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Lesson 6: Teaching Long Vowel Sounds
Before moving on, it is very important that your student is proficient with the short vowel sounds and the blends. To help keep them straight, it is a good idea to review all the sounds from the beginning each time you start a new lesson. It only takes a couple minutes.
What we do:
Using the lower case letter flash cards, shuffle the deck and, as you lay the cards out on the surface in front of the child, have them articulate the sound the letter makes in a word. S/he should give the basic sounds from the first lesson.
Next, separate out the 5 main vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and have them say the short vowel sounds as you point to each letter.
Either with the flash cards or on paper, form the basic digraphs (ch, th, sh, ph) and have your student read the sounds of these.
After the digraphs come the vowel blends (ou/ow, au/aw, oi/oy, oo, ee). Finally, the vowels +r combinations should be read.
We practice the sounds by reading the letters and combinations by themselves. Only put them into words after they can enunciate them separately.
Things can start getting confusing from this point, since letters will start making different sounds, depending on which vowel they are with. It is really very simple, it just takes practice. Teach a rule, then practice it in single words, then go on a hunt for the words and rules in stories, allowing them to read as much as they can by themselves.
Note: When learning to read, a child should read out loud so you can hear how they sound through words and articulate sounds. The most difficult thing for you to do at this point is - sit quietly while the child sounds through a word; it is very tempting to help them. Don't get them into the habit of waiting for you to give them the words! We don't step in and help unless the student is becoming frustrated, and only after at least two or three tries.
When we help, we never give the whole word if they have already learned all the phonics rules that apply; we only help with specific sounds within the word. If the word is new and contains rules that have not been covered yet, we let them try to figure it out, then help with some sounds, and only after that do we give them the word (if they are still stuck).
Short Vowel, Long Vowel
Why do the vowels have so many different sounds and rules? We tell the children that they are like managers, or bosses. They have lots of jobs to do and often get together in groups or with other letters to do special jobs.
Now, the letters are always very polite, and when they meet each other the vowels often introduce themselves. The long vowel sound is the name of the letter; you actually say the letter's name right in the word.
Single Vowel at the End of a Word
When a word has only one vowel and it comes at the end of the word, the vowel says its name.
Examples: He, she, me, be, etc.
Vowels as Words
When a Vowel is all by itself, it says it's name: a, I.
Double Vowel Rule
Some children learn this rule early: When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." Occasionally, this can confuse a child. It raises two questions: First, what does it say, and second, what does the second vowel do?!
A complete explanation we use is: When two vowels get together (they are always very polite, remember), the first one introduces itself - says it's name. The second one, being polite of course, listens. We know it would be rude to interrupt, so it doesn't say anything.
Substitute Vowels
It is finally time to introduce the substitute vowels. We simply tell the children that Y and W can sometimes be vowels.
When is W a vowel?
When w follows o, and the o says it's name, the w is acting like a vowel (follows double vowel rule above).
In these words: cow, town, brown, etc., w is a consonant.
In these words: tow, low, bowl, etc., w is a vowel. Notice the o is long and the w is silent.
Like the oo words, we don't fuss over the difference, but just practice some words and let the child get used to them.
When is Y a vowel?
Y acts as a vowel when it comes at the end of a word. It follows the double vowel rule in words that end with the following:
Words ending in -ay have the long a sound, such as pay, May, play, etc.
Silent 'E' at the End of a Word
Notice that we have saved this rule for last. It is a main rule, and often takes precedence over the others. The above rules apply in single syllable words and within syllables of larger words. However, adding an e at the end of a word can frequently change the above sounds.
When the letter 'E' is at the end of a word it is silent.
Remember that when e is the only vowel it says it's name. However, when there are other vowels in the word, the e at the end is always silent and the first vowel is long.
We teach the children that all the vowels are like managers, but 'e' is the Big Boss, and can tell all the other letters what jobs to do. Since 'e' is the boss, the other vowels will introduce themselves (say their name) when they are in the same word.
Of course, being polite, the e never says anything at the end of a word, but always listens to the other vowels. Examples: Rake, Pete, flute, bike, bone, etc.
Please remember, if you have any questions, feel free to email us at any time using the address at the bottom of each of our pages.
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