Before you teach · about 90 seconds

Grade 2 · Day 39

L45 · Final syllable er; er words and sentences

Today

p.62 — a column of real words on one pattern. 14 words and 6 sentences, 30.4 minutes.

The one thing

tongue herevoice ON
/ɜr/ · er

Say the sound r and hold it — that IS the vowel. Your tongue bunches up in the middle of your mouth and the tip curls back, and it touches nothing at all. 'her', 'bird', 'turn' and 'burn' all have it.

They check it: Hold the sound and look in the mirror: your tongue is not touching your teeth or the roof. Now say 'uh', then 'er', and feel your tongue pull back and bunch up.

Not in Somali, Arabic, Urdu. For those children this is a new physical skill, not a reminder. Do not let the column start until the mouth can make it.

Watch for

A rolled or tapped r stuck on after a vowel — 'bird' as 'bi-rd'. Arabic, Somali and Urdu all tap or roll their r. In English there is nothing to tap: the r IS the vowel, and it is one long smooth sound.
As-Suffah Academy · Phonics · briefThen open the run sheet