Using CK vs K: Phonics Rules for Teachers Episode 12

How can you know when to use CK or K at the end of a one syllable word? Follow this simple, easy and you'll never pick the wrong one again. Plus, learn 4 strategies for practicing ck and k with your students.

A classroom teacher with 10 years of experience, Martha Moore hosts the Phonics Rules for Teachers Podcast. Drawing from her personal journey, she shares insights on transitioning from traditional teaching methods to a phonics-centered approach and the impact it has on students' reading and writing.

Each week , Martha shares a simple phonics rule, strategy, or background information and how you can teach it in your classroom.

You can find the How the Heck to Teach 'Em supplementary resource to go along with this series here: https://www.myprimaryparadise.com/shop/phonics-rules-resources/

Transcript

Did you know there is a super easy way to know when to use "ck" or "k" at the end of a word? I'm going to share that and more with you today.

Welcome back to Episode 12 of Phonics Rules for Teachers and How the Heck to Teach Them. Today, we're going to be talking about the digraph "ck" and how to help our students know when to use "ck" at the end of the word versus using "k" at the end of the word.

Both "ck" and "k" represent the hard "c" sound in English. There are very few words that are spelled with just a single "c," so most of the time when we hear the "c" sound at the end of the word, we have to choose between "ck" or "k." But how do we know which one to use and when?

Well, actually, there is a very simple rule to help us know when to use "ck" at the end of a word, and here it is: When we have a one-syllable word with a single short vowel directly before the hard "c" sound, we spell that "c" sound with "ck." Here are some examples: pack, lick, chuck, mock, peck. All of these words have a single short vowel letter followed directly by the hard "c" sound at the end of the word, so we spell that "c" sound with "ck."

Now, if you're wondering when to use "k," it's every other time. So if we have any other vowel type or we have a short vowel but there is a consonant before the "c" sound, we spell that with a single "k." Here are some examples: cloak, break, milk, and chunk.

The easiest way to remember this is to pay attention to when we see a single short vowel followed directly by a "c" sound at the end of a word—that is when we will use "ck." Almost every other time, that sound will be spelled with a "k."

Our explanation today was super short, so let's jump right into how to teach this to our students. First, I highly recommend using prompts and a rhyme to help them understand this concept. You can teach students when to use "ck" before they have learned other syllable types. Even if students only know closed syllables and short vowel sounds, you can teach them that when we hear "c" at the end of a single syllable word directly after a single short vowel, we spell that with a "ck." When your students have learned more syllable types, you can take a deeper dive into when to use "k" versus when to use "ck."

I like to use the visual of a hook and a sock to help students understand this concept, and I also use this cute little rhyme to help them remember. Here's how my rhyme goes:

"At the end of the words Jack seeks the 'c' sound,
He chucks in his hook and a sock is what he found.
When we have a single short vowel, then we use a 'ck,'
Any other time, we just catch a 'k.'"

The visual of a hook versus a sock can be really helpful for students to make this connection.

We can also use word sorts to help our students practice this skill. If you have a bunch of word cards with "ck" words and "k" words, mix them up, give them to your students, and have them sort them in small groups or you can do it as a whole class. After you sort them—and this is super important—take the time to look at how the words were sorted. Read the words together, make sure that they're in the correct category, and point out why each word fits on each side.

Another strategy is a word hunt. I've mentioned this strategy before, and it is a great way to show our students that they can see the phonics concepts they're learning in context. Give your students some books and have them hunt for just "ck" words if they've only learned "ck," or have them hunt for "ck" words and "k" words and have them make a list. You can put a big poster up in your classroom and have students run over when they find a word and write it on the correct poster. This is the important part: When you're done, look at your list together. Look to see which words went on each list, practice reading them together, and it will reinforce this idea that we use "ck" after a single short vowel and we use "k" in almost every other circumstance. You can even have a poster for oddballs or words that don't fit. Maybe a student sees the word picnic and they're going to put that on the oddball category, and you can have a chat about how yes, there are some times where we use a single "c" at the end of a word, but it is not as common as using "ck" or "k."

Finally, you can play one of my favorite games, which is called "Choose a Side." Label one side of your classroom with a sign that says "ck" and the other side with a sign that says "k." Say words out loud orally and have students pick a side. So, for example, if you say pick, they will go to the "ck" side, and if you say took, they will go to the "k" side. After they choose which side, either show the word on the screen or write it down on a whiteboard and show it to them, and have a chat about why that word goes in that category. You can even make a list on the whiteboard as you're playing the game so they can visually see each word. It's important for them to understand this concept both in print and when listening to words, so this game is great because it helps them work on it both orally and in written form.

And there you go! "ck" versus "k" is going to be no problem for you and your students now that you know this simple rule. I'm Martha, and thank you so much for joining me for this week's episode. Don't forget to like and subscribe so you never miss an episode of Phonics Rules for Teachers and How the Heck to Teach Them. See you next time!