Vowel teams phonics worksheets
Aligned with Common Core RF.2.3b
Printable second-grade vowel team phonics worksheets: oo, ou and ow, oi and oy, aw and au, ie and igh, and ew and ue, with picture words, spelling choice, a sort and sentences.
The worksheets
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Vowel Team Chart
The second-grade vowel teams (oo, ou/ow, oi/oy, aw/au, ie/igh, ew/ue) with pictures and words.
Which Team?
Picture words with the vowel team missing. A hint shows the two teams to choose from.
Circle the Spelling
Pictures with three spellings each. Only one is right.
Vowel Team Sort
Words to sort into three vowel team sounds, like ou/ow, oi/oy and aw/au.
Vowel Team Sentences
Sentences with a missing word. Pick between two vowel team words that look alike.
Color by Vowel Team
A hidden picture made of vowel team words, colored by sound: long a, long e, long o and long i. Includes an answer key.
Print the whole packet
One copy of every sheet above, in order. Tap + for more copies (up to 10).
For the parent or teacher
What it is
In first grade your child learned teams that say long vowel sounds, like ai in rain. Second grade adds teams that make brand new sounds: oo in moon and book, ou and ow in house and cow, oi and oy in coin and boy, aw and au in saw and sauce, ie and igh in pie and light, and ew and ue in new and glue. These vowel teams are a big part of second grade phonics.
What comes next
R-controlled vowels, where the letter r changes the vowel's sound.
How to teach it
- Teach the teams in sound pairs. oi and oy say the same thing, and so do ou and ow.
- Point out where they go: oy, ow, aw and ew often come at the end of a word, and oi, ou and au in the middle.
- Read oo both ways, moon and book, and pick the one that makes a real word.
- Hunt for the teams in books you read together.
Common mistakes
- Saying each letter on its own, like o-i in coin.
- Spelling a sound with the wrong team, like boi for boy. That's normal while the patterns settle in.
- Reading ow as in snow when the word is cow. Try both sounds.