PRIMARY SPELLING & PHONICS • CURRICULUM ARCHITECTURE TEACHER MASTER KEY INSTRUCTOR REFERENCE • PAGE 2 OF 2

Word	IPA	Grammar	Etymology & Teaching Prescription
seem	/siːm/	Verb	Old Norse sœma (to conform to). Double ee. Mental appearance.
seam	/siːm/	Noun / Verb	Old English sēam, from siwian (to sew). Digraph ea.
seamstress	/ˈsiːmstrɪs/	Noun	Feminine noun for one who sews. Retains ea spelling.
seemly	/ˈsiːmli/	Adjective	Fitting or appropriate in conduct. Retains ee spelling.

Complete Answer Key & Solutions WHEELER'S EXERCISES

Exercise 2 Solutions:
1. seam (tailoring edge).
2. seem (appear).
3. seam (geological coal vein).
4. seem (appear sensible).

Shakespearean Insight:
Hamlet contrasts grief that is merely 'put on' like clothes (seems) with grief that is deep in the heart (is).
Help children distinguish seamstress from seemly.

Socratic Guiding Prompts & Pedagogical Insights INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

If a tailor fixes your coat, does he stitch a 'seem' or a 'seam'?
What word describes a woman who sews clothes for a living? How is it spelled?
What did Hamlet mean when he said 'I know not seems'?

Dictation & Oral Application Sentences (Read slowly at normal speaking pace):

1. Things are not always as good as they seem.

2. Mother sewed a neat seam along the hem of the dress.

3. “Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not seems.”

4. A rich seam of coal was found deep beneath the mountain.