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Lesson 5: Vowels + 'R'
The vowels usually have different sounds when combined with the letter 'r'. The following sound groups should be introduced and practiced:
ar - as in car
or - as in for
er - as in her
ir - as in stir
ur - as in fur
Notice that er, ir and ur all have the same sound, as in her. The vowel is actually silent, yet the formation of this sound is slightly different from the basic r sound.
In single syllable words, the vowel + 'r' can come anywhere in the word:
cart, torch, arch, spark, perk.
When a vowel precedes the letter r, it often forms the end of a syllable.
In words with more than one syllable, vowel + 'r', ends a syllable:
carpet: car pet
purchase: pur chase
forfeit: for feit
circuit: cir cuit
etc.
There are three types of exceptions to this rule.
The first is when the letters are in single syllable words, where the vowel and r can be at any place in the word, such as porch, harp, cart, etc.
The second is when the root word is a single syllable, and the new word has
more than one syllable due to a suffix being added; the suffix is often a
separate syllable. Examples -
porches - porch es
marching - march ing
The third exception is when the vowel before the r is long and the vowel after it is short. In these cases, the word must be broken in such a way as to maintain the consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) structure of the syllable with the short vowel. You will find these words are commonly of Latin origin.
DON'T PANIC! We have introduced these rules for you, the teacher. Syllabication is part of interemediate and advanced phonics, not part of this lesson. It has been included to help you, as the instructor, assist your student in properly forming the sounds. The difference between 'r' in a word, such as crown, and er, as in perk, is very subtle and often difficult to distinguish.
We plan to add a short lesson on working with syllables in the near future. We have introduced these rules since many common words that children use follow the more advanced phonics and syllabication rules. We just want you to be aware of them. You might try introducing your child to the concepts if they specifically express a desire to understand them, but if you do please also let them know that, if it seems confusing, it is because you are getting ahead of yourselves. It will clear up later.
You will need to listen to your child carefully and help them hear the differences in sounds. It not only helps them sound out words, but improves speech patterns as well. The two are very closely related. Students who speak clearly are able to recognize words that have been sounded out phonetically.
If a child mispronounces words in his/her regular speech, you may find they do not recognize properly articulated sounds as the actual words.
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