The different sounds of the OW phonic

The different sounds of OW

OW words

In this lesson we started by exploring the two different sounds that O and W make together. We began the lesson by writing down on the board examples of words with OW in them and then saying them aloud to see if the students could pick between the two different sounds.  The teacher then explained the phonics rules for the OW sounds to the class. When the OW is in the middle of the word (crowd) the sound is almost always the “ow” sound. However, when the OW is at the end of the word the sound is a long “o” most of the time (show) but sometimes it is the “ow” sound (how).  A perfect example of the two sounds is the word “grow” changed to the word “growl”.

OW bingo!

Next the class played a game of “OW” bingo! They divided a piece of paper into nine squares and wrote a different OW word in each square.  The teacher then randomly called out from the list of OW words. The aim of the game was to check that the students were able to hear the word and recognise them on their bingo cards. Assistance was given to the younger students both to write down and find the words once they were called out.

The Lorax and the environmentLeap into Literacy

The book of the week was the much loved fable The Lorax by Dr Suess. This is a cautionary tale of a character called the Lorax who spoke for the trees and warned of the dangers of disrespecting the natural world. The class discussed ways they we can help our environment and what is means to recycle, as well as what happens when the land is poisoned and when we remove too many trees.  Discussion was had about the negative impacts of development on the environment and ways that we can help keep their land green.

Finding the OW sounds in the Lorax

The class then listened to The Lorax and were invited to draw a picture in their notebooks as they listened to aid with comprehension.  The story was paused often to discuss elements of characterisation and to make predictions on what could happen next.  Students discussed particular characters such as the Once-ler and if they felt he was doing a good thing or a bad thing and the Lorax and his concern for the destruction of the environment.

The students looked for the OW sounds in the first section of the book and watched a small clip of the movie version of the Lorax to further assist with their comprehension of the story.

Lastly the students were asked to write either a sentence or a short story based on their age and ability. The younger students were encouraged to choose one of their OW words and create a sentence using the word. The other students were guided to write about what happened in The Lorax and underline any “OW” words they used.  You can see some of their marvelous work in the pictures below!

Leap into Literacy Creative writing

Leap into Literacy provides small tutoring classes with a focus on reading comprehension and writing. Using techniques that allow students to become creative in the learning process, sessions are fun and achieve maximum results!

Classes are held at our centres in Drummoyne, Balmain, and North Willoughby, as well as other locations around Sydney, and are available for preschoolers and school age children in Years K-6. 

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