OnTrack Reading

On this page of the Guide each of 70 phonograms in the Spalding Method are listed, as well as changes I would suggest incorporating for the reasons given. The committee that devised the 5th Edition changed the order of the presentation of phonograms, so I will go with their suggested order for the purposes here.

a = /a/ (at); /ae/ (navy); /o/ (father) Notation change: Spalding underlines the long vowel sound of the letters a, e, i, o and u, but then numbers those same vowels for third and fourth sounds. I would use the number 2 for the long sound and save underlining for indicating digraphs only.

c = /c/ (can); /s/ (cent) Notation change: Spalding relies on a rule to explain which sound, /c/ or /s/, the phonogram c represents. I would number the second sound with a 2 as well as using the rule.

d = /d/ (lid) No change

f = /f/ (if) No change

g = /g/ (bag); /j/ (gem) Notation change: As with the phonogram c, Spalding relies on a rule to explain which sound the phonogram g represents. Again, I would number the second sound with a 2 and also incorporate the rule.

o = /o/ (odd); /oe/ (open); /oo/ (do) Notation change: See phonogram a

s = /s/ (us); /z/ (as) No change

qu = /k/w/ (quit) No change

b = /b/ (rib) No change

e = /e/ (end); /ee/ (me) Notation change: See phonogram a

h = /h/ (him) No change

i = /i/ (big); /ie/ (silent) Sound change: Add /ee/ (ski) as a third sound and number it 3. Notation change: See phonogram a

j = /j/ (jam) No change

k = /c/ (ink) No change

l = /l/ (lag) No change

m = /m/ (ham) No change

n = /n/ (win) Sound change: Add /ng/ (ink) as a second sound and number it 2.

p = /p/ (map) No change

r = /r/ (rat) No change

t = /t/ (bat) No change

u = /u/ (up); /ue/ (music); /oul/ (put) Sound change: Add /oo/ (truth) and number it 3, moving /oul/ (put) to the fourth position, renumbering it 4. Notation change: See phonogram a

w = /w/ (wit) No change

x = /k/s/ (box) No change

y = /y/ (yet); /i/ (gym); /ie/ (my) Sound changes: 1) Add /ee/ (happy); 2) Drop /y/ (yet) and teach a leading phonogram y to be pronounced with a quick /ee/ sound. Notation changes: Change the order to /ee/ (happy); /ie/ (my); /i/ (gym) and number the second and third sounds with 2 and 3 respectively.

z = /z/ (zest) No change

sh = /sh/ (dish) No change

ee = /ee/ (see) No change

th = /th/ (thin); /the/ (this) No change

ow = /ow/ (how); /oe/ (low) No change

ou = /ow/ (round); /oe/ (soul); /oo/ (you); /u/ (country) No change

oo = /oo/ boot; /oul/ (foot) No change

ch = /ch/ (much); /c/ (school); /sh/ (chef) No change

ar = /ar/ (far) Sound changes: Add the three sounds /or/ (war); /er/ (dollar); /err/ (vary) and number them 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

ay = /ae/ (day) No change

ai = /ae/ (paint) No change

oy = /oy/ (boy) No change

oi = /oy/ (point) No change

er = /er/ (her) Sound change: Add /err/ (very) and number it 2.

ir = /er/ (first) No change

ur = /er/ (nurse) No change

wor = /w/er/ (work) Phonogram change: Drop wor from the list and do not teach it as a phonogram.

ear = /er/ (early) No change

ng = /ng/ (rang) No change

ea = /ee/ (eat); /e/ (head); /ae/ (break) No change

aw = /aw/ (law) No change

au = /aw/ (author) No change

or = /or/ (for) Sound change: Add /er/ (work) and number it 2.

ck = /c/ (neck) No change

wh = /hw/ (when) No change

ed = /e/d/ (graded); /d/ (hummed); /t/ (hopped) Sound change: Drop /e/d/ (graded) as it is two sounds, not one. Notation change: Renumber /t/ (hopped) as 2. /d/ (hummed), being number 1, needs no number then.

ew = /oo/ (grew); /ue/ (few) Notation change: Switch the order, renumbering /oo/ (grew) as number 2.

ui = /oo/ (fruit); /ue/ (suit) Sound change: Drop /ue/ (suit) as modern pronunciation is /oo/ (suit) and the phonogram ui has only one sound now.

oa = /oe/ (boat) No change

gu = /g/ (guess) No change

ph = /f/ (phone) No change

ough = /oe/ (though); /oo/ (through); /u/f/ (rough); /o/f/ (cough); /aw/ (thought); /ow/ (drought) Sound change: Drop /u/f/ (rough) and /o/f/ (cough) as they are both two sounds, not one. Notation change: Renumber /ow/ (drought) as the number 1, /oe/ (though) as 2, /oo/ (through) as 3 and /aw/ (thought) as 4.

oe = /oe/ (toe) No change

ey = /ae/ (they); /ee/ (key); /i/ (valley) Sound change: Drop /i/ (valley) Notation change: Switch /ee/ (key) to the first sound and /ae/ (they) to the second and number it 2.

igh = /ie/ (sigh) No change

kn = /n/ (knot) No change

gn = /n/ (sign) No change

wr = /r/ (wrap) No change

ie = /ee/ (field); /ie/ (pie); /i/ (lilies) Sound change: Drop /i/ (lilies) Notation change: Switch /ie/ (pie) to the first sound and /ee/ (field) to the second and number it 2.

dge = /j/ (bridge) No change

ei = /ee/ (weird); /ae/ (veil); /i/ (forfeit) Sound change: Change /i/ (forfeit) to /e/ (heifer) and teach all of the current /i/ examples as /e/ examples.

eigh = /ae/ (weigh) No change

ti = /sh/ (nation) No change

si = /sh/ (mansion); /zh/ (vision) No change

ci = /sh/ (facial) No change

All of the reasoning behind the changes suggested here will be discussed on the next page of the Guide except the four changes discussed on the page Modifying the Spalding Method.

Next: Reasons for Modifying Spalding, or return to the OnTrack Home Page.