R controlled Vowels with Decodable Stories

Teaching r controlled vowels with decodable stories and passages can give struggling readers the support they need. Decodable stories and passages are an effective way to help your students learn the sounds associated with r-controlled vowels like “ar”, “or”, “er”, “ir”, and “ur”

Not only do decodable passages help your students better understand these vowel sounds, but they also give them the opportunity to practice applying their newfound knowledge in the context of reading. Young readers love to show their new found knowledge off by actually reading a story. Let’s take a closer look at how you can use decodable passages to teach your students about r controlled vowels.

Free R Controlled Vowel Poster in the Freebie Library

What Are R Controlled Vowels?

R-controlled vowels are a type of vowel sound that is created when a vowel is followed by an “r”. The sound of the vowel changes when it is followed by an “r”, and this is referred to as being “bossed” by the “r”.

AR & OR

For example, when the letter “a” is followed by an “r”, it makes the sound /ar/ as in the word “car”. Similarly, when the letter “o” is followed by an “r”, it makes the sound /or/ as in the word “horn”.

ER IR UR

Lastly, when certain combinations of letters containing an “er”, “ir” or “ur” are found together within a word they all make a single sound /er/ which is heard in words like bird, burn and her. It’s important to note that since “er”, “ir” or “ur” all say the same sound that students need the opportunity to orthographically map these words often for mastery. Phonics Rules are helpful for the “Bossy R sound.” But rules alone do not give students enough practice for fluency. Use R controlled Vowel Posters like the one below from my spelling pack to help students learn the phonics rules and then apply them in their reading and spelling.

How To Use Decodable Stories & Passages To Teach R-Controlled Vowel Sounds

Decodable passages are short stories or passages that contain only words that have been previously taught. This means that every word in each passage can be decoded using previously taught phonetic skills (including those involving r-controlled vowels).

Decodable Stories Build On Phonics Knowledge

Introducing decodable stories and passages into your lessons gives your students practice reading words with previously taught phonetic elements such as initial consonant blends, digraphs and r-controlled vowels without having to worry about encountering unfamiliar spelling patterns.

R controlled Passages Build Reading Fluency

Decodable stories and passages provide an excellent opportunity for repeated practice and reinforcement of newly acquired skills while boosting confidence and encouraging independent reading! Plus, introducing these passages into your lesson plans can add some fun and excitement into learning! When you add in cloze passages you get an added opportunity for comprehension practice and repeated reading for fluency.

Ideas for Using Decodable Passages

Teachers can use decodable passages and stories in many different ways throughout their classroom instruction. For example, you could assign one passage as part of your daily guided reading lesson or even use several shorter passages during literacy centers or stations activities throughout the week. You could also assign them as independent practice activities either at school or at home depending on your needs and preferences. No matter how you choose to use them, decodable passages can be an invaluable tool in your phonics instruction toolbox.

Add to Your Phonics Tool Box For R controlled Vowels

In summary, decodable stories and passages are incredibly useful tools for teaching r-controlled vowels. By providing students with stories that contain only words they’ve already learned how to read (with all their phonetic elements intact!), you’ll be giving them plenty of opportunities for practice and mastery of these tricky sounds. Plus, incorporating stories into reading instruction adds variety to your lessons! So don’t wait – start incorporating decodable passages into your lessons today! Your students will love it!

Join the Freebie Library for Free Decodable Stories and Free R controlled Vowels Poster

Cloze passages are so helpful for comprehension