Spelling Rules

From The Grammar of Spelling for Grades 2-6

[ The First three rules are introduced in grade 3. Rules 4 and 5 are introduced in grade 4. ]

1. The Doubler

If you have a single vowel word to add a vowel suffix to,
double the lone consonant, but not “x” or “w.”

run + er = runner

row + ing = rowing

2. Final “E”

For final “e” words remember this chant:
A vowel suffix drops the “e”; a consonant suffix can’t.

love + ing + loving

sure + ly = surely

3. “IE” Rule

Use “i” before “e” except after “c” or when sounding like a as in neighbor and weigh.

“receive eighty”

4. Final “Y”

For final “y” words remember this chant, Change the ”y” to “i” after a consonant, Except for -ing as time has shown. If “y’s” preceded by a vowel then leave it alone

plenty + ful = plentiful

(cry + ing = crying)

play + ed = played

5. Ness-ly Rule

When adding -ness to a final “n” word, keep the “n.”
When adding -ly to a final “l” word, keep the “l” (2, no more).

green + ness = greenness

final + ly = finally

dull + ly = dully

RULES FOR FORMING PLURALS

1. Add s to most nouns to form plurals. Add es if the word ends in s, ss, sh, ch, x, or zz. -flag flags -gas gasses -dish dishes -ax axes -glass glasses -match matches

2. To form the plurals of nouns ending with vowel y, add s. - monkey monkeys

3. To form the plurals of nouns ending with consonant y, change the y to i and add es. - baby babies - army armies - battery batteries

4. To form the plurals of some nouns ending with f or fe, change the f or fe to v and add es. - calf calves -knife knives

5. A few nouns change their spellings to make the plural form. -child children - foot feet - man men - goose geese

6. A few nouns are spelled the same in the singular and plural forms. - sheep - moose - deer

INTEGRATION IDEAS

[Integration is a part of the Classical model of education. For more information on Classical Education read Doug Wilsons, “Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning“.]

Once your students have completed all of the lists for their particular grade level, it is time to integrate spelling with other subjects in the curriculum. This is done for the rest of the school year. See the next page for a form that can be used to create your own spelling worksheet with words that you have selected. The instructions for this sheet are consistent with what the students have been doing so far in the book, with the exception that the teacher must write in the words to establish a list for each week. We have found the following integration ideas to work well in 4th through 6th grades:

1. Glean lists of words that correspond to the curriculum that is being taught in other subject areas. Great sources for such lists are to be found in geography, history, Bible, science, reading, etc…. These words have a natural context that comes from the teaching we do in various other curricular areas. When our sixth graders are studying anatomy they have the following kinds of words on their spelling list: cranium, mandible, clavicle, scapula, humerus, radius, ulna, etc…

2. Collect lists of words from previous years that have been commonly misspelled in student work at your particular grade level. Many teachers have a mental list of words that are frequently troublesome to their students. These are a great source to draw from, and often times many of these words apply to the spelling rules that have already been taught.

3. Rewrite the sentences used to teach grammar so that they are integrated with another subject area and then designate certain words from those sentences that will serve as that week’s spelling list (Spammar = Spelling + Grammar). For instance, five sentences can be created or adapted that contain information about a given subject in history. The grammatical form that is built into these sentences will be dictated by the particular concepts being taught in grammar that week. Consequently, if in that week in grammar the teacher’s objective is to teach what a helping verb is and how to identify it, then the five sentences would contain helping verbs. The teacher would then designate a certain number of words in those sentences that constitute the spelling list for the week. In this way a student’s performance and progress in spelling, grammar, and another subject can be taught, practiced, and measured in an integrated format.