* Vowel: A speech sound produced with the mouth relatively open, allowing air to flow freely. Examples include "a," "e," "i," "o," and "u."
* Digraph: Two letters that represent one sound.
Here's how vowel digraphs work:
* They create different vowel sounds than the individual letters alone: For example, "ea" in "bread" makes a different sound than "e" in "bed."
* The sound produced by the digraph can vary depending on the context: For example, "ai" in "rain" has a different sound than "ai" in "chair."
Common vowel digraphs in English include:
* ai: rain, sail, wait
* ay: play, stay, say
* ee: see, tree, meet
* ea: bread, head, read
* ie: tie, lie, pie
* ei: eight, neighbor, weigh
* oa: boat, coat, road
* oo: moon, book, food
* ou: house, mouse, about
* ow: cow, down, now
Understanding vowel digraphs is important for:
* Spelling: Knowing the sounds of common vowel digraphs helps you spell words correctly.
* Reading: Recognizing vowel digraphs allows you to decode words and understand their pronunciation.
* Phonics: Vowel digraphs play a key role in phonics instruction, helping students learn the relationships between letters and sounds.
Let me know if you'd like more examples or have any other questions!