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Year 1R-controlled vowels

ir words

The letters i and r work together to make the /er/ sound.

Plan a lesson on irSee the words

Words with ir

Tap a word to see its sounds and hear it.

ir in the middle

See every ir word in Phonicspal

Read ir in a sentence.

Every sentence is checked against the sound.

  1. 1The girl is first.
  2. 2Birds chirp in the dirt.
  3. 3The third bird is dirty.
  4. 4A girl has a red shirt.

How to teach ir

  1. Introduce the r-controlled digraph. Explain that the letter r changes the way the vowel sounds.
  2. Model saying the target phoneme three times.
  3. Students repeat.
  4. Check articulation and correct mouth placement.
  5. Identify the phoneme in the example words.

Other ways to spell /er/

Decodable stories with ir.

From the Phonicspal library. Sign up free to read them.

Make a whole ir lesson.

Slides, words and sentences, matched to the sounds your class has learned.

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