Helping DS distinguish between where and were

[squashpie]

Anyone got any tips to help me teach my DS to distinguish between these two words when reading? He usually gets the right word if it's in text cos he gets the context but if the word is on its own, he just says "where" for "were". We've been doing it now for exactly a fortnight today and sometimes I think we've cracked it, ask him again an hour later and we're back to square 1!!

He's usually very good with learning words quickly but just gets stuck on those two. I've tried emphasizing the aspirate "wh" at the beginning of "where" as opposed to "were" but he still sounds out "were" and it comes out as "where". And I'm trying desperately desperately NOT to be exasperated now ....

I always connect where with here

Ask the question, 'Where is my thumb?'
Put your thumb over where, covering the w.
'Here it is'
where/here
Try it a few times with different questions. Use magnetic or scrabble letters so he can remove the w and say where and here.
Works with many of mine.

Think of animals, think of hair and fur.

If the word has an 'h' in it (where) it rhymes with hair. If it doesn't have an 'h' in it (were) it rhymes with fur.

Where? There!

What brilliant suggestions: thank you everyone.

In one of those annoying situations which was almost bound to happen when I felt I'd reached crisis point, he suddenly 'got it' before I'd managed to implement any of your suggestions but I've still cut and pasted them in case he regresses and for when i hit the same brick wall with DC2!!

Thanks again.