It's interesting to note that 90 percent of all writing consists of 1,000 basic words. There is a methodology to English spelling and the more often that a word is put into use, the higher the probability that it is spoken and spelled correctly. Learning letter sounds is essential in learning how to read. The short-vowel sounds are a crucial part of the learning process as they, along with the
. long-vowel sounds, dictate how a letter is used in a given word and how that word is pronounced.The study of short-vowel sounds is a vital part to students' early reading and writing skills. This is why short-vowel sounds are typically introduced to children before long-vowel sounds. As children develop into individuals, parents and teachers are urged to use grade level ratings as a guideline, incorporating the temperament, abilities and interests of the child into account when teaching short-vowel sounds.Consider the variety of spellings for short-vowel sounds. Starting with the short letter a as in hat, ai as in plaid, au as in laugh. The short letter e as in better, ea as in head, eo as in leopard. There a number of combinations involving a, e, i, o, u and the vowels are sometimes used in combination with one another, or with a consonant to achieve short-vowel sounds. At times this may prove difficult as the same sound is often spelled in many different ways. Through the repeated usage of words out loud prior to the attempt of writing, helps the student make sense of the spelling of the word(s) as they are able to hear them through enunciation.There are many rules to the English language, the vowels a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y are pronounced with either a long sound or a short sound. Through careful study and repeated usage, spelling and speaking words with short-vowel sounds is gradually easier over time.More reference links: http://www.kidzone.ws/kindergarten/vowels/index-short-vowels.htm http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/821.htm
