Phonics and Spelling RulesMrs. Johnson’s Third Grade

Units 1-3 Short Vowels-a, e, I, o, u Final consonant blends- used at the end

of a word. mp- limp; st- most

Initial consonant blends-used at the beginning of a word.

bl- black; dr- dread

Consonant Blends When two consonants come together

and a little of each letter is heard as we blend the sounds together.

bl cl fl gl pl sl br cr dr fr gr pr tr sm sn sk sc st sp sw str spr spl scr

Short Vowel Sounds Vowels will be short in a syllable that

has the CVC (Consonant-vowel-consonant) or VC pattern.

Unit 4 Rules Long Vowels- When a word ends in a silent e, the vowel that

comes before the e will be long and say its name. The final e is sometimes called the magic e because of the way it can change the sound of the first vowel from short to long.

pin/ pine hop/hope fin/fine Exceptions to the silent e rule: have come some love done gone give move

More Unit 4 A vowel digraph is when two vowels come

together and have one vowel sound. It has one long vowel sound. Usually, the first vowel is long, but the second is silent. However, there are many exceptions!!!!

ai-rain(said is an exception ) ay-hay oe-toe ee-meet oa-boat ey- turkey (they is an exception)

Vowel Digraph Exceptions ei- followed by gh: eight freight sleigh It has a long a sound.

ei- has long e in words such as: weird either

More Exceptions-ea ea can have the long, short e or long a

sound. Long e- seat, eat, meat Short e- head Long a- steak, break, great

More Unit 4- Initial A The initial a is when the a is at the beginning.

The initial a has a long a sound in these words: Amy April angel apron ache

Unit 5-Long Vowel A vowel digraph is when two vowels come

together and have one vowel sound. It has one long vowel sound. Usually, the first vowel is long, but the second is silent. However, there are many exceptions!!!!

ai-rain(said is an exception ) ay-hay oe-toe ee-meet oa-boat ey- turkey (they is an exception

Long Vowels-Unit 5 ie –

Long e as in piece, niece, yield Long i as in pie, tie, die, cried Exception- friend (short e sound)

Remember the spelling rule- i before e except after c!!!!!

Unit 5- Y Most of the time, y takes the place of

the i for a vowel sound. fry sky sly pry type

Unit 5-Y In multi-syllable words with a vowel

coming before the final y, the y will have a long e sound.

baby study city copy chilly every mummy

Unit 5- Y Y is considered a vowel and a

consonant. When the first letter is a y in a word, it is a consonant and has the sound of yuh.

yes yard yonder