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Lesson 93

au, aw, augh /aw/

The graphemes AU, AW, and AUGH spell /aw/

The pronunciation of AU, AW, and AUGH can vary considerably from one dialect to another and may be indistinguishable from short /ŏ/.

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)

/l/ · /aw/ · /n/lawn
/l/ · /aw/ · /n/ · /ch/launch
/s/ · /t/ · /r/ · /aw/straw
/f/ · /aw/ · /l/ · /t/fault

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.

Initial

b l r

gr bl gl

Middle

or ur

ea ow

ue

Final

m n

+

s

Step 5

New Concept

Today we learn three ways to spell the /aw/ sound: aw, au, and augh.

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

Today we are going to learn about a new sound, /aw/. The /aw/ sound is similar to the /ŏ/ sound.

aw /aw/

The sound /aw/ can be spelled with the vowel team AW. AW usually comes in the middle of a word, such as the words and . AW can also come at the end of a word, such as the words and . AW can sometimes come at the beginning of a word, such as the word .

au /aw/

The sound /aw/ can also be spelled with the vowel team AU. AU comes in the middle of a word, such as the words and .

augh /aw/

The sound /aw/ can also be spelled with AUGH. AUGH comes in the middle of a word, such as the word .

How our mouth moves

The /aw/ sound is similar to the /ŏ/ sound. To make the /aw/ sound, drop your chin, round your lips slightly, and pull your tongue back like /ŏ/, but pull your cheeks in a little like this. Be sure your voice is on. Like all vowels, /aw/ is a continuous sound that can be stretched out. Watch me /aw/. You try /aw/.

Sound wall

Add 'aw', 'au', and 'augh' under /aw/.

Open the digital sound wall →