Many teachers enter the classroom without formal training in teaching concepts like vowel teams, which can make the process feel overwhelming. But don’t worry! Here’s an example of how you might teach vowel teams effectively.
Let’s look at an example of a weekly plan
Here's an example of how you might teach vowel teams. In this example, I'll show you a full week of lesson ideas for teaching two vowel teams that represent the long i sound: -igh and y. (But, this structure can be used for any vowel teams – I’m just using -igh and y as an example).
Each day, you’ll see a clear structure that includes explicit teaching, guided practice, and independent activities. By using engaging activities from Click Print Learn, you can make each lesson hands-on and fun, so students are consistently reinforcing their understanding. Let’s dive into how this plan can work across the week!
Day 1: Introducing -igh for long i sound
Explicit Teaching
Start the week with an explicit introduction to -igh as a way to spell the long i sound. Have words like light, right, and sigh ready on the board or displayed on slides, and model how to decode them by sounding out each part.
Guided Practice
After demonstrating how to read a few -igh words, invite the class to read some aloud together. Begin by sounding out each individual phoneme (e.g., /l/ /igh/ /t/), then encourage students to blend the sounds to read the complete word as a group.
Next, you could use grapheme cards on the board and choose some students build -igh words. Like this:
Independent Practice with Click, Print, Learn
Once students have had some guided practice, it’s time for them to try it out independently. You could use:
- Spy It! - Students read words with -igh and find and colour the matching pictures.
- Roll It! - For building fluency, have students practice reading -igh words by rolling a die and reading the words that correspond to each number.
While the class works on these activities, you can pull aside a small group for extra support. This might be students who aren’t quite keeping up with the whole class or need some extra teacher-guided practice on the -igh vowel team.
Day 2: Reinforcing -igh with whiteboards and word building
Explicit Teaching
Start the lesson by reviewing some -igh words from yesterday, like high, fight, and right. Display these words on the board or on slides, and remind students of the long i sound represented by the -igh spelling. This sets the tone for the day and reinforces the connection to the previous lesson.
Guided Practice
Bring out mini whiteboards and have students practice writing -igh words along with you. Say a word aloud and model how to spell it on your own whiteboard. Words might include: tight, night or flight. Encourage students to sound out the words as they write, reinforcing the spelling and the vowel team pattern.
Independent Practice with Click, Print, Learn
Once students have had some guided practice, they can move on to independent activities. Consider using:
- Build It! - Students use the letter tiles to build -igh words, helping reinforce their spelling and understanding of the vowel team.
- Match It! - This matching activity allows students to read sentences containing the -igh vowel team, and matching it to the corresponding picture.
These activities provide additional exposure to the -igh vowel team while keeping students engaged. This is also a great opportunity to work with a small group for those who need extra support with the concept.
Day 3: Introducing y as a long i sound
Explicit Teaching
Today, introduce a second way to spell the long i sound: y at the end of a single-syllable word. Explain that words like cry, fly, and sky use “y” to create the long i sound. Display these words on the board or slides for visual reinforcement.
Guided Practice
Write a few -y words on the board and review them with the class. Discuss how y at the end of these words sounds like “i.” Practise reading the words together.
Independent Practice with Click, Print, Learn
After guided practice, students can work independently with:
- Read It! - Students read sentences containing words with the -y spelling pattern.
- Label It! - Students label the pictures with the -y spelling pattern and colour the pictures.
Day 4: Reinforcing -y with whiteboards and word building
Explicit Teaching
Continue building on the concept of -y as a long i sound. Review some -y words from the previous lessons, like cry, fly, and sky. Display these words on the board or on slides and emphasize how -y at the end of the words creates the long i sound.
Guided Practice
Have students use mini whiteboards to practise writing -y words along with you. Say a few -y words aloud, and have students spell them on their whiteboards. Encourage them to sound out the words as they write, reinforcing both the spelling and the sound.
Independent Practice with Click, Print, Learn
For independent practice, you might like to use these activities:
- Find It! - Students spell words containing the -y grapheme, then hunt for those words in the word search.
- Make It! - This sentence-building activity allows students to read, remake and write a sentence, containing the -y spelling pattern.
These activities will provide additional exposure to the -y vowel pattern while keeping students engaged. It’s also a great opportunity to work with a small group for those who may need extra support.
Day 5: Sorting -igh and y words
Explicit Teaching
Now that students are familiar with both patterns, it’s time for a final review that brings everything together. Today’s focus is on sorting words with -igh and -y to visually reinforce the differences.
Guided Practice
Begin with a group discussion, sorting a few words into two categories: those containing -igh and those ending in -y. Have students share their observations about each category and discuss how they can distinguish between the patterns.
Independent Practice with Click, Print, Learn
The Sort It! activity is ideal for this day. Students will sort words into the two categories, differentiating -igh words from -y words. This hands-on activity provides a final review and allows them to apply everything they’ve learned about the long “i” sound.
And there you have it—a week’s worth of structured vowel team lessons! Using Click, Print, Learn activities simplifies planning and keeps students engaged every step of the way. Each day builds on the previous one, ensuring your students develop a solid grasp of both -igh and -y as long i sounds.
If you’re looking for more easy-to-use activities, Click, Print, Learn has everything you need to keep literacy practice simple, effective, and fun for your students.
Check out Click, Print, Learn here!
