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Year 1Vowel teams

ow words

The letters o and w work together to make the /ow/ sound.

The letters o and w work together to make the long /oa/ sound.

Plan a lesson on owSee the words

Words with ow

Tap a word to see its sounds and hear it.

ow at the start

ow in the middle

ow at the end

See every ow word in Phonicspal

Read ow in a sentence.

Every sentence is checked against the sound.

  1. 1The cow is brown.
  2. 2Watch the snow blow.
  3. 3An owl sat down.
  4. 4Show me the yellow bowl.

How to teach ow

  1. Introduce the vowel digraph. Explain that a vowel digraph is two vowels that work together to make one sound.
  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.
  6. Explain the spelling generalisation: We usually use ow to spell the /ow/ phoneme at the end of words or before l, n or d (e.g. cow, owl, brown, crowd).
  7. Explain that the vowel digraph ow can also represent the long /oa/ phoneme (e.g. snow, grow, throw). Explain that students will learn this pronunciation in a separate lesson.
  1. Introduce the vowel digraph. Explain that a vowel digraph is two vowels that work together to make one sound.
  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.
  6. Explain the spelling generalisation: We usually use ow to spell the long /oa/ phoneme at the end of words or syllables (e.g. snow, grow, throw). In the middle of words, we usually use oa instead (e.g. boat, coat, road).
  7. Optional extension: Explain that ow can also represent the /ow/ phoneme, as in cow, brown, and owl.

Other ways to spell /ow/

  • ou
  • ough

Decodable stories with ow.

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

Make a whole ow lesson.

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

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