English lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 30 minutes

R-controlled vowels: ar or or?

Phonics & Sight Words

CCSS RF.2.3.BCCSS RF.1.3.CEngland: Y1 Phonics (ar, or)England: Y2 Spelling

Objective and success criteria

Students will: R-controlled vowels: ar or or?.

I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
I can explain each step and say why it works.
I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur)

Leads to: One sound, three spellings: er, ir, ur; aw or au? (paw, launch)

Materials: Sound cards and picture cards, Magnetic letters, Mini whiteboards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur)). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Which letters complete the word? st _ _ (it twinkles at night) (ee / or / ar / oo) → arPrompt: Use the clue to think of the word.
Which letters complete the word? p _ _ ple (a mix of red and blue) (or / ur / oo / ar) → urPrompt: Use the clue to think of the word.
Which letters complete the word? b _ _ d (it has feathers and wings) (ar / oo / ir / or) → irPrompt: Use the clue to think of the word.

Hook · 3 min

Hide picture cards in a bag and ask children to say the first sound of each one they pull out.
Share the objective: R-controlled vowels: ar or or?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: Clue: you ride in it on the road. Which letters fill the gap? c _ _
Step 1: ar says the sound in 'car'; or says the sound in 'fork'.
Step 2: The word is "car".
Step 3: So the answer is: ar
Answer: ar
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

Clue: a rhino has one on its nose. Which letters fill the gap? h _ _ n (ar / or) → orPrompt: Work out the word from the clue.
Which spelling is correct? (gardin / garden / gorden) → gardenPrompt: Say the word slowly and listen for the tricky sound.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

Which spelling is correct? (gorden / gardin / garden) → gardenPrompt: Say the word slowly and listen for the tricky sound.
Clue: you send one on a birthday. Which letters fill the gap? c _ _ d (ar / or) → arPrompt: Work out the word from the clue.

Watch out for

Adding an extra "uh" to sounds ("buh" instead of a clean b).
Reading the letters one by one but not blending them into a word.

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: R-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur).
Use concrete materials: sound cards and picture cards.
Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

Move on to: One sound, three spellings: er, ir, ur; aw or au? (paw, launch).
Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-2.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder