• 1st Grade
  • Reading & Phonics
  • About 10 minutes

Which Team?

Say the picture's name. Write the vowel team in the blue box.

How much on the page?

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This is sheet #17724601.

How to do it

  1. Say the picture's name.
  2. Read the hint under the word.
  3. Write the vowel team in the box.

Teaching tip

Remind your child that ay is usually at the end and ai in the middle. This sheet is aligned with Common Core RF.1.3c.

Which Team? worksheet for 1st grade phonics (long vowels: vowel teams), free printable
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About this worksheet

Ten picture words with the vowel team missing. A hint shows the two teams to choose from.

What kids practice

A vowel team is two letters that work together to make one long vowel sound: ai and ay say /ā/ (rain, play), ee and ea say /ē/ (tree, seal), and oa and ow say /ō/ (boat, snow). First graders start with these six common teams. Vowel teams are a key phonics pattern for reading longer words.

Watch for

  • Reading each vowel separately, like ra-in.
  • Mixing up which team to use when spelling. That's normal; it takes lots of reading.
  • Reading ow as in cow for snow. Both are right in different words, so try both.

It's free to print, with Fewer, Standard or More on the page and an answer key. See the full long vowels: vowel teams phonics guide for 1st grade.

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