Phonics Lesson 89 oo, u /oo/: Apr 20-24 (Reading Practice Book)

Phonics Lessons - April 20-24

This week's focus has been learning about more vowel teams (that don't make long vowel sounds). Vowel teams are two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. 

Lesson 89: oo, u - /oo/

This week, we also learned about a specialize vowel sound that is not a long vowel sound but does pop up on us here and there. We focused on the /oo/ vowel team.

oo /oo/: The sound /oo/ can be spelled with the vowel team oo. It comes in the middle of a word like in good and look. 

u /oo/: The sound /oo/ can also be spelled with u. U spells /oo/ in the middle of a word like put and bush.  

In this week's text called, Brookyln's Reading Nook, students are looking for all the words that have the vowel team that makes the /oo/ sound based on the oo or u spelling patterns to highlight (the whole word that has that spelling pattern). Be careful for spelling patterns that are included in the story that just include any letter oo or u in the word - we are specifically looking for the oo and u making that special /oo/ 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:

• again
• against
• always
• almost

This week's new words:

• floor
• poor
• door

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 one lessons so there will be one page/story 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. 

Happy reading!