LESSONS 89 & 90: POETRY PHONICS & HOMOPHONES

Wheeler's Elementary Speller • Page 50 • Intermediate Sound of A (ȧ) • Homophones: Blue vs. Blew

Name: Date: Score:

1 Read the verses aloud. Copy each line carefully, then place a dot (ȧ) over each a that sounds like a in ask:

Rule: intermediate ȧ before -ss, -st, -nc-

Stanza I • Lucy Larcom

“It makes my heart bound, just to pass
The sunbeams dancing in the grass.”

Stanza II • Sir Walter Scott

“Summer eve is gone and past,
Summer dew is falling fast.”

Verse 1: Copy Stanza I, Line 1 • carefully dot the 1 intermediate ȧ: Target: 1 word with ȧ

Verse 2: Copy Stanza I, Line 2 • carefully dot both intermediate ȧ's: Target: 2 words with ȧ

Verse 3: Copy Stanza II, Line 1 • carefully dot the 1 intermediate ȧ: Target: 1 word with ȧ

Verse 4: Copy Stanza II, Line 2 • carefully dot the 1 intermediate ȧ: Target: 1 word with ȧ

Intermediate Ȧ Detective • Check off each word after marking it above:

pȧss dȧncing grȧss pȧst fȧst

blue /bluː/ • adjective / noun

Definition: The color of the clear sky, ocean, or sapphire; spelled with -ue.

“Blue is the color of heaven,
And blue is the color for me.” — Lucy Larcom

blew /bluː/ • irregular verb

Definition: Past tense of blow (moved rapidly as a current of air); spelled with -ew.

“The merry wind that blew and blew
O’er the fields where the ripe grain grew.” — J. W. Riley

2 Wheeler's Socratic Questions • Answer each prompt in neat, complete handwriting:

Full Sentence Practice

1. What is the color of the sky? (Answer in a complete sentence using blue): (Line 1: Primary Answer • Line 2: Descriptive Detail)

2. What did the wind do yesterday when it took your hat off? (Answer using blew): (Line 1: Action Sentence • Line 2: What Happened Next)

3. Master Synthesis Challenge: Write one original sentence using BOTH blue and blew: (Combine color + wind action)