Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Lesson 148

Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Lesson 148 (Page 78)

Nature Lyric by S. T. Coleridge • Phonic Hunt for o = ŭ (/ʌ/) • The Three Foundational Suffix Rules

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Part 1: Samuel Taylor Coleridge • "Answer to a Child's Question"

Poetic Reading • Phonic Hunt

"Do you ask what the birds say? The sparrow, the dove,
The linnet, and the thrush say, 'I love and I love!'
Green leaves and blossoms, the sunny warm weather,
And singing and loving — all come back together;
Then the lark is so brimful of gladness and love,
The green fields below him, the blue sky above,
That he sings and he sings, and forever sings he,
'I love my Love, and my Love loves me.'"
— SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE

Phonic Hunt: Find words with ȯ = ŭ (/ʌ/):

Identify the 6 words in the verse where letter o sounds like short ŭ:

1. The gentle bird:

2. Deep affection:

3. Participle of love:

4. Arrive / return:

5. High overhead:

6. 3rd-person verb:

Part 2: Nature & Phonics Spelling List (12 Words)

Dictation • Oral Spelling • Penmanship

thrŭsh /θrʌʃ/

Songbird with spotted chest

spărrow /ˈspæroʊ/

Small common brown bird

blŏssom /ˈblɑːsəm/

Flower of a fruit-bearing tree

sŭnny /ˈsʌni/

Filled with warm sunshine

lȯving /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

Showing tender kindness

sĭnging /ˈsɪŋɪŋ/

Making sweet musical notes

bēlow /bɪˈloʊ/

Underneath; in a lower spot

fŏrēver /fərˈɛvər/

Through all time; endlessly

glădness /ˈɡlædnəs/

State of joy and cheer

lärk /lɑːrk/

Meadow bird that sings in flight

wạrm /wɔːrm/

Pleasant heat; comfortable

ābȯve /əˈbʌv/

Overhead; at a higher level

Part 3: Morphology Inquiry • The Three Master Suffix Rules

Morphology • Spelling Laws • Synthesis

Textbook Inquiry: "What rule applies to the spelling of sunny, of loving, and of singing?"

1. The 1-1-1 Doubling Rule

sun + n + y = sunny

When a 1-syllable word has 1 short vowel and ends in 1 consonant, double the consonant before a vowel suffix.

fog + y =
run + er =

2. The Silent-E Dropping Rule

love − e + ing = loving

When a word ends in a silent final -e, drop the -e before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel.

come + ing =
make + ing =

3. The Base-Retaining Rule

sing + ing = singing

When a word ends in two consonants (-ng), simply add the suffix. Do not double or drop any letters!

ring + ing =
ask + ed =

Poetic Couplet Penmanship: "The green fields below him, the blue sky above, That he sings and he sings..." Practice penmanship • 26px handwriting track