Lesson 72 - Memory Lesson & Homophones to, too, two (Teacher Master Key)

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

Target Homophone	Grammatical Category	Semantic Meaning & Function	Memory Mnemonic & Orthography
to (/tuː/, /tə/)	Preposition / Infinitive marker	Direction toward, destination, or purpose	Single o; high-frequency function word
too (/tuː/)	Adverb	Meaning also / as well, or excessively	Double o = "has too many letters / extra"
two (/tuː/)	Cardinal Numeral	The integer 2 (between 1 and 3)	Silent w linked to twice, twin, twenty, between

Complete Answer Key & Orthographic Solutions WHEELER'S PAGE 41 EXERCISES

Ex. 1: Frank Dempster Sherman Poem

• Title: “The Dewdrop”
• Rhyme Pairs: are / star (Stanza 1); lie / sky (Stanza 2).
• Poetic Metaphor: The child imagines the morning dewdrop on the grass was once a star in the night sky that fell to earth like a sparkling gem.

Ex. 2: Homophone Role Definitions

• to: Preposition of motion or purpose.
• too: Additive adverb (also) or degree adverb (too bright).
• two: Number 2.

Ex. 3: Contextual Gap-Fill Solutions

1. “Bright-eyed stars will peep to see”
  – to: infinitive marker expressing purpose (peep in order to see).

2. “Baby robins, one, two, three.”
  – two: number word in numerical sequence.

3. “There is a little brook, too,
    Half hidden from view.”
  – too: adverb meaning also / as well (in addition to the robins).

Socratic Guiding Prompts & Teaching Techniques CLASSROOM DIALOGUE

The 'Extra O' Mnemonic: Tell students: "Look at 'too'. It has an extra 'o' because it means 'more than enough' or 'also'! If you have too many toys, you have extra toys. So 'too' gets an extra letter 'o'!"
The 'TW' Number Family: Ask: "What words start with 'tw'? (two, twin, twice, twenty, twelve). What do all these words have in common? They all relate to the number 2! So when you write the number 2 in words, remember the 'tw' family!"
The Replacement Test for 'Too': Teach the quick check: "If you can replace the word with 'also', it must be spelled T-O-O! If you cannot replace it with 'also', test if it is a number or direction."

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

1. “The two little children went to the garden to see the dew.”

2. “The morning sun was bright, and it was warm, too.”

3. “I have two robins in my tree, and a nest, too.”

4. “Run to the window and look at the sparkling drop of dew.”