4th-5th Grade Level 7 Review /i_e/ and/er/ – Reading Simplified Academy

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PHONICS

Fourth to Fifth Grade
The /i_e/ & /er/ Sounds

The /i_e/ & /er/ Sounds

Search for It

Read the words on the left and try to find them and circle them in the word search.

astronomer
burden
curtain
denied
desperate
diameter
editor
lively
membership
midnight
refrigerator
reliable
spry
virtual
vitamins

r
o
t
i
d
e
s
p
e
r
a
t
e
t
f

g
a
m
a
e
g
h
s
e
e
y
i
u
r
i

q
d
g
s
c
v
l
m
n
f
p
s
c
e
v

a
q
i
y
c
p
o
n
w
i
p
m
o
t
b

e
k
m
i
d
n
i
g
h
t
m
d
z
e
l
1

c
k
t
p
o
v
e
s
p
r
y
a
g
m
s

u
y
o
r
v
i
r
t
u
a
l
m
t
a
o

r
o
t
a
r
e
g
i
r
f
e
r
z
i
k

t
s
e
l
b
a
i
l
e
r
v
g
x
d
v

a
q
g
m
h
r
t
d
e
n
i
e
d
l
j

i
n
e
d
r
u
b
s
x
x
l
e
v
u
m

n
m
e
b
z
a
n
b
w
o
d
q
h
u
u

Split & Write It

Review

Directions: Support your student’s reading of the following multi-syllable words. Then ask her to
split the word into chunks with a slash mark, as in the example below. Finally, have her write each
word by chunks as she says each word by chunks. (Not all lines below will be needed.)

1. generous

gen

ous

2. d e l i g ht
3. i v y
4. w a r r i o r
5. s p e c i f i e d
6. c i r c u l a t i o n
7. s t i m u l i
8. p e r c e pt i o n
9. r e s e a r c h e r s
10. s a l a r y
1 1 . e l b ow
12. c o nt i n u e
13. d e l i g hte d
14. fo l l ow e r s
15. u n d o u bte d l y
16. n e i g h b o r i n g
17. r o a c h e s
If time allows, search for and circle the /i_e/ and /er/ sound spellings with different colors!
© 2019 Reading Simplified

The /i_e/ & /er/ Sounds

The Blind Men and the Elephant
Quite awhile ago in India, a country quite far away
in Asia, someone told a certain story that has been
retold quite a few times.

First, consider how would you describe an elephant?
And what if you were blind?
Here is the story I have heard
from India about six blind men
who came upon an elephant for
the first time. These friends
quarreled, or argued, every
chance they had.
First, the bravest man walked forward, bumped right
into the elephant’s side and bounced back on his
bottom—in surprise.

continued…

“Oh my! An elephant is a massive animal, bigger
than a wall!” said the first blind man.

Just then, another brave man reached out his
hand to feel a long, sharp tusk.
“Ouch! This is no wall! Watch out because an
elephant is like a spear!” cried the second blind
man.
While the second man cried out, the third
blind man frowned. He had just grabbed hold
of the elephant’s leg and was sure he had felt
something like a tree trunk.

continued…

“I do not understand either of you, for it is certain to
me that an elephant is like a tree,” decided the third
blind man.

And, do you know what happened next?
I’m sure you will laugh when you hear the answer!
One of the more careful men still felt curiosity rise
within him. He wondered how an elephant could be a
wall, a spear, and a tree. Preposterous!1 A taller man,
he reached up higher than the others and felt the
elephant’s ear.
“Honestly, you are all wrong!” the fourth blind man
declared. “An elephant is clearly like a fan.”

At this point the elephant sighed. He had met
foolish persons before, but this group was
rather much to take.
The fifth member of the tribe longed for the matter
to be settled. He leaned in and was suddenly swatted
by the elephant’s tail.
1

continued…

“Why, I know the answer,”
the fifth blind man exclaimed,
as he rubbed his cheek.
“An elephant is not a wall, a
spear, a tree, or a fan. An
elephant is like a rope.”
“You must all be quite wrong,” said the sixth blind man
who, as usual, was tiring of his friend’s arguing. The
sixth blind man lifted both of his arms out and felt the
elephant’s trunk—briefly.
“Stay back, foolish men!” said the sixth blind man. “An
elephant is like a giant snake! Ahhhh!”
And so the group of men remained divided—each person
certain that his opinion was better than the others.

You may wonder, how did it all end? Well, after hearing

continued…

this story over 100 years ago, an Englishman retold it
through a poem and his ending went like this:

Dis pu ted2 loud and long,
Each in his own o pin i on
Ex cee ding3 stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
2

argued
3
very great

What do you think of that?
Who do you think first told the story?
The elephant?
If you have time, search for the /i_e/ sound spellings and circle them
with one color. Then try another color for the /er/ sound.