Anyone teaching reading through phonics can tell you, some of the more challenging vowel pairs for students to master are those sounds represented by diphthongs. In the United States children most commonly learn these sounds at the end of first grade or the beginning of second grade, but it's essential for all English learners to master them. This blog post will explore what diphthongs are and provide some practical suggestions for teaching them to your students.
Defining Diphthongs
Diphthongs are generally considered to be adjacent vowels in the same syllable where one sound clearly changes to another. Diphthongs are also known as gliding vowels.
But it may surprise you to learn that experts don’t agree on the exact number of diphthongs that there are in the English language currently. That's because over centuries the sounds represented by the English diphthongs have evolved from their language of origin due to regional dialects.
For example, the diphthong ow can simply represent the long o sound, without any noticeable sound change in parts of the United States. The sound of the letter w is usually dropped completely in the words flow, tow, or snow. Plus, to make matters more confusing for students, the letter w isn't considered a vowel letter at all.
The diphthong oo represents two different sounds and neither includes the long or short sound of the letter o at all. It's easy to see why these vowel representations in English make it one of the more challenging languages to learn to read.
Examples of Common Diphthongs
Some common diphthongs in English include:
oy: This diphthong represents the sounds of /o/ and /ɪ/ as in "boy" or "joy."
ow: This diphthong can represent two sounds: /aʊ/ as in "cow" or /oʊ/ as in "snow."
oi: This diphthong represents the sounds of /ɔɪ/ as in "oil" or "coin."
aw: This diphthong represents the sound of /ɔ/ as in "saw" or "law."
au: This diphthong represents the sound of /ɔ/ as in "haul" or "cause."
Knowing these common diphthongs can help children read and spell words more accurately. When children encounter a word with a diphthong, they can recognize that the two vowel sounds together represent a distinct sound. This helps them to decode words more quickly and accurately, and to understand the meaning of the text they are reading.
Teaching Tips for Diphthongs
Teaching diphthongs can be fun and engaging with the right approach. Here are some tips:
Use Visual Aids: Create visual aids like posters that illustrate the diphthongs along with accompanying words or pictures. Visuals help reinforce learning and make it more memorable.
Use Flash Cards: Practice the sounds on flash cards without pictures daily until your students have mastered these grapheme-phoneme correspondences.
Interactive Games: Incorporate games and activities that involve identifying and practicing diphthongs. Games like bingo, memory matching, or scavenger hunts can make learning diphthongs enjoyable and interactive.
Multisensory Techniques: Engage multiple senses by incorporating auditory, visual, and kinesthetic elements into your lessons. For example, you can have students listen to words with diphthongs, see them written out, and then practice saying them aloud or acting them out with gestures.
Word Sorting Activities: Provide word sorting activities where students categorize words based on their diphthongs. This helps them understand patterns and similarities among words with similar sounds.
Storytelling and Reading Aloud: Integrate diphthongs into storytelling and reading aloud sessions. Choose books or passages that prominently feature words with diphthongs and encourage students to listen for and identify them as you read.
Real-life Examples: Point out real-life examples of diphthongs in everyday language, such as in advertisements, songs, or TV shows. This helps students understand the relevance of what they're learning and reinforces their recognition of diphthongs in context.
Spelling Activities: Have your students practice spelling words with diphthongs as part of their daily encoding activities.
Short videos are another great way to generate excitement when teaching phonics. Below I've curated some options to incorporate into your lessons about diphthongs:
Words with -ew and -oo | Vowel Teams | Learn to Read with Khan Academy Kids (youtube.com)
Long Vowel Sounds | ou, ow | Diphthongs | Phonics Songs and Stories | Learn to Read (youtube.com)
Long Vowel Sounds | a, au, aw | Diphthongs | Phonics Songs and Stories | Learn to Read (youtube.com)
Between the Lions: Cliff Hanger and the Soiled Oil Lamp (youtube.com)
Oy - Kim & Dudley's Remix (song for kids about the "oy" sound) (youtube.com)
Long Vowel Sounds | oi, oy | Diphthongs | Phonics Songs and Stories | Learn to Read (youtube.com)
By incorporating these teaching tips, you can make learning diphthongs engaging, effective, and enjoyable for your students.
Teaching Phonics: Free Resources for the Diphthong oo
If you're looking for even more ideas on how to introduce the diphthong oo to your students, click here to download this free lesson from Super Advanced Phonics Level A Unit 1. This lesson will walk you step by step through a lesson which introduces the long oo diphthong sound and includes the diphthong chart in the photo above.
Diphthongs are a fascinating aspect of the English language that has evolved over centuries, shaped by historical events and dialects. However, they can be challenging for some students. When teaching phonics, be patient, provide ample opportunities for practice, and offer encouragement to build your students' confidence. By understanding and recognizing diphthongs, children can become more confident and proficient readers and spellers.