10 Tips+Free Word Sorts For The Ch and Tch Spelling Rule

Which One do we use CH and TCH Spelling Rule? Teaching English spelling rules can be tricky, but here’s a helpful tip to help your students distinguish between digraph -ch and trigraph -tch! When they hear the /ch/ sound at the end of a word immediately preceded by a short vowel (example: ‘hatch’), it should be spelled with -tch. If the word has a vowel team or a consonant right before the /ch/ sound then spell it with the digraph <ch>(example: ‘beach’). The trigraph -tch is never used at the beginning of a word. It is only used after short vowels.

What does the TCH sound like?

The <t> in the tch is serving the purpose of keeping the vowel closed in and short. We do not pronounce the /t/ sound in the trigraph <tch>. It is just pronounced <ch>.

Catch a Bunch CH and TCH (AKA Catch Lunch Rule)

The Barton Reading and Spelling Program is a very popular Orton Gillingham Program among many homeschooling families and classroom teachers. The Barton Program cleverly gives tricky spelling rules names. This helps children remember the rules. I made an anchor chart and some fun activities to use for teaching writing with <ch><tch> spelling patterns.

Exceptions in Some Commonly Spelled Words

The ch and tch rule is quite consistent but a few cases of exceptions exist – and they happen to be among everyday words like “which,” “rich,” “much,” “such” and even an iconic dish known as a sandwich. Teaching these learned words is key, but it’s also important to recognize that tch appears in the first syllable in multisyllabic words such as kitchen, hatchet or satchel; typically then following an unaccented schwa sound.

Orthographic Mapping and Word Lists Support Spelling Fluency

Using phonemic awareness skills and orthographic mapping is a great way to help students extend their reading and spelling abilities. They will benefit from understanding the foundational concepts of closed, vowel team and r-controlled syllables as well as being able to distinguish long vowels from short vowels. With this knowledge in hand, they can quickly break down words into individual sounds for more effective decoding and spelling! Giving students a word list to break down with an orthographic mapping template is a great way to support your student’s learning!

Reading Decodable Stories with the ch and tch pattern

To foster success in reading and spelling, reading with the -tch trigraph is essential. When students become familiar and comfortable with this grapheme they can become more proficient with its corresponding spelling rule; however, be sure not to introduce words ending in ch or tch to practice during dictation or in a spelling words list until you’ve expressly taught the spelling rule and given your students questions to ask when spelling. If you use my spelling rules poster resources students will have reminders right at their fingertips!

Questions to Ask that Create A Deep Understanding of this Rule

• Is this word one syllable?
• Is the vowel short or long?
• If the vowel sound is short, does the /ch/ sound come immediately after the short vowel? If yes add a <tch>. If no, add <ch.>
• If the vowel sound is long or a vowel team, add <ch>.
• Sort those words
• By engaging in word sorting activities, you can help refine skills for listening to short vowel sounds. Have fun organizing words by spelling and pictures by their accompanying medial vowels! You can use my flip cards resource with students to learn to make the correct choice for spelling many words. They are a bit of a twist on regular worksheets.

To facilitate a smooth transition to the ch/tch spelling rule, leverage students’ existing knowledge of k/ck spellings. This way they can capitalize on prior familiarity and understanding – making acquiring this additional guideline more speedily achievable than if starting from scratch.

Review At the Start of Each Lesson

Full spelling mastery will not come without a spiral review. Jumpstart your lesson with a brief review session of ch and tch words! This interactive activity can help students strengthen their spelling skills as they fill in the blanks. Ask them to further analyze each word by breaking it down into its individual sounds- then, guide them through deciding whether a ch or tch pattern is appropriate for completion.

Encourage your children to get into the habit of looking for base words and applying their knowledge of spelling generalizations in sentences. This will help them develop a more solid foundation when it comes to expanding on new vocabulary.

Kick it up a Notch Get Out Your Board Games and Spell Those Words

Give your kids a fun and engaging way to practice their spelling through adapted board games! With word lists featuring words with ch or tch sounds, have them spell each one. If they get it right then the reward is a roll of the die – time for an exciting game of Jenga, Don’t Break The Ice or any other repurposed favorite that you may already own. For even more playtime possibilities try out Go Fish and Concentration too – just give them a twist by throwing in some spelling challenges into every round!

Relate it to the Milk Truck Rule

For successful mastery of short vowel spelling rules, it is essential to create a solid foundation by beginning with the k/ck rule. Both the k/ck rule and the ch/tch rule are related. The digraph CK is used after a single short vowel word finally and the trigraph is also used after a single short voweI word finally. I suggest taking some time before teaching more rules reviewing and reinforcing what has been learned so far in order ensure that each step builds upon previous knowledge for sustained success.

Let Kids Be the “Teachers”

Expand Student Understanding of ch and tch by having them “be the teacher.” Have students reveal how much they have learned by explaining the rule to other students, parents, or their tutor; not only does this help them solidify their grasp on the concept but it motivates them and shows the teacher where the gaps are when the kids are the “teachers.”

Add Prefixes and Suffixes to build Longer Words and Vocabulary

Once students are comfortable with the spelling of the base words, take words with ch and tch and add to them. You could take the bas word <stretch> and add the suffix -ed. Then stretched could become ‘restretched’ or ‘unstretched’ or ‘stretcher.’ Or try the base word patch could become ‘patchy’ or ‘patchiness’ or ‘dispatch’. This type of word work builds vocabulary and deeper learning of how English works.

Conclusion

The ch and tch spelling rule is a great one to learn and it can be made fun for your students. With the help of activities like my ch/tch flip cards, board games, review sessions, relating to k/ck spellings, and adding prefixes or suffixes to longer words the ch/tch spelling rule will become second nature. By incorporating ch and tch words into your lessons, you will see a definite improvement in your student’s spelling abilities! I wish you the best of luck as you guide your students on their journey toward better spelling. Happy smart and special teaching!

FAQ:

Q: What is the ch and tch spelling rule?

A: When they hear the /ch/ sound at the end of a word immediately preceded by a short vowel (example: ‘hatch’), it should be spelled with -tch. If the word has a vowel team or a consonant right before the /ch/ sound then spell it with the digraph <ch>(example: ‘beach’). The trigraph -tch is never used at the beginning of a word. It is only used after short vowels.

Q: What does the TCH sound like?

The <t> in the tch is serving the purpose of keeping the vowel closed in and short. We do not pronounce the /t/ sound in the trigraph <tch>. It is just pronounced <ch>.

Q: What words are exceptions to the ch and tch spelling rule?

A: A few words that don’t follow this rule are “which” “much” “such” “rich” and “sandwich”. However, the Wicked Witch of the West follows the <ch> <tch> spelling rule.