Planning for Literacy Week

JOSIE'S POEMS

The Problem with English Spellings

Poem by Josie Whitehead

Why does 'eight' rhyme with 'great'

And 'plate' rhyme with 'straight'?

Yet all of them have different spellings.

Then 'greed' rhymes with 'plead'

And 'succeed' rhymes with 'swede'

‘Oh no!’ Is this what you’re yelling?

Then there’s 'why' and there’s 'guy'

And then 'try' rhymes with 'sigh' -

Different spellings but similar sounds.

Then you’ve 'sew' and you’ve 'no',

But then 'know' and 'although';

Our spelling’s designed to confound.

Look at 'glue', then at 'new'.

Then there’s 'through', also 'shoe'.

Well, they all sound the same when we speak.

So did those who were able, then sit at a table,

Planning 'spellings' for Literacy Week?