ELA G1:S4:C23:L116

Decoding: Long Vowel Sound ("ee," "oo," "y")

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Daily Learning Targets

Opening A: I can identify different spelling patterns that represent the /ō/ and /ē/ vowel sounds. (RF.1.2)

I can listen to a single-syllable word and identify the long vowel sound it contains.

Work Time A: I can read and spell CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words with vowel teams. (RF.1.2, L.1.2)

I can decode regularly spelled one-syllable words by mapping graphemes and phonemes.
I can decode a word with a vowel team (two vowels that make a long vowel sound) in the middle.

Ongoing Assessment

Observe students during Work Time.
Determine whether they can identify long vowel words using the patterns learned in this cycle.

Agenda

Agenda
1. Opening (3–5 minutes) A. Vowel Sounds: Familiar Vowel Team Patterns for /ō/ and /ē/ 2. Work Time (10 minutes) A. Chaining: Decoding with Vowel Team Patterns “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound B. Chaining: Encoding with Vowel Team Patterns “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound 3. Closing and Assessment (3–5 minutes) A. Reflecting on Learning 4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

1. Opening (3–5 minutes)

A. Vowel Sounds: Familiar Vowel Team Patterns for /ō/ and /ē/

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Chaining: Decoding with Vowel Team Patterns “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound

B. Chaining: Encoding with Vowel Team Patterns “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound

3. Closing and Assessment (3–5 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

Prepare:

Letter Formation chart with visuals
Anchor chart for vowel patterns "oo" and "ee" with mnemonics (see supporting materials)
Snapshot Assessment (optional)

Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

decode, proficient, vowel pattern (L)

Materials

Whiteboards or sheet protectors with white cardboard inside (one per student or pair)
Whiteboard markers (one per student)
Whiteboard erasers (or tissues, socks, etc.; one per student)
Movable letters (magnetic letters, Letter Cards in a pocket chart, or other letters that can be displayed and moved; one each for teacher modeling; from Lesson 96)
Letter Formation chart (for teacher reference; from Lesson 96)
Vowel Teams anchor chart
Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Vowel Sounds: Familiar Vowel Team Patterns for /ō/ and /ē/ (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”): “Sit down and come together, together, together. Sit down and come together, together, right now. Open up your ears now, and listen for the vowel sounds. It’s time to hear the vowel sounds we’re making right now.” Begin the Vowel Sounds instructional practice: 1. Teacher says: “Today, let’s start by listening to some words that have the same vowel sound. We’ll identify that sound and then examine all the ways we’ve learned this year to spell that sound. Knowing the different ways that a sound can be spelled will help us become better readers and spellers.” 2. Teacher says the following words aloud, pausing between each word: “road,” “coat,” “mow.” 3. Teacher asks: “What sound do we hear in all of these words?” (/ō/) 4. Teacher says: “Right! We hear the long vowel sound of ‘o’ in those words. Now let’s look at how that /ō/ sound is spelled.” 5. Teacher writes the words in a list on the board and asks: “How is the /ō/ sound spelled in ‘road’ and ‘coat’?” (with the vowel team “oa”) “How is the /ō/ sound spelled in ‘mow’?” (with the vowel team “ow”) 6. Teacher says: “Yes, we learned that ‘ow’ and ‘oa’ are vowel team patterns that we see in some words for the /ā/ sound. Let’s see if we remember other patterns for long vowel sounds with some different words.” 7. Teacher repeats steps 1–5 with /ē/ words: “leak,” “read,” “tea.” 8. Teacher says: “These are some vowel team patterns we have learned for spelling the long vowel sounds we hear in words. I wonder if there are more vowel patterns in words to spell those long vowel sounds. Let’s look at some new words today and find out!”	Consider using anchor charts from previous cycles to review the ways students have learned to spell each long vowel sound.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Vowel Sounds: Familiar Vowel Team Patterns for /ō/ and /ē/

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”):

“Sit down and come together, together, together. Sit down and come together, together, right now. Open up your ears now, and listen for the vowel sounds. It’s time to hear the vowel sounds we’re making right now.”

Begin the Vowel Sounds instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “Today, let’s start by listening to some words that have the same vowel sound. We’ll identify that sound and then examine all the ways we’ve learned this year to spell that sound. Knowing the different ways that a sound can be spelled will help us become better readers and spellers.”

2. Teacher says the following words aloud, pausing between each word: “road,” “coat,” “mow.”

3. Teacher asks:

“What sound do we hear in all of these words?” (/ō/)

4. Teacher says: “Right! We hear the long vowel sound of ‘o’ in those words. Now let’s look at how that /ō/ sound is spelled.”

5. Teacher writes the words in a list on the board and asks:

“How is the /ō/ sound spelled in ‘road’ and ‘coat’?” (with the vowel team “oa”)

“How is the /ō/ sound spelled in ‘mow’?” (with the vowel team “ow”)

6. Teacher says: “Yes, we learned that ‘ow’ and ‘oa’ are vowel team patterns that we see in some words for the /ā/ sound. Let’s see if we remember other patterns for long vowel sounds with some different words.”

7. Teacher repeats steps 1–5 with /ē/ words: “leak,” “read,” “tea.”

8. Teacher says: “These are some vowel team patterns we have learned for spelling the long vowel sounds we hear in words. I wonder if there are more vowel patterns in words to spell those long vowel sounds. Let’s look at some new words today and find out!”

Consider using anchor charts from previous cycles to review the ways students have learned to spell each long vowel sound.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Chaining: Decoding with Vowel Teams “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”): “Now it’s time to decode words using the letter sound connections; now it’s time to decode words; be careful, watch for a change.” Distribute whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers. Begin the Chaining instructional practice: 1. Teacher shows the word with movable letters: “seed.” 2. Teacher says: “Let’s examine this word carefully.” 3. Teacher asks: “What do we notice about this word that might help us decode it?” (two vowels together) 4. Teacher says: “Right! These vowels together are a ‘vowel team’ because they stick right next to each other and work together like a team. This must be another way to spell the long vowel sound of ‘e.’ Let’s see if we can read this word by using the long vowel sound for ‘e.’” 5. Teacher points to each letter from left to right, making the /ē/ sound while sliding under the “ee” as one sound, and blending to pronounce the word “seed.” 6. Students write the word on their whiteboards: “seed.” Teacher emphasizes proper letter formation (see Letter Formation chart for suggested formation of each letter). 7. Students point to each letter from left to right, making each sound and blending to pronounce the word “seed.” 8. Teacher removes the “d,” replaces it with a “p,” and asks: “How has the word changed?” (The last letter is a “p” instead of a “d.”) “And what is this new word?” (seep) 9. Students erase the “d” and write a “p” in its place to form the new word: “seep.” 10. Students point to each letter from left to right, making each sound and blending to pronounce the word “seep.” 11. Repeat steps 8–10 with: “deep.” 12. Teacher says: “I wonder if there are any other patterns used to spell the /ē/ sound in words.” 13. Teacher shows the word with moveable letters: “sunny.” 14. Teacher says: “In this word, I see the letter ‘y’ at the end of the word. What sound do you hear at the end of the word ‘sunny’?” (/ē/) 15. Teacher asks: “How many syllables do you hear?” (two) 16. Teacher says: “Right! The ‘y’ makes the /ē/ sound at the end of some two-syllable words.” 17. Follow steps 12–15 with words: “funny,” “tummy.” 18. Teacher says: “Now that we have learned about new spelling patterns to spell the /ē/ sound in words, I wonder if there is another spelling pattern for us to learn.” 19. Teacher shows the word with movable letters: “pool.” 20. Teacher says: “In this word, I see the vowels ‘oo.’ This is a very interesting vowel team because we have seen this team before. We can read words like ‘look’ already. But this pattern sounds different. What sound do you hear in the middle of the word ‘pool’?” (/u:/) 21. Teacher says: “Right! This vowel team makes different sounds. Today, we will learn the /u:/ sound.” 22. Follow steps 5–10 with words “cool,” “drool.” 23. After the teacher adds the last word to the list and students decode it, he or she guides students to read the entire list of words (as a group and/or individual volunteers). 24. Record the words on the Vowel Team anchor chart.	Guide students in discovering the relationship between vowels in the vowel team, reinforcing the language that they work together. Guide students in discovering that each word that ends with letter "y" is a two-syllable word. Consider contrasting one-syllable words with two-syllable words ending in "y." Emphasize the difference by connecting the sound to the number of syllables. This word analysis supports students in getting these patterns in memory. Examples: "fly," "my," "cry," "by," "sky" "happy," "taffy," "daddy," "envy"
B. Chaining: Encoding with Vowel Teams “oo” and “ee” and “y” Ending in /ē/ sound (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”): “Now it’s time to spell the words, using letter sound connections. Now it’s time to spell the words; be careful, listen for the sounds.” Teacher continues with the Chaining instructional practice, now focusing on the encoding portion: 1. Teacher says the first word: “seed.” 2. Students say: “seed.” 3. Teacher writes the letters that correspond to each sound on the board, emphasizing proper letter formation (see Letter Formation chart for suggested formation of each letter): “s-e-e-d.” 4. Teacher covers the word. 5. Students write the word on their whiteboards from memory: “seed.” 6. Teacher uncovers the word. 7. Students check their spelling. 8. Students erase their whiteboards. 9. Repeat steps 1–8 with remaining words: “seep,” “deep,” “sunny,” “funny,” “tummy,” “pool,” “cool,” “drool.”	Consider asking students to underline the vowel team in each word to identify it.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Chaining: Decoding with Vowel Teams “ee,” “oo,” and “y” Ending in /ē/ Sound

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”):

“Now it’s time to decode words using the letter sound connections; now it’s time to decode words; be careful, watch for a change.”

Distribute whiteboards, whiteboard markers, and whiteboard erasers.
Begin the Chaining instructional practice:

1. Teacher shows the word with movable letters: “seed.”

2. Teacher says: “Let’s examine this word carefully.”

3. Teacher asks:

“What do we notice about this word that might help us decode it?” (two vowels together)

4. Teacher says: “Right! These vowels together are a ‘vowel team’ because they stick right next to each other and work together like a team. This must be another way to spell the long vowel sound of ‘e.’ Let’s see if we can read this word by using the long vowel sound for ‘e.’”

5. Teacher points to each letter from left to right, making the /ē/ sound while sliding under the “ee” as one sound, and blending to pronounce the word “seed.”

6. Students write the word on their whiteboards: “seed.” Teacher emphasizes proper letter formation (see Letter Formation chart for suggested formation of each letter).

7. Students point to each letter from left to right, making each sound and blending to pronounce the word “seed.”

8. Teacher removes the “d,” replaces it with a “p,” and asks:

“How has the word changed?” (The last letter is a “p” instead of a “d.”)

“And what is this new word?” (seep)

9. Students erase the “d” and write a “p” in its place to form the new word: “seep.”

10. Students point to each letter from left to right, making each sound and blending to pronounce the word “seep.”

11. Repeat steps 8–10 with: “deep.”

12. Teacher says: “I wonder if there are any other patterns used to spell the /ē/ sound in words.”

13. Teacher shows the word with moveable letters: “sunny.”

14. Teacher says: “In this word, I see the letter ‘y’ at the end of the word. What sound do you hear at the end of the word ‘sunny’?” (/ē/)

15. Teacher asks:

“How many syllables do you hear?” (two)

16. Teacher says: “Right! The ‘y’ makes the /ē/ sound at the end of some two-syllable words.”

17. Follow steps 12–15 with words: “funny,” “tummy.”

18. Teacher says: “Now that we have learned about new spelling patterns to spell the /ē/ sound in words, I wonder if there is another spelling pattern for us to learn.”

19. Teacher shows the word with movable letters: “pool.”

20. Teacher says: “In this word, I see the vowels ‘oo.’ This is a very interesting vowel team because we have seen this team before. We can read words like ‘look’ already. But this pattern sounds different. What sound do you hear in the middle of the word ‘pool’?” (/u:/)

21. Teacher says: “Right! This vowel team makes different sounds. Today, we will learn the /u:/ sound.”

22. Follow steps 5–10 with words “cool,” “drool.”

23. After the teacher adds the last word to the list and students decode it, he or she guides students to read the entire list of words (as a group and/or individual volunteers).

24. Record the words on the Vowel Team anchor chart.

Guide students in discovering the relationship between vowels in the vowel team, reinforcing the language that they work together.
Guide students in discovering that each word that ends with letter "y" is a two-syllable word. Consider contrasting one-syllable words with two-syllable words ending in "y." Emphasize the difference by connecting the sound to the number of syllables. This word analysis supports students in getting these patterns in memory. Examples:

"fly," "my," "cry," "by," "sky"
"happy," "taffy," "daddy," "envy"

B. Chaining: Encoding with Vowel Teams “oo” and “ee” and “y” Ending in /ē/ sound

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”):

“Now it’s time to spell the words, using letter sound connections. Now it’s time to spell the words; be careful, listen for the sounds.”

Teacher continues with the Chaining instructional practice, now focusing on the encoding portion:

1. Teacher says the first word: “seed.”

2. Students say: “seed.”

3. Teacher writes the letters that correspond to each sound on the board, emphasizing proper letter formation (see Letter Formation chart for suggested formation of each letter): “s-e-e-d.”

4. Teacher covers the word.

5. Students write the word on their whiteboards from memory: “seed.”

6. Teacher uncovers the word.

7. Students check their spelling.

8. Students erase their whiteboards.

9. Repeat steps 1–8 with remaining words: “seep,” “deep,” “sunny,” “funny,” “tummy,” “pool,” “cool,” “drool.”

Consider asking students to underline the vowel team in each word to identify it.

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Reflecting on Learning Emphasize that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Point out that they are doing this each time they consider how what they did today helps them to become more proficient readers. Invite students to reflect and share with a partner (or whole group). Ask: "What did you do today that is helping you become a more proficient reader?" (Responses will vary. Example: "I looked for the vowel team and remembered to read the long vowel sound for the first vowel.")	For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples: "When I saw two vowels together, I _____." "When I wrote the letter _____, I _____." "When I heard the sound _____, I _____."

Closing

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

Emphasize that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Point out that they are doing this each time they consider how what they did today helps them to become more proficient readers.
Invite students to reflect and share with a partner (or whole group). Ask:

"What did you do today that is helping you become a more proficient reader?" (Responses will vary. Example: "I looked for the vowel team and remembered to read the long vowel sound for the first vowel.")

For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples:

"When I saw two vowels together, I _____."
"When I wrote the letter _____, I _____."
"When I heard the sound _____, I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Partial Alphabetic groups. Teacher may meet briefly with the Full and Consolidated groups to provide a weekly Word List and exit ticket or possibly set up a management system allowing these students to find the list and exit ticket and begin work independently.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work Guidance document for more details (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual).

Pre-Alphabetic:

Aim small group instruction at building students' knowledge and skills of letter identification and phonological awareness.
Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Kindergarten lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in daily small group instruction.

Partial Alphabetic:

Students in the early to middle Partial Alphabetic (PA) phase may need to spend more time with long vowel sound patterns than the whole group lessons provide. Those working within the middle to late PA phase may be comfortable using the vowel team patterns introduced in this cycle. If so, small group work may include extended practice of work time.
Suggestions for working with students at the early to middle PA phase:

Use the Decodable Reader from Cycles 21-22 to examine spelling patterns for long vowel sounds.
Spend time on lessons and/or patterns from a previous cycle that may need more practice. Consider using the Assessment Conversion chart to determine an appropriate previous cycle.

Related Activity Bank suggestions:

Any Activity Bank activity from the Vowels category (V)

Full and Consolidated Alphabetic:

Establish weekly Word Lists and exit tickets for independent work time (see supporting materials).
Additional Supporting Materials:

Word List Guidance (for teacher reference)
Word List (one per student or per pair)
Word Card Template (one per student or per pair)
Sorting Words Template (one per student or per pair)

EL Education Curriculum

ELA G1:S4:C23:L116

Decoding: Long Vowel Sound ("ee," "oo," "y")

In this Lesson

You are here:

Like what you see?

Help us improve!

Daily Learning Targets

Ongoing Assessment

Agenda

In Advance

Vocabulary

Materials

Opening

Work Time

Closing & Assessments

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

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