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Lesson 115

Alternate Long U

The graphemes EW, EU, and UE spell /yo͞o/; OU spells /o͞o/

Although the various spellings of /o͞o/ and /yo͞o/ can produce many words, these are far less common than the previously taught spellings.

Today's plan

about 15 min
  1. Step 1Warm up our ears (blend & segment)2 min
  2. Steps 2 & 3Look & Say / Listen & Spell4 min
  3. Step 4Blending drill3 min
  4. Step 5New concept + read/spell6 min
Step 1

Warm Up Our Ears

Say the sounds; students blend them into a word. Then say a word; students break it apart.

Blend it (teacher says sounds → you say word)

/f/ · /yo͞o/few
/s/ · /p/ · /yo͞o/spew
/s/ · /k/ · /yo͞o/skew

Break it (I say word → you say sounds)

Steps 2 & 3

Flashcard Drills

Full-screen cards for the class. Tap a card to check the answer, or press Hear the words to hear the example words read aloud.

Step 4

Blending Drill

Change one part at a time and read the new word.

Step 5

New Concept

Today we learn more ways to spell the long U sounds /yo͞o/ and /o͞o/: EW, UE, EU, and OU.

Highlighted words are the ones to show and practice reading — tap one to hear it.

We know two sounds for long U: /o͞o/ as in and /yo͞o/ as in . Both of these sounds can be spelled in multiple ways. /o͞o/: We already know four ways to spell the /o͞o/ sound: U_E as in , as in , as in , UE as in . OU is another way to spell /o͞o/. We know OU spells /ow/ as in . Sometimes, OU can also spell /o͞o/ as in and . /yo͞o/: We already know one way to spell the /yo͞o/ sound: U_E as in . Three more ways to spell the /yo͞o/ sound are EW, UE, and EU. EW spells /yo͞o/ at the end of a word like spew and nephew. UE spells /yo͞o/ at the end of a word like value and rescue. EU spells /yo͞o/ at the beginning of a word like eucalyptus, which is a type of plant that koalas eat. There are not many words that have EU.

ou /o͞o/

OU can also spell /o͞o/ as in and .

ew, ue /yo͞o/

EW and UE spell /yo͞o/ at the end of a word like spew, nephew, value, and rescue.

eu /yo͞o/

EU spells /yo͞o/ at the beginning of a word like eucalyptus.

How our mouth moves

Review articulatory gestures, as needed.

Sound wall

Add 'ew', 'ue', and 'eu' under /yo͞o/. Add 'ou' under /o͞o/.

Open the digital sound wall →