3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 5 of 21
Spelling Patterns
Vowel teams and word endings
What your child practices
Spelling long vowel sounds with vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow, igh, ie) and adding -ed and -ing by doubling a letter, dropping a silent e or just adding the ending.
New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 3RF3; 3L2 · spelling vowel teams and word endings
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Two vowels together often make one long sound: ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow, igh.
- If a word ends in silent e, drop the e before -ing or -ed: bake → baking.
- Short vowel plus one consonant? Double it: hop → hopping.
Example: Add “-ing” to “run”. Which spelling is correct? “Run” has a short u and ends in one consonant. Double the n, then add -ing. Answer: running
Spelling Patterns in New York
In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 5 of 21 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Punctuation Power and before Prefixes & Suffixes.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which word has the same vowel team as “goat”?
- show
- train
- boat
boat
Hint: A vowel team is two or more letters that spell one vowel sound. “goat” uses oa. Look for the word spelled with oa: boat.
Question 2
Which letters finish the word for the picture?
🚆tr__n- ai
- oa
- ay
ai
Hint: Say “train” slowly and listen for the long vowel sound. In this word it is spelled ai: train.
Question 3
Which letters finish the word for the picture?
🥣b__l- oa
- oe
- ow
ow
Hint: Say “bowl” slowly and listen for the long vowel sound. In this word it is spelled ow: bowl.
Question 4
Add “-ed” to “help”. Which spelling is correct?
help + ed
- helped
- helpt
- helpped
helped
Hint: “help” has no silent e to drop, and it doesn't end in one short vowel plus one consonant. So just add -ed: helped.
Question 5
Which word has the same vowel team as “play”?
- day
- wait
- peach
day
Hint: A vowel team is two or more letters that spell one vowel sound. “play” uses ay. Look for the word spelled with ay: day.
Question 6
Add “-ed” to “bake”. Which spelling is correct?
bake + ed
- bakked
- bakeed
- baked
baked
Hint: “bake” ends with a silent e. Drop the e, then add -ed: baked.