowel sounds are almost always spelled just one way (/a/ and /ar/). The other seventeen vowel sounds have at least one significant spelling alternative. Several of them have many spelling alternatives.

Many opportunities are provided in this unit for review of the spelling alternatives. The specific sounds and spellings introduced for the first time in this unit are:

• /er/ spelled ‘er’ (her), ‘ur’ (hurt), ‘ir’ (bird)

• /i/ spelled ‘y’ (myth)

• /ie/ spelled ‘y’ (try), ‘igh’ (night)

• /oe/ spelled ‘ow’ (snow)

• /ee/ spelled ‘e’ (me), ‘y’ (funny), ‘ey’ (key)

• /aw/ spelled ‘al’ (wall)

Unit Calendar:

Unit 4 is 25 instructional days with 5 pausing points. It is recommended that it be taught from January 6th to February 25th.