Vowel Teams Script

Session 1: Introduction to AI & AY

Warm-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Welcome to our Vowel Voyage! Today, we're going to start an exciting journey into the world of sounds and words. To kick us off, who can tell me what a vowel is? What are those special letters?"

Teacher: "That's right! A, E, I, O, U are our vowels. They are super important because every word has at least one vowel sound. Today, we're going to learn about something called 'vowel teams'!"

Direct Instruction (10 min)

Teacher: "Take a look at our first slide Vowel Teams Slide Deck (Slide 2). Vowel teams are two vowels that work together to make just ONE sound. It's like they're a team, and together they make a special sound. This helps us read and spell words that might look a little tricky.

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 3) "Our first vowel team is 'ai'. When you see 'ai' together, they usually make the long 'a' sound. Can everyone say 'Aaaaaay' like in 'rain'? Excellent! Let's look at some words. First, 'rain'. Listen: /r/ /ai/ /n/. Rain. How about 'wait'? /w/ /ai/ /t/. Wait. And 'sail'? /s/ /ai/ /l/. Sail.

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 4) "Now, for our next team: 'ay'. The 'ay' team also says the long 'a' sound! But here's a little trick: 'ay' usually comes at the END of a word. Listen to these: 'play'. /p/ /l/ /ay/. Play. 'Say'. /s/ /ay/. Say. And 'day'. /d/ /ay/. Day."

Guided Practice (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 5) "Alright, teams! Let's practice. I'm going to show you some words, and I want you to tell me if you hear the 'ai' or 'ay' sound, and then read the word. We'll also use our Vowel Teams Activity Cards to sort these words. So, if I say 'train', which vowel team is it? And where is that sound in the word?"

Teacher: "Fantastic! Now, how about 'stay'?"

Teacher: "Good job distinguishing between them! Remember, 'ai' in the middle, 'ay' at the end for that long 'a' sound."

Wrap-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Time to wrap up Session 1! Quick check: I'll call out a word, and you tell me if you hear 'ai' or 'ay'. Ready? 'Paint'."

Teacher: "'May'."

Teacher: "Wonderful! Today, we learned about vowel teams 'ai' and 'ay' that make the long 'a' sound. What new sound did we learn today?" If you want to practice more, you can look at the words in our Vowel Teams Reading at home. Great work everyone!

Session 2: Introduction to EE & EA

Warm-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Welcome back, Vowel Voyagers! Let's quickly review our long 'a' vowel teams from last time. Who can give me a word with 'ai'? And a word with 'ay'?"

Teacher: "Excellent memory! Today, we're going to learn about two new vowel teams that make a different long sound: the long 'e' sound!"

Direct Instruction (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 6) "Our first long 'e' vowel team is 'ee'. When you see 'ee' together, they usually make the long 'e' sound, like in 'tree'. Can everyone say 'Eeee' like in 'bee'? Perfect! Let's look at more words: 'tree'. /t/ /r/ /ee/. Tree. 'Bee'. /b/ /ee/. Bee. 'Free'. /f/ /r/ /ee/. Free."

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 7) "Now, our second long 'e' team: 'ea'. The 'ea' team also often says the long 'e' sound! Listen to these: 'read'. /r/ /ea/ /d/. Read. 'Eat'. /ea/ /t/. Eat. And 'team'. /t/ /ea/ /m/. Team."

Guided Practice (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 8) "Time for some practice with 'ee' and 'ea'! I'm going to show you words, and you'll read them and tell me which vowel team you hear. We'll use our Vowel Teams Activity Cards again to sort these words. First, 'sleep'. Which vowel team?"

Teacher: "How about 'leaf'?"

Teacher: "Great listening! You're getting good at spotting these teams."

Wrap-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Alright, Vowel Voyagers, great job today! Let's do a quick check. I'll say a word, and you tell me if it has 'ee' or 'ea'. 'Feel'."

Teacher: "'Dream'."

Teacher: "Wonderful! Today we discovered the 'ee' and 'ea' vowel teams, both making the long 'e' sound. What two new vowel teams make the long 'e' sound?" If you have time, start working on the Vowel Teams Worksheet for more practice. See you next time!

Session 3: Introduction to EY & Sentence Writing Focus

Warm-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Hello, everyone! Let's warm up our vowel team brains. Who can read a word with 'ai', 'ay', 'ee', or 'ea' from our Vowel Teams Reading? Let's take turns reading a few."

Teacher: "Excellent reading! You're becoming expert vowel team detectives. Today, we have one more vowel team to meet, and then we're going to put all our knowledge into action by writing sentences!"

Direct Instruction (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 9) "Our last vowel team for now is 'ey'. The 'ey' team also often says the long 'e' sound, especially at the end of words. Think of 'key'. /k/ /ee/. Key. And 'money'. /m/ /u/ /n/ /ee/. Money. Also 'turkey'. /t/ /ur/ /k/ /ee/. Turkey. Sometimes 'ey' can make a long 'a' sound, like in the word 'they', but we'll mostly focus on the long 'e' sound for now."

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 10) "Now that we know all our vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, ey), it's time to use them in our writing. We're going to start building sentences! Remember, a sentence always starts with a capital letter and ends with a punctuation mark like a period, question mark, or exclamation point."

Teacher: "Let me show you an example. I want to use the word 'rain' and a digraph like 'sh'. I could write: 'The rain fell shortly.' See how I used both a vowel team word and a digraph word?"

Guided Practice (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 11) "Now it's your turn! We're going to start working on sentences together. Let's look at the first few questions on our Vowel Teams Worksheet. Can you think of a word with a vowel team to complete this sentence? 'I like to play in the ________.'"

Teacher: "Good! Now, let's try to add a word with a digraph to that sentence, or create a new one. Remember our digraphs: 'sh', 'ch', 'th', 'wh', 'ph'. For example, if we use 'sheep' (with 'ee' and 'sh'), we could say: 'The sheep like to eat green grass.' You can complete the sentences on the worksheet now."

Wrap-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Great effort on your sentences today! Can one or two of you share a sentence you wrote or completed from the Vowel Teams Worksheet?"

Teacher: "Fantastic! Today we added 'ey' to our vowel team knowledge and started writing sentences. How can we use these vowel teams in our writing?" That's all for today. See you next session!

Session 4: Digraph Review & Sentence Writing Practice

Warm-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Welcome back, literacy leaders! Let's quickly review all our vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, ey). I'll show you a few words from our Vowel Teams Activity Cards, and you tell me the vowel team and read the word. Ready?"

Teacher: "Excellent! You're all doing so well with those vowel teams. Today, we're going to make sure our digraphs are fresh in our minds, and then we'll continue our sentence writing practice, putting both vowel teams and digraphs together."

Direct Instruction (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 12) "Let's do a quick digraph review! Remember, digraphs are two consonants that come together to make ONE new sound. Look at our common digraphs: 'sh' like in 'ship', 'ch' like in 'chair', 'th' like in 'think', 'wh' like in 'whale', and 'ph' like in 'phone'. Can you all make the 'sh' sound? How about 'ch'? And 'th'? Great!

Teacher: "These digraphs often appear right next to our vowel teams in words, making our reading and writing even more interesting. For example, 'shear'. See the 'sh' and 'ea'? Or 'chain'."

Guided Practice (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 13) "Now, let's really focus on combining everything we've learned into full sentences. Your goal is to use at least one vowel team word AND one digraph word in each sentence. I'll give you some sentence starters, and you can get creative. For instance: 'The ____ sat on the ____.' How could we fill that with a vowel team and a digraph word?"

Teacher: "Great ideas! We'll work through the sentence writing section of our Vowel Teams Worksheet now. Don't be afraid to help your classmates if they get stuck. You can share your sentences as you go."

Wrap-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "You've all done an amazing job combining vowel teams and digraphs in your sentences! To finish up, let's have a quick Vowel Teams Discussion. Why do you think it's helpful to know about vowel teams and digraphs when we read and write?"

Teacher: "Fantastic points! Knowing these patterns helps us read faster and spell more accurately. Give yourselves a pat on the back! See you for our last session."

Session 5: Review & Assessment

Warm-Up (5 min)

Teacher: "Welcome to our final session, Vowel Team Superstars! Let's get our brains warmed up with a quick flashcard review. I'll hold up words from our Vowel Teams Activity Cards, and you tell me the vowel team and read the word. Ready?"

Teacher: "Excellent work! You've made so much progress throughout our voyage."

Review (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 14) "Before our assessment, let's do a quick grand review of everything. We've learned about five vowel teams: 'ai', 'ay', 'ee', 'ea', and 'ey'. Can someone remind us what sound 'ai' makes? How about 'ee'? And what about our digraphs like 'sh' and 'ch'?"

Teacher: "Wonderful! We also worked on writing complete sentences using these sounds. Remember, a sentence tells a complete thought, starts with a capital letter, and ends with punctuation. Does anyone have any last questions before we move on?"

Assessment (10 min)

Teacher: (Advance to Slide 15) "Alright, Vowel Voyagers! It's time to shine and show what you know. Today, you'll be taking our Vowel Teams Test. Please read each question carefully and do your very best. Remember all the strategies we've learned. You have 10 minutes. I know you can do it!"

Teacher: "(After 10 minutes) Please put your pencils down and pass your tests forward. Thank you for your hard work."

Cool-Down (5 min)

Teacher: "Fantastic effort from everyone on the test! You've all worked incredibly hard on learning about vowel teams and digraphs. For our cool-down, I want each of you to tell me one vowel team or digraph you feel really confident about now. What's one sound you feel like you've mastered?"

Teacher: "That's wonderful to hear! Give yourselves a round of applause for all your amazing learning. You are all becoming incredible readers and writers!"

Vowel Teams Reading Passage

Long 'A' Sounds

ai

rain

wait

sail

paint

train

ay

play

say

day

May

stay

Long 'E' Sounds

ee

tree

bee

feel

sleep

seed

ea

read

eat

team

leaf

dream

ey

key

money

turkey

honey

chimney

Digraphs

sh

ship

shop

fish

wash

ch

chair

chin

watch

beach

th

think

this

path

mouth

Sentences with Vowel Teams and Digraphs

1. The train will stay on the track.
2. I like to read by the tree.
3. The bee flew near the leaf.
4. We will play in the rain today.
5. The turkey ate a sandwich.
6. My team will cheer for the ship.
7. The boy wanted to play with the whale.
8. I can see the sheep on the hill.
9. The path to the beach was long.
10. Do you think you can eat the whole peach?

Vowel Teams Activity Cards

Instructions for Teacher: Print these cards and cut them out. Students will sort the cards into groups based on the vowel team they contain (ai, ay, ee, ea, ey).

--- CUT ALONG THE DOTTED LINES ---

Group Headings (Print multiple copies for each group or write on board):

AI

AY

EE

EA

EY

Word Cards:

rain

play

tree

read

key

wait

day

sleep

eat

money

paint

say

feel

team

turkey

train

May

seed

leaf

honey

drain

pay

green

clean

chimney

Vowel Teams & Digraphs Worksheet

Name: ________________________

Part 1: Circle the Vowel Team

Circle the vowel team in each word. Then read the word aloud.

1. rain
2. play
3. tree
4. read
5. key
6. wait
7. day
8. sleep
9. eat
10. money

Part 2: Fill in the Vowel Team

Complete each word by adding the correct vowel team (ai, ay, ee, ea, or ey). Read the completed word.

1. dr____n (It pours from the sky.)
   
   
   
2. pl____ (What you do with toys.)
   
   
   
3. t____m (A group of players.)
   
   
   
4. k____ (Used to open a lock.)
   
   
   
5. gr____n (The color of grass.)
   
   
   

Part 3: Sentence Writing

Write a complete sentence for each prompt. Try to use at least one vowel team word AND one digraph word in each sentence.

Digraphs Reminder: sh, ch, th, wh, ph

1. Write a sentence about something you see in the rain.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

2. Write a sentence about something you like to play.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

3. Write a sentence about a tree or something green.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

4. Write a sentence using the words read and a word with sh.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5. Write a sentence about money or a key.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Vowel Teams Discussion Prompts

Instructions for Teacher: Use these prompts to facilitate a brief discussion at the end of Session 4 or as a check-in during other sessions. Encourage students to share their thoughts and listen respectfully to their peers.

Discussion Prompts:

1. "Why do you think it's important to learn about vowel teams like 'ai' and 'ee'? How do they help us when we read?"
   
   
   
   

2. "When you see a word with a vowel team, what is the first thing you should try to do? (Hint: Think about the sound it makes!)"
   
   
   
   

3. "We also talked about digraphs (sh, ch, th). How do knowing digraphs and vowel teams together make us better writers?"
   
   
   
   

4. "Can you think of a time when knowing a vowel team or a digraph helped you read a new word? Share your experience!"
   
   
   
   

5. "What was the most challenging part of learning about vowel teams and digraphs, and what helped you understand it better?"
   
   
   
   

Vowel Teams & Digraphs Answer Key

Worksheet Answer Key

Part 1: Circle the Vowel Team

1. rain
2. play
3. tree
4. read
5. key
6. wait
7. day
8. sleep
9. eat
10. money

Part 2: Fill in the Vowel Team

1. drain (It pours from the sky.)
2. play (What you do with toys.)
3. team (A group of players.)
4. key (Used to open a lock.)
5. green (The color of grass.)

Part 3: Sentence Writing

(Answers will vary, but should include a vowel team word and a digraph word, start with a capital, and end with punctuation. Examples below.)

1. Write a sentence about something you see in the rain.
   Example: The shiny car drove through the heavy rain.

2. Write a sentence about something you like to play.
   Example: I like to play with my choice of toys.

3. Write a sentence about a tree or something green.
   Example: The thick tree had many green leaves.

4. Write a sentence using the words read and a word with sh.
   Example: I like to read a book about a shark.

5. Write a sentence about money or a key.
   Example: My dad gave me some money for my new keychain.

Test Answer Key

1. rain
2. say
3. bee
4. team
5. turkey
6. (Accept any word with the 'ai' vowel team, e.g., train, paint, fail)
7. (Accept any word with the 'ee' vowel team, e.g., deep, green, sleep)
8. The sh_ee_p like to ea_t gr_ee_n gr_ass. (Vowel teams: ee, ea, ee circled; Digraphs: sh, gr, gr underlined.)
9. (Answers will vary, but should include one vowel team word and one digraph word, start with a capital, and end with punctuation. Example: The chickens play in the yard.)
10. I saw a bee in the garden.