LESSON 135 TEACHER GUIDE & ANSWER KEY
ORTHOEPY • DIGRAPHS • PHONIC RULES
Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Page 72
| Word | IPA | Position of CH | Teaching Prescription |
|---|
| chair | /tʃɛər/ | Initial | Vowel digraph ai before r. Unmarked ch. |
| church | /tʃɜːrtʃ/ | Both (Initial & Final) | Features ch at beginning and end. Vowel marked with circumflex (cûrch). |
| child | /tʃaɪld/ | Initial | Long i before -ld. Contrast with short vowel in children. |
| birch | /bɜːrtʃ/ | Terminal | Vowel tilde over i (/ɜːr/). Preceded by consonant r → spelled -ch, not -tch. |
| porch | /pɔːrtʃ/ | Terminal | Preceded by consonant r → spelled -ch. |
| rich | /rɪtʃ/ | Terminal | Short vowel exception to -tch rule (along with much, such, which). |
Exercise 1 Sorting:
• Initial: chair, chest, child, chin, chop, cheek.
• Terminal: march, birch, porch, rich, such.
• Both: church.
Exercise 3 Solutions:
1. chair / porch.
2. birch / church.
Orthographic Note: Emphasize the four short-vowel words that end in -ch rather than -tch: rich, such, much, which.
- Touch your chin. What two letters spell that first sound? Is the sound voiced or unvoiced?
- Look at 'church'. How many times does the /tʃ/ sound appear?
- Why is 'rich' spelled with '-ch' instead of '-tch'? What other words share this special spelling?
Dictation & Oral Application Sentences (Read slowly at normal speaking pace):
1. The little child sat on the wooden chair by the porch.
2. Tall white birch trees stand near the village church.
3. March wind blew cold against the boy's rosy cheek.
4. Such a rich treasure was locked inside the iron chest.
Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Lesson 135 • Teacher Master Key
Page 2 of 2 (Instructor Reference)