3 - Consonants
If your students or your class have been showing increased errors or omissions of consonants, you can refer to the following materials:
Module 3 - Consonants
Materials 3 - Consonants
Possible causes
Incorrect letters were used - this may indicate uncertainty in sound-letter correspondence.
Consonants were inserted where they don't belong - this suggests an auditory uncertainty in sound perception.
Consonants were omitted - the cause for this is often insufficient attention or carelessness in the work.
Typical errors in this category
Wrong consonant
thirt (third) = 1 error (consonants)
Consonant omission
tird (third) = 1 error (consonants)
wringle (wrinkle) = 1 error (consonants)
nife (knife) = 1 error (consonants)
tchiken (chicken) = 2 errors (consonants)
rinkl (wrinkle) = 1 error (consonants) + 1 error (vowels) + 1 error (suffixes & endings)
Extra consonant
schoe (shoe) = 1 error (consonants)
roat (wrote) = 1 error (consonants)+ for oa 1 error (alternative vowels) + for e 1 error (vowels) + 1 error (suffixes & endings)
Didactical information
In the context of rapidly spoken everyday language, which greatly influences children's auditory perception and the encoding of sound patterns, it's important to note that consonants are often pronounced differently than they are represented in writing, and sometimes they may even be omitted. Therefore, it is crucial for children to grasp the concept that spoken language and written language can vary, especially in regard to consonants.
To establish confidence in both auditory and articulatory skills, it is advisable, preferably with the entire class, to explore the "Consonants" module from the Guidebook before embarking on the specially designed exercise series. This module encourages children to explore consonants in terms of their production and articulation. It is structured as a kind of "inventory" that can be easily conducted without extensive preparation at any time.
The exercises in the SYSPELL exercise pool are carefully graded, progressing from simple to more challenging tasks. They encompass the spelling of all voiceless and voiced consonants, as well as letter combinations like sh/sch/tch, gn, kn, nk, and ng. The exercises cover consonants at the beginning of words, consonant clusters, and those at word boundaries in compound words.
All instructions are concise and formulated in a child-friendly manner, enabling students to work independently on the worksheets. To facilitate the teacher's review process, there is a completed correction sheet available for each task sheet.
We kindly encourage you to motivate your students to maintain neat and organized work, as this will contribute to the legibility of their handwritten assignments in the future.
Additionally, please keep records of your students' progress and make note of any difficulties or areas that may require further attention. This will allow you to revisit the chapter as an exercise series or mark it as mastered as needed.