Doubling the Consonant: 3 Effective Strategies for Verb Suffixes

Inside: Three effective strategies to teach doubling the consonant when adding -ed and -ing

When I see students write stoped for stopped. The knowledge of past tense verbs makes me smile. However, I know they missed something along the way, and it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty spelling rules.

There’s a common pattern in my classroom when teaching suffixes.

• Spell regular verbs – Most students nail it!
• Adding -ed for past tense verbs – Usually not a problem.
• Spelling changes when adding -ed and -ing? Now, there’s the roadblock!

There’s no time for boring spelling drills in today’s classroom. However, we make time for interactive lessons, hands-on learning, and engaging practice.

With explicit teaching and activities that hold your students’ interest, they will move from confused to confident as the master those tricky spelling rules.

Bonus: Before students tackle spelling changes, it’s important that they have a solid foundation with suffixes. If you have students that need some help here, make sure to grab your free suffix card game at the end of this post.

In this post, I’ll share three simple strategies to teach doubling the consonant:

1. Explicit instruction
2. Engaging whole group practice
3. Targeted small group support based on assessments

1. Introduce Doubling the Consonant

When do you double the consonant?

The rule: If a one-syllable verb ends in a short vowel + one consonant, double the consonant before adding -ed or -ing.

Why it’s tricky – This rule is tricky goes beyond just adding a suffix. Students must:

• Hear the short vowel sound
• Recognize the vowel-consonant ending pattern
• Apply the doubling the consonant rule

That’s a lot of mental juggling!

How To Teach the Doubling Rule

My students love interactive presentations to introduce and practice spelling rules. I used to hear groans when it came time to teach spelling, but now I hear comments like, “Oh, I love these!” when I introduce new concepts.

However you decide to introduce the concepts make sure to keep in mind the following:

• Be explicit – Clearly state and repeat the rule.
• Provide examples and nonexamples to ensure understanding.
• Use an anchor chart for easy reference
• Make it engaging – bring on your personality!

2. Provide Engaging Whole Group Practice

Explicit spelling practice doesn’t have to be boring. These three activities are always a hit in my classroom!

1. Presentations with interactive feedback
2. Whole Group Sorts
3. Partner Games

Interactive Presentations

You don’t need a fancy slide show to make your lesson interactive. Sometimes simple slides with quick feedback is all it takes.

Try typing verbs on Google Slides or PowerPoint. Have students put their thumbs up if the word needs a double consonant and their thumbs down if it doesn’t.

Not creative enough? Try having students clap twice for doubling the consonant and wiggle their fingers if you don’t double the consonant.

If you’d like the presentation to be an informal assessment, try having students respond by writing the word with ed on their dry erase boards.

If you’d like a ready-to-use presentation with a fun candy theme, you can see mine here.

Whole Group Sorts

Movement activities are always a hit.

Try writing verbs on index cards. Make some of the verb follow the double consonant rules and some of them not.

Then use these cards for a whole class sort.

1. Pass out a card to everyone in the class.
2. Students silently group themselves by spelling rules.
3. Student explain their thinking and/or write the verbs in past tense.

Partner Games

Partner games can make learning spelling rules more fun.

Here are three low prep games you can integrate in your classroom right away.

1. Play memory with verbs with and without suffixes.
2. Coin Game
   • Write verbs on index cards.
   • Pass out ten cards to each player.
   • Students take turns flipping a coin.
   • If it’s heads, they remove a card where you need to double the consonant.
   • If it’s tails they remove a verb where you just add -ed or -ing.
   • The last one to remove a card wins.
3. Use any game board
   • Students read a verb and write it in the past tense on a dry erase board.
   • If they spell the word correctly, they may roll the die and move forward.
   • If not, they can try again.
   • The first player to the end wins.
4. Try some ready-made,low-prep games.

3. Small Group Support for Doubling the Consonant

Before deciding how to group kids, it’s important that you give your class a formative assessment.

You can do this by typing a list of 10 words, and ask students to add -ed and -ing to each word.

• Make five words require doubling the consonant
• Five words don’t require any changes. Just add the suffix.

The data you get from this assessment will help you decide how to group your students.

Here are some suggestions for your students who need a bit more practice.

• Give students base words and have them add suffixes on dry erase boards. They should circle the doubled consonant.
• Write words on index cards in groups of 3-5. Have all the words but one follow the double consonant rule. Students find the one that doesn’t follow the rule and explain why.
• Have a list of short sentences like, “I sip the drink.” Have students find the verb and add -ed or -ing (depending on what makes sense in the sentence.)
• Have manipulative letters mixed up. Dictate a word with -ed or -ing. Students must arrange the letters to spell the word.

These quick activities work well in a pinch. But if you’d like ready-to-use worksheets, activities, games and assessments, my adding suffixes games and activities are a great place to start.

You can use the “print and go” versions or go paperless with digital versions. Either way, your small group instruction will stay simple and organized.

The next time you see “stoped” written in a student’s story, you won’t panic. You’ll know exactly what they’re missing and how to teach it clearly, confidently, and effectively.

Build the Foundation

Do you have students who are quite ready ready for spelling changes? If you have students who still need to build an understanding of how suffixes work, then this freebie is for you!

Build confidence with suffixes, so all your students will be ready to tackle the spelling rules.

Here’s how to play.

1. Students pick a base word card and a suffix card.
2. They decide if they’ve made a real or nonsense word.
3. Real words get recorded on an ice cream scoop, but nonsense words mean they lose a turn!
4. The first player to fill up their ice cream cone wins!

Fill out the form below, and I’ll send this game straight to your inbox.