Long o (oa, ow) decodable sentences and word list
35 words with oa in the middle of a word and ow at the end, as in boat and snow, and 10 sentences a child can sound out. Project them, or print the sheet.
Long o (oa, ow): oa in the middle of a word and ow at the end, as in boat and snow. 35 words.
- boat
- coat
- goat
- road
- soap
- toast
- float
- load
- toad
- oat
- oats
- foam
- coach
- roast
- loaf
- coal
- goal
- soak
- moan
- groan
- roam
- low
- slow
- snow
- grow
- show
- blow
- flow
- crow
- glow
- throw
- own
- bowl
- mow
- tow
Tricky words used so far, read by sight: a, the, is, has, to, I, my, he, she, we, me, be, go, so, no.
About this pattern
Oa, like ai and ee, is a dependable vowel team: it almost always says long o. Ow is trickier because it has two sounds, long o as in snow and the sound in cow, so only the long o words are used here. Teach the two sounds of ow side by side once children can read the long o ones.
What to say
Say the name of the letter: oa says /o/, like the letter o. For ow, tell children it can say /o/ as in snow or /ow/ as in cow, and to try each one when they read.
How to use it
- Start in Word list: say the pattern, then read the words together with the coloured letters as your clue.
- Press Full screen (F), choose Sentences, one at a time, and use the arrow keys for the next sentence.
- Press Print for a sheet with the words and the numbered sentences to take home.
Ideas for class
- Sort words by their spelling (oa and ow) and by where the vowel team is in the word.
- Make a Snow and Boat picture and write a caption with two long o words.
- Read the sentences with the pairs of the long o words highlighted.
- Play a quick game: I say a word, you show oa on your fingers or ow with your arms.
Related
Questions
Why is ow here but not the word cow?
Because ow has two sounds. This list holds only the long o words (snow, grow, slow), and the words that say the sound in cow, now and how are taught after them.
Where do go, so and no come from?
They are open-syllable words where a single o at the end says its name. They are on the tricky list until children meet that rule.
How do I know each sentence is decodable?
Every word in these 10 sentences is either on the word list for long o (oa, ow) or for a pattern taught before it, or is one of the tricky words read by sight (a, the, is, has, to, I, my, he, she, we, me, be, go, so, no). The list is checked by a program, so a word that has not been taught cannot slip in.
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