Vowel Diphthongs

Vowel Diphthongs
Objective:
The students will decode words with vowel diphthongs.
Materials:
•  Reading material at the students’ instructional reading level containing words with
vowel diphthongs
Lesson:
A vowel diphthong contains two sounds that are blended together (glided vowels). Examples
include oi (boil), oo (soon), aw (saw), and ow (cow). These should be presented separately. Be
sure to preview and highlight any words with vowel diphthongs before the students begin to read the book. Then,
1.  Do a comprehension/vocabulary preview (see steps 1–3 of the sample lesson).
2.  Practice reading the words in isolation.
3.  Remind students that the vowel pattern can help them decode unknown words.
4.  Have the students begin reading the selected materials. If they come to a word
with a vowel diphthong they are unable to read, remind students of the sounds
this pattern makes. Have the students blend these sounds with others to decode
the word.
5.  Have the students reread from the beginning the sentence containing the
misread word.
6.  After reading the entire book or reading passage, discuss what happened in the
story and the students’ reaction to it.
Adaptations:
If the students are having difficulty with particular words containing vowel diphthongs, write
them on 3 × 5 cards to review during a Word Analysis lesson or for their Word Folder (see the
Fluency section), or include them in their sight word Road Race game cards (see Fluency).
For English language learners, be sure to preview any unfamiliar vocabulary and word mean-ings. Vowel diphthongs may be difficult for some English language learners if these sounds are
not present in their first language, or are represented by other letters in their first language. Be
sure to have the students practice matching the sounds with the letters during Word Analysis/
Spelling lessons, and to feel how these sounds are made in their mouths and throats.