OnTrack Reading

The suffix ed should be introduced relatively late in any phonics curriculum because of its complexity. You will be better off discussing the concept of split vowels (vowel plus e) and also adding suffixes like ing, er and y to both split vowel words and CVC words before tackling the suffix ed.

This is because the suffix ed has three distinct pronunciation options and this is further complicated by the fact that when two of the options occur ed is a digraph for a single sound, but in the third case the suffix ed is not a digraph and instead represents two sounds.

All this confusion means that the suffix ed often presents a challenge to a struggling reader. In the OnTrack Reading curriculum a whiteboard is used to show an example of a word ending in the /d/ sound, such as fanned. After you write fanned on the whiteboard (or a piece of paper) ask your child to read it. If he can’t read it with just a minimal amount of help, you’re probably presenting this lesson too soon. Next, ask your child to say each sound in fanned and show him that the suffix ed is a digraph representing the /d/ sound by having him say all four sounds in fanned.

Next, write a word like stopped on the whiteboard (or paper) and let your child discover that the digraph ed represents the /t/ sound stopped. Finally, show your child a word like sanded and have him say each sound in the word. Make it clear to him that the letters e and d stand for two distinct sounds, /e/ and /d/ respectively.

Following this demonstration and discussion, write on the whiteboard the three column headings d, t, and e+d and then show him words ending in ed one at a time and have him read them, identify the sound, or sounds, the suffix represents in each word and then put the word under the correct column heading.

Here is a set of manipulatives that you can print out, cut into individual word cards and use as described above. The second PDF file is a worksheet that you can use to help your child learn the three options for pronouncing the suffix ed. Use the manipulatives first, and then use the worksheet a few days later as a review.

Download Manipulatives for Suffix ed

Download the Suffix ed Worksheet

The manipulatives contain no words in the split vowel (or vowel + e) category to avoid introducing yet another level of complexity when you are introducing the ed suffix. However, the last two words of each column of the worksheet are split vowel examples. If necessary, remind your child that the suffix ed is replacing the ending e just as in the cases where the suffixes ing, er and y were added in previous worksheets.

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