How it works
By ear, see could be spelled c, sea or se. This sight word see sheet has the child trace it, circle it among she, sea, set and seed, and finish I ___ the moon.
Read the full guide
One sound, three spellings a child might try
See ends in a long e. Wiktionary lists the letter name C and the word sea as exact sound-alikes. So "I c a cat" and "I sea a cat" are honest attempts by ear. Se is the third, because me, we, he, she and be make that sound with one e. Teach the two e's as a unit: draw one scoop under both.
A quick check of letter size
S and e are small letters, with nothing tall and no tail. A well-written see touches the middle line and the base line and crosses neither, so one glance shows who is writing too big. In reading, the mix-up to watch is she. The full list near the bottom of this page has a row for it.
- Sort word cards into two piles: one e (me, we, he, she, be) and two e's (see, bee, tree, feet).
- Type the starter "I see a" into A sentence with it. At the window, each child ends it with something they see.
- "Oh, I see." is about understanding and "See you at six." is about meeting. Read both aloud.
Questions and answers
My student writes I c a cat. What now?
Praise the ear first, because c is exactly how the word sounds. Then explain that a letter name is not a word and write see under it. Have the child write see four times, saying s, ee each time.
When should I bring in sea?
Once the child reads and writes see without help, and not before. Then use "I see the sea." and "She can see the sea." Have them circle the word for looking and underline the word for water.
How do I help a child who reads see as she?
She is see with an h after the s, which changes the first sound. Have the child say s, then sh, then point to the tall letter. On the board, write the row "see she see the see". Only sentences can go on the sheet.