Sample Words From List
serpent
hermit
sermon
thermos
kernel
earthquake
learner
pearly
rehearse
yearning
earnest
searching
Take a look at the sample words.
What do you notice about these words?
They have spelling and sounds of the r-influenced vowel - ur, ear, ere, and eer.
What do you think serpent means?
(noun) a snake
What do you think hermit means?
(noun) a person who lives alone and apart from society
What do you think yearning means?
(verb) longing for; wanting
What do you think earnest means?
(adjective) serious; sincere
What two vowel sounds do you hear in the words?
You hear /ur/ and a long e.
Are the spelling patterns for the two sounds the same?
No, the spelling patterns are different.
How might we sort these words?
By the spellings and sounds of the r-influenced vowels - er = /ur/, ear = /ur/, ear, ere, and eer.
Let's practice sorting the words. Practice Sort
In our last sort we learned three spellings for /ur/. Do you remember them?
er, ir, and ur
What pattern can we add to that list?
ear