How to Teach Vowel Diphthongs
Hi teacher-friends! Do you know you need to teach your students how to read words with vowel diphthongs, but aren’t sure where to start? In this blog post, I'll go over what vowel diphthongs are and provide a step-by-step 5-day plan for teaching each group of diphthongs.
After your students have mastered the most common vowel teams, they’re reading to learn vowel diphthongs. So what is a vowel diphthong? It’s a sound that consists of two vowel sounds pronounced together, such as oi in oil. While it’s good to know this information as a teacher, I’ve found it’s not necessary to get into the difference between a vowel team and a vowel diphthong with students. I simply teach them which vowel diphthongs make which sound, rather than getting too into the weeds with definitions! While there are more, I typically cover the most common vowel diphthongs: au, aw, ou, ow, oi, oy, ew, ui, and ue.
As a special education teacher, I find that introducing one set of vowel diphthongs that all make the same sound a week works well. For example, oi and oy both the /oi/ sound, so I teach them together. If you’re teaching general education, you may find that you’re able to progress more quickly. I follow the same general lesson plan for phonics each week, which is easier for both you and your students. In this post, I’ll use au and aw for the examples and explain how I would teach words with au and aw over the course of one week. You can follow the same structure when teaching other vowel diphthongs.
Day 1
Tell students that they will be learning how to read and write words with the /au/ sound this week. Explain that the /au/ sound can be spelled two different ways. Point to a picture of the pause simple and say /p/ /au/ /s/, pause. Explain that au says /au/ and is used at the beginning and in the middle of one syllable words. Point to a picture of a claw and say /c/ /l/ /au/, claw. Explain that aw can also say /au/, and is used at the end and in the middle of 1-syllable words. After modeling, lead students in guided practice of reading more words with au and aw. Then, practice reading fluency sentences together that contain words with au and aw and other mastered word types. You can find all the needed materials in my Phonics by Design Vowel Diphthongs Unit.
Day 2
Briefly review what you taught yesterday, and then tell students they’ll be practicing writing words with au and aw today. Show a picture representing the word haul (like a pickup truck). Model segmenting the word by saying /h/ /au/ /l/ (feel free to use tactile method such as tapping, chopping, etc.) and spell out the word on the board or chart paper. Explain to students that because the /au/ sound can be spelled several different ways when used in the middle of a word (au or aw), you will indicate to them which spelling to use for now. Show saw picture card, model segmenting, and spell out the word. Note that this time, you know to use aw, because au is not (usually) used at the end of a word. Continue with other picture cards, having students segment the sounds as a group or taking turns. Finally, have students practice on their own by dictating words to them and having them write them down. You can also dictate a few short sentences that include only words with au and aw and previously mastered word types.
Day 3
Today students will independently practice reading and writing words with the vowel diphthongs au and aw I use the activity sheets included in my Phonics by Design Vowel Diphthongs Unit and in my No Prep Pack.
Day 4
Review reading and spelling words with au and aw before introducing a simple vowel diphthongs matching game they can play in pairs. Spread out the cards in a grid face down. When it’s their turn, the student will turn over two cards and identify the pictures and/or read the words. If it’s a match, they keep the pair. If not, they put the cards back, face down. Students alternate turns until all pairs have been matched. The student with the most pairs wins. You can find digraph matching games in my Phonics by Design Vowel Diphthongs Unit.
Day 5
Assess students by dictating ten words with au or aw and having them record them. If you have time and a small enough group, you may also wish to have individual students read a few words with au and aw for you as well.
This lesson plan schedule for teaching vowel diphthongs is simple but effective! I usually start with au/aw, then ou/ow, then oi/oy, and finally ui/ue/ew.
Save yourself time by snagging everything you need to teach vowel diphthongs in one place with my Phonics by Design Vowel Diphthongs Unit Bundle. You’ll get all the materials mentioned in this post for each vowel diphthong (lesson plans, picture cards, word cards, fluency sentences, activity sheets, matching game), plus posters, flap books, and more! Snag it here.
Want to try out one of the activities first?
Sign up below to get a FREE OI & OY sorting flap book sent straight to your inbox!
No time to read now?