Teaching OU and OW Words with Phonics Games and Centers

Teaching OU and OW Words with Phonics Games and Centers

Hey, y'all! We've been doing a ton of phonics work lately and now we are starting to work on /ow/ words. You know, words with the "ow" and "ou" spelling pattern. My students have been loving our phonics centers and these ou and ow phonics centers are no exception. 

First, it's important for students to know when to use each spelling pattern. "Ou" usually comes in the middle of a syllable, like in "mouse" or "proud." We use "ow" when the /ow/ sound comes at the end of a syllable (cow, power) OR if the word rhymes with "down" or "owl," like "town" or "howl." That's a weird rule for sure. 

At the start of the week, we use our matching cards to sort the words. This gives students a visual and helps them organize their thoughts. Then, students can use the matching cards to play memory, or we'll use them in small groups if students need additional support. 

In this phonics set, students can play Bump games, spin and write games, work on ABC order with puzzles, practice writing the words with read and write cards, and play trail games, read and write games, and Scoot. I usually keep the Scoot game for an end of the week assessment or for morning meeting games. 

 If you're new to phonics centers, our rotations look like this: teacher table, read to self, computers, and phonics centers. Students typically go to two a day, so it takes a couple of days for them to rotate through all four. But this gives them plenty of time to work on centers and complete a game, and allows me time to work with small groups with the roll and read or matching cards while others are working on other things. 

These phonics centers can be found in my TPT store here. It's also part of a larger growing bundle of phonics games, centers, and interventions designed to last an entire school year. You can check out that bundle here. While you're there, be sure to follow me on TPT. I'm always adding new things and doing updates, and I know you won't want to miss that! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you found some new ideas for your phonics centers. If you'd like to check out a set for yourself, grab these free nk words phonics centers. Have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon. 

Stay cozy,