1 - Vowels
If your students or your class have frequent uncertainties in the written representation of vowels, you can refer to the following materials:
Module 1 - Vowels & open syllables
Materials 1 - Vowels & open syllables
Possible causes
Vowels have been misspelled, which could indicate uncertainty in the sound-letter correspondence.
Vowels have been inserted incorrectly, which might suggest an auditory uncertainty.
Vowels have been omitted. This could be an attention issue that can be quickly improved through explicit engagement with the systematics of the writing system.
Typical errors in this category
Vowel omission
beaten (betn) = 1 error (vowels) + 1 error (alternative vowels) + 1 error (suffixes & endings)
Wrong vowel
bed (bad) = 1 error (vowels)
myn (mine) = 2 errors (vowels)+ 1 error (suffixes & endings)
letta (letter) = 1 error (vowels) + 1 error (consonants) + 1 error (suffixes & endings)
Extra vowel
bait (bite) = 1 error (vowels) + 1 error (alternative vowels) + 1 error (suffixes & endings)
Didactical information
Vowels play a central role in English spelling. One could even say they are the basis for most of the rules that apply to the English written language system . The reason for this is that in spoken English, there are many variations in how vowels sound and are pronounced, but in writing, there are only five characters available. For children, this means that they first need to learn to assign the same letter to different sounding vowels.
It's possible that the children may even need exercises to strengthen their auditory perception and better control their articulation. In this case, and as a preparation for the offered exercise series, we recommend that you take a brief look at or possibly work through the "Vowels" module from the guidebook with your class or student.
To make it easier for very young children and/or children with different native languages to start the training and to ensure new motivation for the training program, we recommend taking the "Rhythm/Trochee" pre-course. It is a program that works without writing and specifically supports children in a special way and is always enjoyable.
The exercise series we have prepared for your training, available for download, encompass a wide range of vowel spelling topics. These exercises cover not only the vowels a, e, i, o, u in simple phonetic contexts (CVC-words) but also delve into the impact of the "split digraph," which alters the pronunciation of the vowel by creating a two-syllable word form (known as a trochee), as in "bit" to "bite."
The exercises are scaled within the sub-areas, meaning they are built up step by step from easier to more challenging. The instructions are simple and self-explanatory and should be easily understood and followed by the children.
Please ensure a formally conscientious execution and record the student's performance.