Word Study

Below are some tips to help your child with sounds and spelling during his/her first grade school year...

Sammy's Letters

Sammy Loves to eat Fried Zebra

Has your child talked to you about Sammy's Letters. Sammy's Letters are f, l, s and z. The rule for spelling states that if the word is a one syllable word with a short vowel and ends with one of Sammy's Letters, you double it at the end of word. For example, sell, puff, buzz, miss. Don't forget there are always exceptions to the rule:-)

C, K or -ck

When do you use a c, k or -ck. The rule states that if the next letter in a word is an a, o or u you start the word with a c (cat, cod, cut) and if the next letter in the word is an i or e you start the word with a k (kit, kite, Ken).

The letters -ck are only used at the end of a word. You use a -ck when the word is a one syllable word that contains a short vowel sound and ends with a "k" sound. For example, back, sock, duck, deck. Don't forget there are always exceptions to the rule:-)

Consonant Blends

Consonant blends are groups of two or three consonants in words that make a distinct consonant sound. Below are examples of consonant blends your child will be learning this school year...

Initial blends: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fl, fr, gl, gr, pl, pr, sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, st, sw, tr, tw, scr, spl, spr, squ, str

Final Consonant blends: -sk, -sp, -sk, -nd, -nt, -nk, -mp, -ld, -lp

Digraphs

A digraph is two letters representing one sound. In 1st Grade we will learn the digraph sounds for ch, sh, th (soft and hard sound), wh and -ng. We will also learn the sound for ph.

When using the inflected plural -es a word must end in a ch, sh, s, x or z.