Phonics: Teaching Long Vowels

What is a Long Vowel? A long vowel can be determined if the vowel is pronounced the same as the letter. There are three rules that define whether words are pronounced with a long vowel sound. 1. When a word has two vowels, usually the first vowel says its name and the second vowel is silent. 2. If a word has one vowel and it comes at the end of the word, that word usually has a long vowel sound. 3. The vowel i and o have the long vowel sound when followed by two or more consonants. What prior knowledge should children have? Children should have a sound of the letters of the alphabet and the sounds these letter makes. The process of phonics should be understood with some knowledge of short vowels.

Activities
Long Vowels are best taught to children through the use of exciting and engaging activities. Children need to be presented with a variety of different activities that offer many opportunities to gain an understanding of phonics. Incorporating the activities in the daily routine will quickly and easily allow children to grasp the concept of Phonics with particular emphasis on Long Vowels. WHOLE CLASS ACTIVITY SMALL GROUPS ACTIVITY Bingo! - Fishing For Words - Board game - Comic Strips

Curriculum Links
English / Year 2 / Language / Expressing and developing ideas Understand how to use digraphs, long vowels, blends and silent letters to spell words, and use morphemes and syllabification to break up simple words and use visual memory to write irregular words (ACELA1471) English / Year 2 / Language / Sound and letter knowledge Recognise most soundletter matches including silent letters, vowel/consonant digraphs and many less common soundletter combinations (ACELA1474)

Resources
The following Phonics and Long Vowel some websites are useful resources for teachers to access with their students. Please refer to our website for complete list.
Picture Match Match pictures to their beginning letter sounds, or short and long vowel sounds by sorting them into the correct letter box. Link; http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/picturematch/ Reading Bear Reading bear is an interactive and fun way for children to learn all the main phonics rules through reading and quizzes. Link; http://www.readingbear.org/ Star Fall Star fall teaches children to read with phonics. The systematic phonics approach, in conjunction with phonemic awareness practice, is perfect for the development of skills from foundation year to year two. Link; http://www.starfall.com/

References
Galloway A (2008). Indigenous children and conductive hearing loss. In: Simpson J, Wigglesworth G,e ds. Children's language and multilingualism. London Hill, S. (2006). Developing Early Literacy: Assessment and teaching. South Yarra, Vic: Eleanor Curtain Publishing. Light, J & McNaughton, D. (2012). Literacy Instruction. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://aacliteracy.psu.edu/index.php/page/show/id/6 Seely Flint, A., Kitson, L., Lowe, K., & Shaw, K. (2014). Literacy in Australia: Pedagogies for engagement. Milton, Qld: John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd. Smith, K. (2010). Long Vowel Rules. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.hisdwelling.com/LongVowelRules.html SparkleBox Teacher Resources Limited (2008). Phonics Board Game. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from http://www.sparklebox.co.uk