long vowels?

Question

how can I explain long vowels to my 9 year old? Is there a web site where I can find out if some words have long vowels?

Answer 1

Try these two sites to start with..

You can always say that the long A, sounds like the letter, A...to start with.

Answer 2

Starfall has videos on all of the letters of the alphabet - sounds they make, what they look like, words you can find them at the beginning of, etc. There is also a sign language component if you want to teach the sign language alphabet.

Although designed for children in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, this site might be helpful in letting her hear the difference between short and long vowel sounds.

Answer 3

Well, when I was in grade school, they told me that "long a" was said like the a in "navy," and "short a" was said like the a in "cat."
So "long vowels" sounded their names, and "short vowels" were different, in that they did not sound their names. Not very helpful, as there are many sounds for each vowel letter. Then I learned that some vowels, when not sounded like their name, such as the "a" in "cat," could also be sounded with an "all-purpose" short, indefinite sound called a "schwa," a kind of "uh" sound.

But generally, vowel length comes down to how long the vowel is voiced, and it is not very readily apparent. In English, the "i" in "bit" is shorter than the "i" in "pick" but we don't notice...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vowel_length

Answer 4

Short vowel sounds: grab , cot Long vowel sounds: fake, fruit, ice, gear (Long vowels sound like the name of the letter.)

Answer 5

A long vowel says its own name.

Answer 6

It's difficult to explain, but should they should have explained this to them in kindergarten, eh? What a shame.
I just gave examples of simple, one-syllable words to explain it to my daughter when she was in third grade. And compare the words to short-vowel sounds.

Answer 7

Tell them its from eating a lot of fiber..... oh, I thought you meant BOWELS... sorry...