3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 5 of 15
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.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.2(A); 3.2(B) · 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 Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 5 of 15 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.
- 3rd grade guide for Texas parents
- Printable 3rd grade English Language Arts sheet
- Texas report cards explained
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
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
Add “-ed” to “clap”. Which spelling is correct?
clap + ed
- clapt
- clapped
- claped
clapped
Hint: “clap” has one short vowel and ends with one consonant. Double the last letter, then add -ed: clapped.
Question 2
Add “-ing” to “bake”. Which spelling is correct?
bake + ing
- baking
- bakking
- bakeing
baking
Hint: “bake” ends with a silent e. Drop the e, then add -ing: baking.
Question 3
Add “-ed” to “cook”. Which spelling is correct?
cook + ed
- cookt
- cookked
- cooked
cooked
Hint: “cook” has no silent e to drop, and it doesn't end in one short vowel plus one consonant. So just add -ed: cooked.
Question 4
Which letters finish the word for the picture?
🛣️r__d- ow
- oa
- oe
oa
Hint: Say “road” slowly and listen for the long vowel sound. In this word it is spelled oa: road.
Question 5
Which word has the same vowel team as “boat”?
- team
- goat
- slow
goat
Hint: A vowel team is two or more letters that spell one vowel sound. “boat” uses oa. Look for the word spelled with oa: goat.
Question 6
Which letters finish the word for the picture?
❄️sn__- ow
- oa
- oe
ow
Hint: Say “snow” slowly and listen for the long vowel sound. In this word it is spelled ow: snow.