CALT Orthography and Spelling Rules 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writes 'waching' instead of 'watching.' Which orthographic concept explains the correct spelling?
- The 'tch' trigraph follows a short vowel (Correct answer)
- Double consonants after long vowels
- The silent-e rule
- Consonant blends preserve both sounds
Correct answer: The 'tch' trigraph follows a short vowel
The trigraph '-tch' is used to spell /tʃ/ immediately after a short vowel in a one-syllable word, mirroring the '-ck' and '-dge' conventions.
Question 2: Which syllable type is found in the first syllable of 'robot'?
- Closed syllable
- Open syllable (Correct answer)
- Vowel-consonant-e syllable
- R-controlled syllable
Correct answer: Open syllable
An open syllable ends in a vowel that is typically long; 'ro-' ends in the vowel 'o,' making it an open syllable with the long /oʊ/ sound.
Question 3: The word 'psychology' begins with a silent 'p.' From which language does this spelling pattern originate?
- Latin
- French
- Greek (Correct answer)
- Old English
Correct answer: Greek
The 'ps-' onset for the /s/ sound comes from Greek roots, as seen in 'psyche,' 'pterodactyl,' and 'pneumonia.'
Question 4: When adding '-ing' to 'run,' the correct form is 'running.' Which feature of 'run' triggers consonant doubling?
- It ends in a nasal consonant
- It is a one-syllable word with one short vowel and one final consonant (Correct answer)
- It has a vowel team in the medial position
- It ends in a silent e
Correct answer: It is a one-syllable word with one short vowel and one final consonant
The 1-1-1 rule applies: one syllable, one short vowel, one final consonant — the 'n' doubles before the vowel suffix '-ing.'
Question 5: Which of the following words contains a vowel digraph (vowel team) where two vowels together represent one long vowel sound?
- coin
- boat (Correct answer)
- boy
- loud
Correct answer: boat
'Boat' contains the vowel team 'oa,' which represents the long /oʊ/ sound; 'coin,' 'boy,' and 'loud' contain diphthongs, not single long vowel sounds.
Question 6: A CALT student consistently misspells words with the schwa vowel. Which instructional strategy is MOST appropriate?
- Drill phonemic awareness for all unstressed syllables
- Teach morphological spelling — connecting the schwa vowel to related words with a stressed form (Correct answer)
- Emphasize the visual memory approach for high-frequency words only
- Instruct the student to sound out every vowel individually
Correct answer: Teach morphological spelling — connecting the schwa vowel to related words with a stressed form
Relating schwa-vowel spellings to morphologically related words where the vowel is stressed (e.g., 'compete → competition') is the most effective strategy for accurate schwa spelling.
Question 7: Which of the following represents a correct application of the 'y-to-i' spelling rule?
- 'play' + '-ed' = 'played'
- 'carry' + '-ed' = 'carried' (Correct answer)
- 'enjoy' + '-ing' = 'enjoiing'
- 'stay' + '-s' = 'stais'
Correct answer: 'carry' + '-ed' = 'carried'
The y-to-i rule applies when a word ends in a consonant + y; the y changes to i before any suffix except '-ing' (e.g., 'carry → carried,' 'carry → carrying').
CALT Orthography and Spelling Rules 5
A student writes 'waching' instead of 'watching.' Which orthographic concept explains the correct spelling?