Vowel teams, also known as vowel digraphs, are two or more vowels that are used together to represent a single sound. In English, there are several common vowel teams that are used in words. In this blog post, we will explore what vowel teams are, how they are used, provide examples of some common vowel teams, and offer tips and free resources to enhance your lessons.
A vowel team is a combination of two or more vowels that represent a single sound. Vowel teams are important to know because they can change the pronunciation and meaning of a word. Most often when a vowel team appears in a word, the first letter represents the long vowel sound, and the second vowel is silent. There are some exceptions though.
Some common vowel teams include:
ai: This vowel team represents the sound /ā/ as in "rain" or "train".
ea: This vowel team can represent two sounds: /ē/ as in "meat" or /ĕ/ as in "head."
ee: This vowel team represents the sound /ē/ as in "seed" or "tree."
oa: This vowel team represents the sound /ō/as in "boat" or "coat."
ie: This vowel team can represent two sounds: /ī/ as in "pie" or /ē/ as in "field."
ue: This vowel team represents the sound /ū/ as in "blue" or "true."
These vowel combinations can be found in the beginning, middle, or end of words. During instruction it is helpful for students to learn the most common placement within words for each specific vowel team. For example, the vowel team ai appears at the beginning and middle of words, while the ay vowel team represents the long a sound at the end of words.
Vowel teams are usually formally introduced during first grade reading instruction in the United States, after the concept of long vowel sounds has been mastered. It's important for students to memorize these letter combinations before moving on to diphthongs, which are also sounds formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable.
Educational videos are a great way to generate excitement when teaching phonics. Below I've curated some options to incorporate into your lessons about vowel teams:
Vowel Teams - Between the Lions: "When Two Vowels Go Walking" - YouTube
ee - Between the Lions: "Double e" Song (performed by Fonix) - YouTube
ea - Danny's 'ea/ee' - Prankster Cam (The Electric Company) - YouTube
oe - Long vowel pair OE Sound Song l Phonics for English Education - YouTube
ui - Words with -ue and -ui | Vowel Teams | Learn to Read with Khan Academy Kids - YouTube
ue - ue | Fun Phonics | How to Read | Made by Kids vs Phonics - YouTube
If you're looking for ideas on how to teach vowel teams to your students, click here to download this free lesson on the vowel team ee from Foundational Phonics Unit 5. This lesson introduces the concept of vowel teams.
If you'd like additional free resources to teach vowel teams, including the second vowel digraph graphic in this blog post, click here to download this free lesson on the vowel team oa taken from Foundational Phonics Unit 6.
Knowing common vowel teams can help children read and spell words more accurately. When children encounter a word with a vowel team, they need to be able recognize that the two vowels together represent a single sound. This helps them to decode words more quickly and accurately, and to understand the meaning of the text they are reading.
Comments