Phonograms — Diphthongs (oi, oy, ow, ou)

Diphthongs are the slidy vowels of English. 'oi' in 'boil,' 'oy' in 'boy,' 'ow' in 'cow,' 'ou' in 'cloud.' The child's ear hears the slide. A mispronounced diphthong produces a nonsense word; the child self-corrects.

• Framework: Montessori
• Unit: Language
• Learning area: Reading
• Level: Ages 5-6

Objectives

• Read words containing diphthongs (oi, oy, ow, ou)
• Understand that two vowels can slide into one blended sound
• Extend the Green Series to advanced phonograms
• Progress toward fluent reading of complex English

Materials

• Diphthong folders with picture and word cards
• Phonogram booklet
• Sentence strips featuring diphthongs

Instructions

1. Open the 'oi' folder. 2. Lay out picture cards. 3. Pick a word card: 'coin.' Read: /c/-/oi/-/n/. 4. Slide the 'oi' sound. 5. Place under matching picture. 6. Continue with all cards. 7. Repeat for 'oy,' 'ow,' 'ou.' 8. Note that 'oi' and 'oy' sound the same but spellings differ. 9. Progress to sentence strips: 'The boy found a coin in the mud.'

Educator tip

English spelling is partly visual tradition: 'oi' appears mid-word, 'oy' often at word-end. Let children discover this pattern.

Assessment

Note accurate pronunciation of diphthong slides and spelling choice in writing.

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