[Open vowels occur in open syllables and in closed syllables ending with a "magic e" (silent or signal "e"). Closed vowels occur in closed syllables (ending with a consonant).

To make the terminology more meaningful, I refer to "closed off throaters" rather than "short vowels" and to "open throaters" rather than "long vowels."

Have each line and each challenge mastered before moving on. It may be necessary to repeat a step several times to get it done satisfactorily.

You will need "My Word Book" containing the Basic Keywords, a tablet, pencils, a highlighter, the "word hat," and a Sharpie.]

OPEN RIMES

Remember that "mouthers" are word sounds that are made or shaped in the mouth such /b-b-b/, /f--/, /m--/, or /s--/.

"Throaters" are open-mouthed sounds coming from the voice box in the throat such as /a--(cat)/, /eh--/, /ih--/, /o--(not)/, and /uh--/.

I will point to and read two words that start with the same mouther and have the same throater letter, but the throater sounds are different. Look at these two words:

men - me

In the word "men" the ending /n---/ closes off the throater making it a closed sound, /eh--/.

In the word "me" the throater is not closed off, so the throater is an open sound, /ee---/.

CHALLENGE 1: Learning the throater letter names.

Letters have names just as we have names. You will now learn their names.

1. Say the name along with me of each throater letter as I point to it.
   
2. Say the name of each throater letter as I point to it in order.
   
3. Say the name of each throater "quick as a flash" as I point to it out of order.

   a - e - i - o - u

Now here is something cool: The name of a throater letter is the same as its open sound. So the open sound of a throater is also called the "name sound." Listen to the last sound in the word "me," /e--/. This ending /e--/ sound is the same as the name of the letter we write for the sound.

CHALLENGE 2: The open rimes.

1. Point to the words in the sentence as I read it slowly.
   
2. Say the sounds with me as I write the keyword.
   
3. Say the keyword and say and write the sounds of the keyword.
   
4. Say each "plus" word I point to.

I: "I" is a one-letter word. + hi

me: They sent for Ken and me. + she, be, the

go: Let's go get a cookie. + no, so, lo

my: The bird can still fly. + by, my, try
---The letter y at the end of short words stands for the /eye/ sound.

Review the words in the challenge:

1. Write and say each sound and then say the keyword as I dictate it.
   
2. Go to your Basic Keywords, find the open throater keywords, and highlight the open throater letters.

CHALLENGE 3: Write this sentence saying each word as I dictate it.

No, I think she will not cry if we go.

Back to the Beginning

MOUTHER LETTER NAMES

Mouther letters also have names, and we will compare them to two men's names. Listen to the men's names:

Ed - The name starts with the throater /eh/ that is closed off with the mouther /n--/.
Lee - The name starts with a mouther /l--/ and ends with an open throater /ee--/.

Now listen to two letter names:

"em" - This is the name of the letter that stands for the /m---/ sound. The name begins with a closed off throater /eh--/ as in Ed. Do you hear the /m---/ sound at the end of the letter's name, /em---/?

"bee" - This is the name for the letter that stands for the /b-b-b/ sound. The name ends with an open throater /ee--/ as in Lee. Do you hear the /b-b-b/ sound at the beginning of its name, /b-b-b ee/ /bee/?

Remember this: With most mouther letters you can hear their sounds in their names. You heard the /m--/ in "em" and the /b-b-/ in "bee."

Script for Challenges 1 and 2 Say the sounds and names of the line of letters along with me as I point to them. [E.g., f , l , m] Say the sounds and names of the line of letters as I point to them in order. Say the sounds and names quick as a flash of the line of letters as I point to them out of order. Review Say the sounds and names and write the letters in the challenge after I say letter names.

CHALLENGE 1: These mouther letter names start with a closed throater and end with the mouther.

f , l , m - [/f--/ "eff"; /l--/ "ell"; /m--/ "em"]

n , s , x , r - [/n--/ "en"; /s--/ 'ess"; /ks/ "ecks"; /r--/ "ar"]

CHALLENGE 2: These mouther letter names start with the mouther and end with an open throater.

b , d , p - [/b-b-b/ "bee"; /d-d-d/ "dee"; [/p-p-p/ "pee"]

t , v , z - [/t-t-t/ "tee"; /v--/ "vee"; [/z--/ "zee"]

j , k , q - [/j-j-j/ "jay"; /k-k-k/ "kay"; /k-k-k/ "keu"]

CHALLENGE 3: These mouther letters stand for a "soft" sound in some words and a "hard" sound in other words, and their names contain their "soft" sounds.

1. I will point to a letter, read the line, write the letter, and you write the letter and say it name.

   c - Its name is "see," which starts with the soft sound, /s---/ as in "cent." You learned the hard /k-k-k/ sound in "cat."

   g - Its name is "gee," which starts with the soft sound, /j-j-j/ as in "gem." You learned the hard sound /g-g-g/ in "bag."

2. I will say one of the two letters' names, and you say the letter's sound, write the sound, and say the letter's name.

CHALLENGE 4: The names of these goofy mouther letters don't contain their sounds.

1. I will point to a letter, read the line, write the letter, and you write the letter and say its sound and name.

   h - Its sound is /h---/ as in "house." Its name is "aych."

   w - Its sound is /w-w-w/ as in "wet." Its name is "double u."

   y - Its sound is /y-y-y/ as in "yet." Its name is "wye."

2. I will say one of the three letters' names, and you say the letter's sound, write the sound, and say the letter's name.

Back to the Beginning

"MAGIC E" RIMES

Write the rime you hear in this word: hat [/-at/]

Add the "magic e" to the end, and, abracadabra, it becomes /ate/.

Write and say "mat." Add the "magic e" and say the new word.

I will be reading sentences in which there is a keyword with an open throater, such as in "hate," and a look-alike word with a closed off throater, such as in "hat."

Script for challenges 1 through 8: Point to the words as we both read a sentence slowly. Say the look-alike word I point to [e.g., "cap"] and say and write its onset and the rime. Add the "magic e" to the end of the rime of the look-alike word and say the onset and rime and say the word [e.g., "cape"]. [If the look-alike word ends with a mouther pair such as ck, ss, or ll, scratch out one letter when the "magic e" is added.] Write and say the plus words as I dictate them. [Celebrate by writing the new word on his Word Hat.] Review the words in the challenge: Repeat the keyword I dictate and say and write the onset and rime. Highlight the rimes in the open throater/"magic e" keywords in your Basic Keywords. You have met the challenge, let's have a "high five!"

CHALLENGE 1: Some /ay/ rimes.

cape: The magician put on a red cap and a black cape. + grape, shape, scrape

made: What made her so mad at him? + grade, shade, blade

take: May I take this tack? + fake, cake, make

cave: Someone wrote "cav" in the cave. + save , pave, wave

CHALLENGE 2: More /ay/ rimes.

plane: His plan was to get on the plane. + cane, crane, Jane

same: Sam is in the same grade. + dame, frame, blame

care: Jake will take care of the car. + bare, dare, mare

haze: "Haz" doesn't spell haze. + daze, gaze, blaze

CHALLENGE 3: Some /eye/ rimes.

bite: Ted bit off a big bite of her cookie. + kite, write, quite

mile: The mill is one mile up the hill. + pile, while, file

stripe: Strip off the white stripe. + ripe, gripe, pipe

time: Tim has the time to get the cookies. + lime, crime, slime

CHALLENGE 4: More /eye/ rimes.

fine: The fish has a fine fin. + dine, line, mine

like: I don't like to have the dog lick my face. + bike, dike, Mike

ride: You must ride the bike or get rid of it. + hide, glide, pride

fire: The fir tree is on fire. + hire, sire, mire

CHALLENGE 5: Some /oh/ rimes.

note: I did not write the note. + vote, wrote, quote

hope: I hope the frog doesn't hop. + grope, slope, dope

robe: He might rob you of your robe. + globe, probe, lobe

CHALLENGE 6: More /oh/ rimes.

rose: Ross gave his wife a nice rose. + chose, close, pose

cone: Will the boy con his dad for a cone? + stone, bone, tone

joke: The jock told an old joke. + poke, spoke, woke

fore: He ran fore and aft on the ship for help. + sore, snore, core

CHALLENGE 7: Some /yoo/ sound rimes.

cute: Pete will cut the cute cake. + mute, compute

use: Kile gave it to us to use. + fuse

cure: The vet will try to cure her old sick cur (dog). + pure, lure

CHALLENGE 8: Some /oo/ sound rimes. The throater is also spelled with a u.

dune: I know the difference between dun and dune. + tune, prune, June

dude: That dude told a joke that was a dud (not funny). + nude, rude, crude

tube: The boy put a tube in the tub. + lube, rube

Luke: Luke has all of the luck. + duke, fluke

CHALLENGE 9: We often write the /s/ sound with a c when it is followed by an e, i, or y.

Read these sentences and plus words with me and write the keywords:

cent: Could he buy five cent candies? + center, celebrate, celery

lace: The lady has lace on her dress. + ace, grace, face
---Here is an example of the ce spelling at the end of a word. The ending "magic e" tells us that the throater is open and that the c stands for the soft or /s--/ sound.

mice: The mice dined on cheese. + ice, lice, slice

Write these words that I dictate: cent (money), lace, mice

CHALLENGE 10: We often write the /j/ sound with g when it is followed by an e, i, or y.

Read these sentences and plus words with me and write the keywords:

rage: The red rag made the bull go into a rage. + age, stage, cage
---Here is an example of the ge spelling at the end of a word. The "magic e" tells us that the throater is open and that the g stands for the soft or /j-j-j/ sound

huge: He gave his wife a huge hug.

gent: The old gent gave a grunt.

Write these words that I dictate: rage, huge, gent

CHALLENGE 11: If there are two mouthers between the throater and the "magic e", the "e" doesn't change the throater.

Read these sentences and plus words with me:

dance: Dave will dance with Jane. + chance, prance

binge: Pete went on a spending binge. + hinge, twinge

Exceptions are the "ange" words such as change and range.

CHALLENGE 12: Word Part Rummy

[Make up a set of cards for the open throater "magic e" rimes. Draw from the mouthers, mouther pairs, and beginning mouther blends.]

I will deal the new rimes, and we will play Word Part Rummy. You draw first from the mouther pile.

CHALLENGE 13: As I dictate a sentence word by word, you say and write the words.

Mike gave Pete cute joke.

What do you find interesting about the throaters in this sentence?

Not every ending "e" changes the throater. No English word can end with a "v." Words like "have," "give," and "love" end with an "e," but it doesn't change anything. It just protects the "v's" backside.

Here are a few tricky "o" rimes that don't play by the rules: He has gone to some game. He will come home by one or two o'clock and move his things.

CHALLENGE 14: For a checkup I will say some pairs of words, and you write them. [Drill until mastered.]:

• can cane; cape cap; car care; shake shack; lack lake

• pet Pete; lick like; fine fin; hid hide; bit bite; stripe strip

• not note; hope hop; robe rob; jock joke

• hug huge; use us; luck Luke; tube tub; dud dude

You have taken a huge step in learning how to spell. Let's celebrate!

Back to the Beginning