PRIMARY SPELLING & PHONICS • CURRICULUM ARCHITECTURE TEACHER MASTER KEY INSTRUCTOR REFERENCE • PAGE 2 OF 2
LESSON 64 TEACHER GUIDE & ANSWER KEY ōw & ōu = /oʊ/
Wheeler's Elementary Speller — Page 37
Target Concept Phonogram / Spelling Pattern Core Vocabulary Morphology & Homophones
Digraph ōw (/oʊ/) Final or syllable-coda ow representing long ō low, row, snow, know, owe, grow Homophone: know / no; Silent k before n
Digraph ōu (/oʊ/) Medial ou followed by r/rt/rn representing /oʊ/ pour, four, court, mourn Homophones: four / for, pour / pore, mourn / morn
Phonogram Comparison Long ō (/oʊ/) vs. Diphthong /aʊ/ (down, town) snow, know, hollow, follow vs. down Auditory discrimination & orthographic awareness
Complete Answer Key & Solutions WHEELER'S PAGE 37 EXERCISES
Ex. 1: 10 Target Words Orthography

• ōw group: low (/loʊ/), row (/roʊ/), snow (/snoʊ/), know (/noʊ/), owe (/oʊ/), grow (/ɡroʊ/).
• ōu group: pour (/pɔːr/ or /poʊr/), four (/fɔːr/ or /foʊr/), court (/kɔːrt/ or /koʊrt/), mourn (/mɔːrn/ or /moʊrn/).

Ex. 2: Word Building Solutions

• Adding ōw: s + ow = sow, sh + ow = show, fl + ow = flow, bl + ow = blow, gl + ow = glow, gr + ow = grow.
• Adding ōat: b + oat = boat, c + oat = coat, g + oat = goat, thr + oat = throat, fl + oat = float.

Ex. 3: Detective & Homophone Solutions

• Sound Detective A: The word with a different sound is down (/daʊn/ diphthong, unlike /oʊ/ in snow and know).
• Words from poem with long ō: snow, know, Hollow, follow.
• Homophone Matches B:
  – four ↔ for (or fore)
  – know ↔ no
  – pour ↔ pore
  – mourn ↔ morn

Socratic Guiding Prompts & Teaching Techniques CLASSROOM DIALOGUE
  • The Two Sounds of "OW": Ask the child: "Listen to 'snow' and 'down'. Do they rhyme? How does your mouth shape differently when saying 'snow' compared to 'down'?" (In 'snow', lips round into /oʊ/; in 'down', mouth opens wide into /aʊ/).
  • The Silent "K": Ask: "When you say 'I know the answer', do you pronounce the 'k'? What other words begin with silent 'kn'? (knee, knot, knock, knife)."
  • Homophone Discernment: Point out: "If I say 'I have four apples', which spelling is used? If I say 'This gift is for you', which spelling is used?" Emphasize meaning and context.
Dictation & Oral Application Sentences (Read slowly at normal speaking pace):
1. “The soft white snow fell upon the meadow in the hollow.”
2. “I know that four tall ships sail in a straight row.”
3. “Please pour the fresh water into the bucket and watch the plants grow.”
4. “The king sat in the high court wearing a warm winter coat.”
Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Lesson 64 • Teacher Master Key Page 2 of 2 (Instructor Reference)