Phonics

LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new)

—/ category of phonetic elements focused on in this lesson includes
• The variant vowel /oo
oo, ew, and ue as in the words hoop, new, and blue.
This lesson is divided into two sections. Section 1 is the core lesson, which can be used with most students
in a whole-class or small-group setting. The core lesson is designed to introduce, model, and practice the
phonetic element taught. Section 2 consists of optional activities designed to reinforce the element taught
in the core lesson. These optional activities work well for small-group and individual instruction.

TEACHER MATERIALS WORKSHEETS DECODABLE BOOK

Variant vowel /o—o/ picture cards Practice sheet Snoop the Crime Dog
Word cards Workmats
Variant vowel /o—o/ cards
Word-family cards
Letter cards
Game board, place markers,
and die

SECTION 1
Student Objectives
—/
• Introduce variant vowel /oo • Practice decoding
—/ words
• Blend variant vowel /oo • Introduce new high-frequency word: knew
• Blend onset and rime • Read the decodable book
• Sort words
Introduce Variant Vowel /o—o/
Materials: Variant vowel /o—o/ picture cards
• Show students the variant vowel /oo —/ picture card for boot. Ask them to name the picture
and tell you the sound they hear in the middle of the word. Point to the letters oo on the
card and tell students that the letters o and o together stand for the vowel sound they
hear in the word boot.
• Explain that the oo letter combination is one of the letter combinations that stand for
—/ letter combinations
group of sounds called variant vowels. The other variant vowel /oo
with the same vowel sound as boot are ew and ue. Cite examples of words that use these
—/ sound (due, food, snoop, threw). Point out that the variant vowel
spellings to make the /oo
sound can be in the middle or at the end of a word.
• Say the words boot and boat aloud. Ask students which word contains the same vowel
sound as food. Make sure students can differentiate between the two vowel sounds.
• Show students the variant vowel /oo —/ picture cards one by one. Have them name each
picture, point to the letters that stand for the variant vowel sound, and say the variant
vowel sound.

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LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new) continued

Blend Variant Vowel /o—o/ Words

Materials: Workmats, variant vowel /o—o/ cards, letter cards

NOTE: If students have mastered individual sound/symbol relationships, you may

want to skip this section and go directly to Blend Onset and Rime.

• Write the word Sue on the board. Point out the letters that stand for the variant vowel
sound and ask students to blend the u and e together to make the same vowel sound
as food. Next, run your finger under the letters as you blend the two sounds in Sue: S/ue.
Point out that even though there are three letters, there are two sounds blended together
to form the word. Then have students blend the word aloud with you as you run your
finger under the letters. Ask a student to explain why Sue begins with a capital letter.
• Repeat the blending activity with the words new, grew, and groom. Take one word at
—/ sound. When
a time, pointing out the letter combinations of the variant vowel /oo
students have blended the words, ask volunteers to come up and circle the variant
vowel letter combination in the words. Have a student point to each variant vowel letter
combination as the rest of the group says the sound.
• If students need more work with blending words, have them use the letter/vowel
workmat, one of each variant vowel /oo—/ card, and the letter cards. Have students line up
the card for each sound in the word under the boxes on their workmat. Group the words
according to each variant vowel letter combination so that students know which variant
—/ card to use for each word. Model how to push up the variant vowel /oo
vowel /oo —/ card
into the box on the workmat and indicate the sound the variant vowel letter combination
makes. Have students push up and sound out the remaining letters of each word in order
on their workmat.

Blend Onset and Rime

Materials: Letter cards, word-family cards
—/ sound.
• Tell students they are going to practice reading words with the variant vowel /oo
Model using the letter and word-family cards.
1 Place the oop word-family card in a pocket chart or along the ledge of a chalkboard.
Remind students that this is the oop word family. Then place the h letter card in front
of oop. Have students listen while you model sounding out the word by blending the
sound in the onset with the sounds in the rime: h/oop. Have students repeat.
2 Replace the h card with the sw card. Repeat the process with the new word.
3 Take out the cards and replace the oop card with the ool card. Have students name
the new word family. Place the p card in front of ool. Model sounding out the word
by blending the sound in the onset with the sounds in the rime: p/ool. Have students
repeat.

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LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new) continued

4 Replace the p card with the t card. Repeat the process with the new word.
5 Take out the cards and replace the ool card with the oom card. Have students name
the new word family. Place the gl card in front of oom. Have students listen while you
model sounding out the word by blending the sounds in the onset with the sounds in
the rime: gl/oom. Have students repeat.
6 Replace the gl card with the bl card. Repeat the process with the new word.
7 Take out the cards and replace the oom card with the oo card. Have students name
— sound
the new word family. Point out that oo is a spelling of the variant vowel /oo/
and that it is also found at the end of words as a word family. Place the m card in
front of oo. Have students listen while you model sounding out the word by blending
the sound in the onset with the sound in the rime: m/oo. Have students repeat.
8 Replace the m card with the t card. Repeat the process with the new word.
9 Take out the cards and replace the oo card with the ew card. Have students name the
new word family. Place the ch card in front of ew. Remind students that the letters
c and h together stand for the /ch/ sound. Have students listen while you model
sounding out the word by blending the sound in the onset with the sound in the
rime: ch/ew. Have students repeat.
0 Replace the ch card with the dr card. Repeat the process with the new word.
a Take out the cards and replace the ew card with the ue card. Have students name
the new word family. Place the cl card in front of ue. Have students listen while you
model sounding out the word by blending the sounds in the onset with the sound in
the rime: cl/ue. Have students repeat.
b Replace the cl card with the tr card. Repeat the process with the new word.
Sort Words
Materials: Word-family cards, word cards
• Place the word-family cards on the top row of a pocket chart or along the ledge
of a chalkboard. Ask volunteers to come up one at a time, select a word card, say the
word, and place it under the correct word family. Continue until all the word cards are
placed correctly. Once all the words have been sorted, have students read aloud the
words under each word family, pointing to the letters that stand for the variant vowel
sound in each word.

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 Phonics
LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new) continued

Practice Decoding
Materials: Decodable book Snoop the Crime Dog, practice sheet
—/ words and
• For students who seem to have a grasp of decoding variant vowel /oo
previously taught decodable and high-frequency words, provide extra practice with
the text by allowing them to independently read:
the practice sheet
the decodable book Snoop the Crime Dog
• Some students may benefit from having the decodable book introduced and pre-taught
before they read the book. Strategies might include introducing and practicing
high-frequency words used in the book, teaching special word structures, and doing
a book walk.

Introduce New High-Frequency Word: knew

• Tell students they are going to learn a new word that they need to be able to recognize
and read quickly. Write the word knew on the board and read it as you point to the word.
Then have students read the word with you.
• Have students write the word knew in the air with their finger as you spell it out loud
with them, pointing to each letter on the board as you say the letter name.
• Use the high-frequency word in a sentence. Have students make up their own sentence
using the high-frequency word. You might want to challenge them to make up a sentence
that also includes other high-frequency words they have already learned.

Read the Decodable Book

Materials: Decodable book Snoop the Crime Dog

NOTE: See the “Elements Used in This Book” section, found at the start of the
decodable book, for a list of words and skills covered in the book. Pre-teach these
elements as necessary.

• Show students the cover of the book. Have them read the title with you as you run your
finger under each word. Ask students what they see in the picture and what they think
the story might be about. Ask a student to point to the letters that stand for the variant
vowel sound in the word Snoop.
• Give students a copy of the book. Have them preview the pictures and predict the story.
When they get to page 13, ask them what the dog is looking for.
• Have students read the book. You may want them to whisper read so you can monitor
their progress. When they have finished reading, take time to discuss the book and check
for understanding. Ask students how Snoop solved the crime.

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 Phonics
LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new) continued

SECTION 2 Optional Lesson Activities (for students who need additional practice)

Student Objectives
—/ words
• Blend variant vowel /oo
• Blend onset and rime
—/ words
• Spell and write variant vowel /oo
• Complete learning center activities

Blend Variant Vowel /o—o/ Words

Materials: Workmats, variant vowel /o—o/ cards, letter cards
• Give students the letter/vowel workmat, one of each variant vowel /oo —/ card, and the
letter cards. Say the word due and have students listen for the sounds in the word. Have
—/ card and the letter card they need to spell due.
students select the ue variant vowel /oo
Provide help as needed. Have students line up the card for each sound under the boxes
on their workmat. Have them blend each sound as they push up the letters into the
boxes. Then have them say the word due aloud.
• Repeat the process with the words pew and moon. Make sure to tell students which
—/ card to use.
variant vowel /oo

Blend Onset and Rime

Materials: Workmats, letter cards, word-family cards
• Give students the onset/rime workmat, the letter cards, and the word-family cards. Say
the word pool. Ask students what rime sound they hear at the end of the word. Have
them place the ool word-family card in the box on the right of their workmat. Have them
identify the onset they need to put at the beginning of ool to make the word pool. Have
them place the p card in the box on the left. Write the word on the board. Have students
check their spelling of the word on their workmat with the word on the board. Then have
students blend the sound in the onset with the sounds in the rime.
• Say the words tool, hoop, swoop, gloom, bloom, too, moo, clue, true, chew, and drew one
at a time, and have students use the letter and word-family cards to spell the words on
their workmat. When students spell words such as too, true, and chew, make sure to tell
them which word-family card to use. Have them blend the onset and rime as they make
each word. Write each word on the board as students finish making the word on their
workmat. Have students check their spelling of each word on their workmat with the
word on the board.
• Once all of the words have been made, have students read the words on the board.
You can extend the activity by having students make their own words on their workmat.

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LESSON 59 Variant Vowel /o—o/ (hoop, blue, new) continued

Spell and Write Variant Vowel /o—o/ Words

—/ words and have students write or spell them (mood, room).
• Dictate oo variant vowel /oo
• Dictate simple sentences for students to write.
I am in a bad mood.
She has a big room.
—/ words (flew, stew).
• Repeat the process with ew variant vowel /oo
My dad makes the best stew.
I flew in a plane.
—/ words (blue, due).
• Repeat the process with ue variant vowel /oo
The sky is blue.
My book is due, so I will take it back.

Learning Center Activities

Materials: Letter cards, word-family cards, word cards, game board, place markers, die
• Laminate a set of letter cards and a set of word-family cards, and place them face down
into two piles in the center of the table. Have students take turns drawing one letter
card and one word-family card, and blending the sounds of the onset and rime together.
Return the cards to the bottom of the pile after each turn.
• Laminate two sets of word cards and place them in the center of the table along with
a game board, place markers, and a die. Have a pair or group of students take turns
throwing the die, drawing a word card from the pile, and reading it. If the word is read
correctly, have the student move his/her place marker along the game board the number
of spaces indicated on the die.
• Laminate two sets of word cards. Have pairs of students play Concentration with the
cards. Have them spread the cards face down on the floor. Have one student turn over
two cards and read them. If he/she reads the words correctly and they belong to the
same word family, the student keeps the cards and gets another turn. If not, the student
turns the cards back over, and his/her partner gets a turn. You can vary the game by
having students try to match word pairs, since there are two cards for each word.

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 Phonics
PICTURE CARDS Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

boot glue

spool balloon

drew broom
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 Phonics
WORD CARDS Set 1 Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

hoop swoop

pool tool

gloom bloom

too moo
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 Phonics
WORD CARDS Set 2 Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

clue true

chew drew

Sue cue

new grew
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 Phonics
VARIANT VOWEL /o—o/ CARDS Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

oo oo oo oo

ew ew ew ew

ue ue ue ue

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 Phonics
WORD-FAMILY CARDS Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

oop ool

oom oo

ue ew

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 Phonics
LETTER CARDS Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/
#

S p d t

n gl g bl

r ch m dr

h cl sw tr
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 Phonics
GAME BOARD Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/

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 Phonics
PRACTICE SHEET Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/

cool • grew • loon • Sue

1 scooted • threw • goose
New
words
moon • drool • proof
June • trees • near • snow
2 road • thanks • weeds • night
Reviewed
words
check • finding • jail
3 knew
New
h-f word

would • look • over • down

4 there • went • one • where
Reviewed
h-f words
always • lived • seen
cool, moonlit night
5 Snoop knew
Phrases

looking for clues

6 Moose showed Snoop

Sentences
the clues.
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 Phonics
WORKMATS Phonics Lesson 59: Variant Vowel /o—o/

Rime
Letter/Vowel Workmat

Onset/Rime Workmat

Onset

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