Same sound words: Master homophones with 10 fun books and 5 useful tips

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The English language can be difficult to learn when so many words have the same sound but different spelling. When learning to listen, speak, read and write English words, young children, struggling readers, and non-English speakers have a daunting task.

They must tell the difference between ‘meat’ and ‘meet’; ‘need’ and ‘knead’; ‘wait’ and ‘weight’; ‘week’ and ‘weak’; and ‘pair’, ‘pear’, ‘peer’ and ‘pier’. Differentiating meaning and spelling of same sound words can be very challenging for many.

Learning homophones however is made easy with 10 books in the series Improve Spelling and Reading Skills. Each book focusses on words with two particular letters in several fun stories. Readers can become familiar with words and their meanings in Study Zone’s:

1. AI Stories
2. EA Stories
3. EE Stories
4. EI Stories
5. EY Stories
6. IE Stories
7. OA Stories
8. OO Stories
9. OU Stories
10. OW Stories

These books are available in e-book and paperback on Amazon and can be used in many constructive settings. Use them during story time, spelling improvement classes, poetry sessions, improving phonological and phonemic awareness classes, reading intervention programmes, and English as a Second Language classes.

Here are 5 useful ways that the series Improve Spelling and Reading Skills can assist in learning same sound words in the English language fast.

5 Ways the series Improve Spelling and Reading Skills can help with learning same sound words fast

1. Making word lists

These 10 books can be used to make word lists. Get out your pen and paper and have fun spotting and comparing the same sound words in each book. You will read about ‘pair’ in AI Stories, ‘pear’ in EA Stories, ‘peer’ in EE Stories, and ‘pier’ in IE Stories.

You will know the meaning and spelling of each same sound word when you read it. When you write it down on your list, it helps you to remember it. You will also discover that some words have the same spelling but may or may not have the same sound. These are homographs, such as the words ‘fair’ in AI Stories, ‘tear’ in EA Stories, ‘bow’ in OW Stories and ‘wound’ in OU Stories. Each of these words have more than one meaning.

2. Rhyming

Rhyming is a fun way to learn anything quickly. When learners read and hear the words ‘fair’, ‘hair’, ‘pair’ and ‘stair’ in the AI Stories book, they learn spelling and meaning of these words in particular contexts. Then, they read and hear the words ‘fear’, ‘hear’, ‘pear’ and ‘steer’ in the EA Stories book, and they also learn spelling and meaning of these words in particular contexts.

When learners are familiarised with the spelling and meaning of the words in each book, they will successfully differentiate the same sound words when seen in other reading material. Have fun with rhyme and enjoy the benefits of these 10 fun rhyming books.

3. Repeating words

Repetition is one of the best techniques for memorising new information. A word that is a homophone will be stated several times in one book to drive home meaning for the reader. The phrase ‘pound of flour on the ground’ is repeated in the OU Stories book. When learners see the word ‘flower’ in the OW Stories book, they would be able to tell the difference between ‘flour’ and ‘flower’ immediately.

Also, the word ‘poor’ is repeated in a story about an old man in a shack in the OO Stories book, while the word ‘pour’ is repeated in a story about heavy rain in the OU Stories book. Reading words repeatedly is very effective for learning their spelling and meaning fast.

4. Grouping rimes

The stories in these books are grouped according to their rimes. These are words with the same string of letters starting with the first vowel. Learners remember spelling and meaning of words better when they are seen in groups. It is even more effective when the words are learned in a story with illustrations and meaning is clear.

In the EI Stories book, one story is based on ‘eigh’ words such as ‘eight’, ‘weigh’, ‘sleigh’, ‘neighbour’ and ‘height’. In the OA Stories book, one story has ‘oat’ words. Some are ‘goat’, ‘boat’, ‘coat’, ‘float’ and ‘throat’. Learners will easily memorise hundreds of English words with these 10 fun books.

5. Creating projects

Reading these 10 fun books will equip all learners with a wide vocabulary to start creating projects in any classroom. They can make word lists which can be used to create posters, flashcards, stories, songs, raps, poems, essays, videos and skits.

While exploring creativity is a fun and educational activity for all ages, there is one major benefit to creating projects after using the 10 books in the Improve Spelling and Reading Skills series. These projects can be used for assessment purposes and teachers can measure success of their lessons.

Conclusion

Whether a learner is a young child, struggling older reader, or a non-English speaker, these 10 fun books in the series Improve Spelling and Reading Skills is useful for learning same sound words in any classroom. Learners benefit from making word lists, rhyming, repeating words, grouping rimes and making projects. Using these fun books along with the 5 tips will guarantee success fast.

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