Vowel Confusion

  Solutions for Vowel Confusion

Most of the students that come to the reading center for help have difficulties understanding and using vowel sounds appropriately.  The word "bait" may be read "bat," or the word "met" may be read "meat."  You may have a Struggling Reader that decodes (sounds out words) in a similar fashion.

You can improve your child's reading with some fun strategies, but first a little background.

Background:

At the reading center, we work with rime patterns to teach reading.  Rimes are letter patterns or word families.

       am -  jam, ram, Sam                  ack - back, pack, lack

       ail - tail, bail, jail                     eep - jeep, keep, weep  

Rhymes are sounds in words that are the same, but may not be spelled the same.

        there, bare, fair                             wait, late, freight

To help our students recognize patterns in words, our instruction includes color coding, stories and hand movements.  When organizing this activity, create your own stories, follow the colors and make up hand movements to enhance letter and sound recognition or use our Solutions for Struggling Readers teaching system.  http://www.skills-for-success.com/intervention.html

Vowel Confusion Lesson Activity:

Materials:

    48 index cards

     a list of 24 short vowel rimes - listed below

     a list of 24 long vowel rimes - listed below

1.  Write one rime on each index card - following the color coded system - all short vowels are blue, all long vowels are pink.

2. Mix the cards up

3. Have your child read and sort the cards into two piles...one pile containing short   vowels, the other one with long vowels.  When your child is successful at saying and sorting the cards correctly, try steps 4 and 5.

4. Place the index cards in rows of 5 across and 5 down.

5. Have your child read the cards in a sweeping motion from left to right (as we read.)  This helps with decoding, directionality and fluency.

Hints:

Color coding is used as a visual for an abstract concept.  Visually seeing the difference between vowel sounds will help your child differentiate the two concepts being taught.

Most of the students at the reading center do not stop to think about what word pops out of their mind and mouth.  Part of our job at the center is to get our students to stop and think before they say the word.  The above lesson will help your child to stop and think as they sort and read each card.

This activity also helps a child decode (sound out) unfamiliar words by learning letter patters instead of just memorizing words.  See Vowel Kingdom and Letter Patterns  of our Solutions teaching kits.  http://www.skills-for-success.com/intervention.html

Most of the students we help have an ability to read familiar words, but unfamiliar words become difficult.  Learning and applying letter patterns is critical to successful reading.

While engaged in this sorting activity, many of our students can eventually get the word right, if they guess enough.  A strategy that we have found helpful to reduce guessing is to reward the student for saying the word correctly the first time.  When our students stop and think, then say the word correctly on the first attempt, our students get a tally mark.  Five tally marks earns a sticker.  Thirty stickers earns a prize.  Motivation is often the key!! 

Have fun with this activity!

Short Vowel Rimes

ad        im         op         ock        ish         iff        ush          ick   

aft       ond       elt         unk       esk        int        elp          omp     

Long Vowel Rimes

eed       oat        aim        eap        uit        eath      oaf      ight

oam       aid        eak        eeth      oad       aif        eak      eep