Phonics qn - long vowels

[catkind]

Question for teachers or parents with more communicative kids than mine!

How do phonics teachers explain words that have a long vowel before a single consonant e.g. bat - bate - bating - batting ? I've been blathering something to DS about single consonants and double consonants but looking at other phonics threads today it occurred to me there's probably an official way of describing that sort of rule.

It's not a 'rule' (there aren't any 'rules' to English phonics!). What it is is a high probability. I don't know how how EY/KS1 teachers explain it (I worked at KS3) but I would just say if only one consonant after the vowel, in a polysyllabic word, try the 'long' sound first. If that doesn't work, try the short sound. If children understand this it also helps to make the 'doubling rule' easier later on.

What c*cks it up is that some words have been 'rationalised' by removing the extra consonant (think 'waggon' to 'wagon') with no regard for the fact that it just makes English orthography look even weirder than it already is and makes it harder to learn!

Ha, yes, perhaps rule was a tad optimistic! & thanks that's helpful.

Now then catkind - If, some months ago you had taken my well-intentioned advice, and had obtained the book I recommended, you probably would not now be asking the above question!

Pretty much ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW is in it, and I think you and your DCs would find it useful.

In year 1 I would explain that in the word bating we have chopped off the final letter to add the suffix but we read the word as if it's there - then I would use MaizieDs tip of trying the /a/first then try /ae/ in general we teach try the most common first then try alternatives.

I do it the other way round, mrz. /ae/ first (because it's polysyllabic word with 1 consonant sfter vowel) then /a/. In other words, try highest probability first.
Would this be too confusing for YR/1?

Unlikely to be taught in reception and early Y1 would begin with what they know already working from simple to complex.

I'm not sure I've come across bate/bating as a word before

Certainly not everyday words ??

bobajob

Never heard of 'bated breath'? I think the verb 'to abate' (make less) is the same root.