Schwa Happens

In the English language there is an interesting sound that can come from any of the vowels – a, e, i, o, u, and y. The sound is called a schwa. A schwa is represented in print with an upside-down e, like this: ?. The sound a schwa makes sounds like a short u (“?” or “uh”). Schwas are only found in multi-syllable words. Let me give an example. Cotton. You don’t say, cot-ton (where the o sounds like the word ton), you say, cotton (and the second o sounds like a short u). This is a schwa. In the word, love, the o...

English Words with “V” at the End

English words do not end in V. There will always be an E after the V. If you can hear the “v” sound at the end of an English word, it’s a safe bet to put the letter E after it. The saying I was taught is: “No English words end in V, it will always be followed by an E.” Examples: Active Effective Behave Hive Have Grove Serve Salve Solve Reprieve Receive Want more? Check out the Workbook Store. This information plus worksheets are in the workbook store.

How a Dialect Can Mix Things Up

When teaching short vowels… if you are from the south, you may not want to teach “i” and “e” together. Southerners tend to say things like, “Go git (get) your brother.” If you are from the north, you may not want to teach “a” and “o” together. Northerners tend to say things like, “Get a jab (job).“ A good way to teach short vowels is to make vowel strips. On a strip of paper use markers and write the vowels out. Have the student recall the sounds as a drill. You might follow up this exercise by dictating some short vowel words...

The Letter Q(u)

You will never see, in the English language, the letter q without a u following it. The exception here is in proper names, like Q-tip, but that is the only exception. The rest of the time, qu is always together. For this reason, in Orton Gillingham, Qu is a consonant together and the sound it makes is “kw.” After I learned this, I started thinking of words and sure enough, qu is always together. Queen, quarter, quilt, quill, quiet, quite, quick, quit, question, quack, quality, quip, quintuplet, quagmire, squint, squat, squirt, squirrel … I could keep going but I’m sure you get...

Orton Gillingham for All

I spent a year taking a course on the Orton Gillingham (OG) method of teaching reading and spelling. I took the class at The Schenck School, a school specifically for dyslexic children. My teacher was a dynamic woman named Rosalie Davis. She was hands down the best teacher I have ever encountered. Or, was it that what she was teaching was so enchanting? I think the answer is both. What makes OG a special method for teaching kids to read and spell is that it is multi-sensory. What that means is, students of OG are taught to see, hear and feel each...