Which strategy would effectively address a student's difficulty with spelling words that have the inflectional ending -ed?

The strategy of sorting words with the -ed inflection according to their pronunciation is highly effective for addressing a student's difficulty with spelling words that contain this inflectional ending. The pronunciation of the -ed ending can vary based on the preceding sounds in the root word. For example, it may be pronounced as /t/, /d/, or /əd/ depending on whether the root word ends in a voiceless consonant, a voiced consonant, or a vowel sound, respectively.

By sorting these words based on their pronunciation, students gain a deeper understanding of how phonetics influence spelling. This not only helps them to remember the correct spelling of these words but also reinforces their phonemic awareness, allowing them to apply similar spelling rules to other words in the future. Such a strategy fosters a more logical connection between sound and spelling, making it easier for students to tackle the complexities of inflectional endings like -ed.