Ow Sort

So, I have a confession to make.....

I. LOVE. PHONICS.

And not just a little bit, my friends. Sounds spelling relationships, schwa sounds, the phonetic alphabet, blends, digraphs, EVERYTHING!!! The whole nine yards.

But, the sad this is, I was a whole language learner.... 

Devastating, right? 

I never even ENCOUNTERED phonics until I student taught at age TWENTY. 

Saddest story ever.

BUT, there is a happy ending, for when I got my grimy little paws on phonics we became inseparable. Believe me, it did not take long for sound spelling relationships to ROCK MY WORLD.  Everything I knew about language went completely kaputs.  The fact that short o says, "ah"??????? INCREDIBLE!!!!  That one alone had me for 6 MONTHS.   My “ah phase"...  I remember it like it was yesterday. 

  

But, I am sad to announce that I have finally found a flaw in my dear friend phonics. And here it is:  One spelling SHOULD NOT be able to say two sounds.  Seriously. It is SOOOO confusing to First Graders.  The poor darlings get in such a tizzy.  And, recently their tizzy has been with the 'ow' spelling.

Enter this sort.  And, can I just share how excited I am that it's all black and white?  NO LAMINATION OR EXPENSIVE COLOR INK NECESSARY.  Woohoo!!!!! I hope I'm not the only one excited about that fact, because let's face it… I'm pretty excited about that fact....  Ha!!!!!

So, here's the deal: There are two cows. There's a Long O Cow and an /ow/ Cow. There's also a page of spots for the cows. Kiddos just read the word on each spot and decide if it says the Long O sound or the /ow/ sound. Then, they cut out the spot and glue it on the corresponding cow. Easy as cake and the kids LOVE it.

Hope it helps you and your Firsties.

Mrs. Thiessen

The Dairy Cow “OW” Sort

(Click on any of the picture previews to download the entire file)