Phonics Lesson 79 ar & or, ore Review & Phonics Lesson 80 er: Mar 9-13 (Reading Practice Book)

Phonics Lessons - Mar 9-13

Lesson 79: ar /ar/ & or, ore /or/ Review

The /r/ sound is a tricky sound. When we put the /r/ sound after a vowel, it completely changes the way the vowel sounds. It makes what we call an ‘r-controlled’ vowel. 

ar /ar/ - The r-controlled vowel ar usually represents the /ar/ sound. This can come in the middle of a word, such as the words bark and part. This can sometimes come at the end of the word, such as car and star. It can also sometimes come at the beginning of a word, such as the words art and arm. 

or, ore /or/ - Another r-controlled vowel sound is /or/. This sound is usually represented using the letters or and ore. The or spelling can come in the middle of a word, such as fork or corn. It can sometimes come at the beginning of the word such as orb. It can also come at the end of a word, such as for. However, when we hear /or/ at the end of a word it usually is spelled with a silent e like in the words more or store. 

In this week's text called Trip to the Market, students are looking for all the words that have the /ar/ or the /or/ sound in the words to highlight, followed up illustrating a picture of the story. Students are also asked to illustrate the story to demonstrate their understanding of the text.

Lesson 80: er /er/

This is another r controlled vowel. This sound is usually represented using the letters er and is the most common spelling if the /er/ sound. The er spelling can come in the middle of a word, such as verb or fern. It can also come at the end of the word such as sister, her. 

In this week's text called, My Sister's Fern, students are looking for all the words that have the /er/ sound based on the er spelling patterns to highlight (the whole word that has that spelling pattern). Be careful for spelling patterns that are included in the story that are re and not making the /er/ sound. Students are also asked to illustrate the story to demonstrate their understanding of the text.

Heart (Irregular) Words of the Week

Heart words are words that do not decode or follow the spelling rules that we have been learning. We have to know them by 'heart'. However, once we learn more spelling rules, they may be only temporary heart words and the rules will come along later! In the meantime, we have been focusing on reviewing and learning the words below with focused in class practice. These will eventually (if not already) be on spelling word lists or word rings. 

This week we are reviewing:

• people
• pretty
• nothing

This week's new words:

• other
• another

Fluency Grids
With each lesson, there is a fluency grid with the lesson focus that is intended to help students recognize the phonics rule and assist in reading it with accuracy and automaticity. At home, challenge your young reader to read the word (aim is to decode/read each word within 3 seconds) and then recall it each time they see it within the grid of mixed up, repeated words. A couple minutes of practice is all they need. This acts as a warm up before reading the text that also applies the same skill while building on all the previous skills as well. Each week we are building on the previous week to become more fluent readers so we can focus on what the text is sharing rather than spending all the time decoding the words.

Homework Reminders
Students have been working on the story or stories in their Reading Practice book this week that will come home each weekend. At school, they work with a partner to complete their fluency grid, read with someone their story and highlight the focus words. Following, they are illustrating a picture for the text to show their understanding. 

At home, students are to finish the above tasks and read to an expert the week's lesson(s). After completing, parents are to initial at the indicated spot at the top. 

This week, we are have completed two lessons so there will be two stories to complete in their white Reading Practice booklet after the clip. Please see the information letter in the front of the book for more, detailed information about this weekend practice book coming home. Please return on Monday (or Tuesday if there is a no school day on Monday).

Happy reading!