Teaching Reading, Phonics, Vowel digraphs, Vowel diphthongs

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TEACHING READING

Phonics

Vowel Digraphs & Diphthongs

Vowel Digraphs

When two vowels are beside each other and make one sound they are

called digraphs.

ai (long a)

              rain, pain

ay (long a)

               Hay, pay

ea (long e)

               pleat, read

ie (long i)

                pie, tie

oa (long o)

               road, toast

oo (long o)

               fool, moon

Vowel Diphthongs

Vowel Diphthongs are vowels that are beside each other but make two sounds.

au

        pause, fraud

aw

        saw, hawk

ew

         few, chew

ey

        they, whey

oi

        spoil, oil

oy

        toy, boy

ou

        loud, trout

ow

        cow, brown

When teaching both digraphs and diphthongs:

Say the words sound by sound and have students tell you the different

sounds they hear. Isolate the sound using slashes.

r/ai/n (digraph) br/ow/n (diphthong)

Let students blend the word parts together while putting added stress

on the parts of the word that contains the digraph or the diphthong.

r/ai/n

1. Ask children to tell you other words that have the vowel digraph or

diphthong you are doing.

2. List them and then let children copy the list saying each word as

they write it.

3. Make flashcards with the digraphs or diphthongs you are teaching.

4. Hold them up and let the children call them.

5. On flashcards put the part of the word with the digraph or diphthong

in a different color.

r/ai/n

After using flashcards make students match digraphs or diphthongs

that rhyme.

rain pain (digraphs) brown frown (diphthongs)

Note: Even though the digraph and diphthong activities are

the same, digraphs and diphthongs should be taught separately.

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