Check word for the word "water" - look for together!

Learning the spelling of words with an unstressed vowel at the root remains the most difficult topic in the primary school course. And this, despite the fact that scientists, methodologists, teachers for decades are trying to find the best ways to solve the problem. For children, it would seem, a simple question about how to test the word "water" may prove insoluble.

To achieve a positive result in the work on the formation of spelling literacy of children, a systematic approach to teaching is needed, first of all. This requirement is relevant in any version of the school curriculum. Specific ways of forming a skill can be very different.

Introduction to the concept of "stress"

One of the requirements of the Russian language program in the first class is the familiarity with the notion of "stress". Students learn the practical ways of determining it in words. In addition, children learn that the stress in the Russian language is moving, it can only be a vowel letter.

At first glance, the material seems simple and not very significant. But this is not so. A poorly formed skill in determining the impact sound in a word will become an obstacle in mastering the spelling of an unstressed vowel at the root of the word.

Therefore, during the literacy period after the introduction of the concept of "stress", it is necessary to give the children daily exercises for determining the stressed vowel in words. Language material can be very diverse: on a specific topic, scattered, perceived orally or in writing, offered to the whole class, a group of students or individually.

In order to propaedeutics of the Russian language course, it is possible to offer chains of single-root words already in this interval of mastering the topic. For example, take the word "water". The teacher says that he will call his "relatives", and children should determine the place of the stressed syllable (sound, letter). A number of words can look like this: "water, water, water, waterman, water carrier, whirlpool, pond", etc. Do not forget to pay attention to the lexical meaning of words.

Mobility of stress

In further work, considering, for example, words with the root-water-, -sas-, -lez-, one needs to practice not only the skill of determining the stressed syllable, but also to allow observing such a phenomenon as the mobility of stress. It can be on the first, last syllable or in the middle of a word.

The teacher offers a task in which you want to pick up the root word for the word "water" (the concept is operated by the teacher, without requiring it from the children). During the discussion, on the board, for example, the following entry appears: "water, water pump, diver, water, watery".

Continuing to observe and compare, the children notice that the stress moves from one syllable to another, but unstressed vowels in the word remain unchanged. And one more observation, which will lead to an important conclusion, is to be spent with the children. Students should note that the pronunciation of a word does not coincide with its spelling. This "discovery" usually amazes little Russian connoisseurs.

Vigilant Vowels

The next important step in the work on the orthogram is the development in the students of the ability to see the unstressed vowel. Before acquaintance with morphemic structure of a word children should allocate shock and all unstressed vowels irrespective of a part of a word.

Again, we give the students the task to choose the root word for the word "water". In the formed chain: "water, water meter, watering, waterless" - students graphically designate percussion and unstressed vowels. At the initial stage, you can give a pair of words that differ in the form of the number: "water - water", "winter - winter", "forest - forest", etc.

It is very important right now to give an opportunity to understand to the children that inattention to the unstressed vowel can cause confusion of letters when writing a word, which leads to a serious error.

Checked and verifying words

In the second year of teaching the language, children are already ready to perceive the theme "The root words". For them, new tasks of this type, such as picking the root word to the word "water", "earth", "flowers", "fox" are not new tasks. They have information that among the words there are groups of "relatives", and their signs are well known to children.

The concept of "root" and its graphic designation are introduced. Children are again and again convinced of the uniform writing of the root in related words, regardless of the position of the stress.

By observation, comparison, the students come to the conclusion that any group of related words can be divided into two parts: one to place the test words, and the other to test words. After such an "opening", the teacher's question about which test word to the word "water" can be selected will not cause surprise or misunderstanding in children.

Vowels and letters

In order for a child to have a steady skill of literate writing an unstressed vowel at the root, and he could select a test word for the word "water" or any other where there is a specified orthogram, the teacher should regularly draw the students' attention to the inadmissibility of mixing letters. Different letters in Russian can be used to designate the same sound.

Very useful are exercises where you need to replace one letter in words, and then observe what happened to the word. The material for the assignment is selected in accordance with the level of development of children ("home - smoke", "sing - saw", "forest - fox", etc.). Working on individual words and groups of related words, one should constantly offer assignments where it is necessary to make a choice of the desired letter denoting unstressed vowel sound.

How to check the word. Instruction sheet

At the final stage of work on the topic in the classroom, a memo will appear that will at any time tell you how, for example, to check the word "water" and write it without error. The memo should be "live", in demand by children.

If the teacher sees that the students do not use the algorithm for working on the orthogram, this may mean that the memo is difficult to understand or has been offered to the children in ready-made form. A scheme compiled by the students themselves is always of interest, since children understand the meaning of each of its elements.

The duration of the use of the scheme, revealing the secrets of writing an unstressed vowel at the root of the word, depends on the level of development of the pupils of the class. For some, the need for its application will disappear after several lessons, and other children can use it for more than one year. The teacher should encourage those of them who, thanks to the memo, get rid of spelling errors in independent works and dictations.

Exercise exercises

Given the complexity of the topic, the teacher should remember that without training, constant repetition of the basic concepts, it is impossible to form the spelling skill of unstressed vowels.

In this regard, in the lessons of the Russian language you need to use several types of exercises:

• Training in the statement of stress. The auditory exercises, on copying, creative character will help here.
• Exercises to form the skill of highlighting unstressed vowel in the root. We offer assignments, for example, of this nature: "Write down related words, put a stress mark, underline an unstressed vowel, choose a test word for the word" water "."
• Assignments to the formation of the ability to select test words from the group of single-root ones. For example, the teacher asks to prove that the presented words are single-root: "algae, water supply, underwater, flood" - and pick up a test word to the word "water".
• Exercises are aimed at developing the ability to independently find a test word. Children should write off the text, find words with unstressed vowels that require verification. Using your vocabulary, pick up a test word to the word "water" or another, given by the teacher.

Work on bugs

There are no uniform requirements for the work on errors in the primary classes. There is a lot of controversy among educators about the forms of holding it, but the benefits of such work in terms of improving the literacy of children have long been proven and are not discussed.

The teacher needs to remember that most often the work on the errors has to be performed by children who have difficulties in learning. This imposes on the teacher an additional responsibility in the selection of tasks, the use of visual aids, special methodical techniques.

Systematic work on errors helps to develop the spelling of students, and this leads to increased literacy.

The practice of teaching in primary classes makes it possible to verify the effectiveness of the application of various forms, techniques that the teacher uses to achieve learning goals. Types of practical activities of students also have important significance in the process of learning the secrets of the language.