Having transitioned into using teaching approaches aligned with the Science of Reading over the last 3 years I can say I have learned a lot! I took the LETRS course and The Reading Teachers Top 10 Tools course almost 2 years ago! I’ve also just recently been trained as a classroom OG teacher as well as have finished some OG mini courses and college courses/credits in SOR.
Being a literacy specialist this is close to my heart of course. I’ve seen the difference a sound wall, mirrors and auditory/visual drills etc have made in my small groups. Using decodables makes so much more sense than leveled readers and I’m seeing growth in my students.
You can find my VOWEL TENTS HERE https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vowel-sound-tents-vowel-intensive-drills-OG-Vowel-Tents-7411865?st=898231eb45e2ea35777a58bf6634b14a
My VOWEL INTENSIVE STRIPS HERE https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Orton-Gillingham-Vowel-Intensive-Drill-Strips-Short-vowel-drills-9177774
IMPORTANT NOTE: One of the strips above includes the Secret stories clipart. I don’t have permission to sell those, so I’ve included a blank strip that is EDITABLE. You will need to purchase the secret stories clipart stickers to add into them. You can find Katie’s sticker clipart for secret stories here : https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Secret-Stories-Secretable-Digital-Phonics-Stickers-Grid-for-ReadingSpelling-5926886?st=039166a51a5594a6c03c20b8c571190e
They are very easy to add into the blank template I’ve provided. However, I’ve given you several options that have the clipart included if you don’t want to use the ss version.
I have also included a few other options that have clipart if you prefer vowel strips with SOR related keywords that aren’t from secret stories. It’s up to you but all choices are included as well as a B & W version to save on ink.
Vowel Intensive Drills
So, what are vowel intensive drills and what do they accomplish? I’m so glad you asked! Taking the time to be sure that your students have automaticity with their knowledge of vowels will pay great dividends in the future I promise.
There are several different ways to accomplish this task that are hands on and engaging for your students. First you can use vowel tents for this explicit activity. I have some that come in very handy because they have short vowels on one side and long vowels on the other side. I say a word and my students first have to find the correct vowel it matches THEN they need to show me either the long or short vowel side of the tent. It’s been very telling watching them engage in this multi step task.
Another approach is the use of vowel strips. I use mine weekly with my groups and they really enjoy them! There are so many ways you can use these which makes them quite versatile and unique.
They can be used with clothespins, pop its, paper clips and cubes. My students love to build towers with them. So, I show them a picture or say a word and they find the vowel that matches that sound. They love to see which vowel ‘wins’ as we work through this drill.
Use in small groups or centers
This activity can be done in small groups but you can also leave them at a literacy center. Just include pictures ( CVC work best ) and include the strips and cubes. Have them pull a picture from the deck and put a cube on the matching vowel. They will continue to pull pictures and build their towers as they listen for the vowel that matches the picture. They LOVE this activity!
You can also use the vowel strips while mapping words. Have them tap out the word, find the vowel on the strip, move their disks into their elkonin boxes and write the word. It’s great practice and the added piece of finding the vowel on the strip reinforces their automaticity with vowels.
As you can see these drills are very easy to incorporate into your daily reading groups. They don’t take much time and your students will build both their confidence and their automaticity with vowels.
