Wheeler Speller Audio • Lessons 80, 81 & 82 (Italian ä & Clothing)
Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Page 45 PHONICS, POETRY & VOCABULARY Student Worksheet
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Lessons 80, 81 & 82 • Italian A Sound (ä) & Words of Clothing
Sound: /ɑː/ as in fär
1 Lesson 80: Italian A Sound (ä /ɑː/): Read each word aloud, copy carefully, and spot silent letters.
4 FAMILIES • 16 WORDS
-ar & -art Family
fär
stär
därt
cärt
-ark Family
därk
lärk
pärk
spärk
-arn & -arm Family
bärn
färm
härm
chärm
-alm & -arch Family
cälm
bälm
ärch
märch
2 Lesson 81: Poetry Copywork & Diacritic Hunt: Copy each line below, then mark every letter a that sounds like fär with two dots (ä).
CLASSIC VERSE
“Hark! hark! my children, hark!
  When the sky has lost its blue,
What do the stars say in the dark?
  ‘We must sparkle, sparkle through.’”
Tip: Count how many times Italian ä appears!
3 Lesson 82: The Wardrobe (Clothing): Study the word bank, then write a short descriptive story using as many clothing words as you can.
16 CLOTHING WORDS
Footwear & Legs
shoe hose stocking trousers
Outerwear & Hands
coat cloak mitten apron
Accessories & Neckwear
collar ribbon gloves shawl
Garments & Headwear
veil skirt jacket dress
Write 2–3 full sentences describing dressing for a crisp evening or festive day:
Key Orthographic Rules to Remember
1. Italian ä Sound: Two dots over ä represent the open vowel /ɑː/ as in fär, stär, and härk. It is distinct from short ă in fat.
2. Silent L in -alm: In calm and balm, the letter l is silent. The vowel sound remains Italian ä.
3. Thematic Spelling: Grouping words by theme (like clothing: shoe, coat, apron, cloak) builds mental schema for rapid spelling and vivid writing.