1. An Overview of R-Controlled Vowels
R-Controlled Vowels Skill Explainer
Teacher Tip
Words with r-controlled vowels can be tricky because they look like closed syllables — but they're not! Remember that in a closed syllable, the vowel is followed by a consonant and says its short sound.
Words with r-controlled vowels can be tricky because they look like closed syllables — but they're not! Remember that in a closed syllable, the vowel is followed by a consonant and says its short sound.
Here’s a Quick Look at How to Pronounce the r-Controlled Vowels
/ar/ as in
/or/ as in
/er/ as in
More About the /er/ Pattern
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Taura Dorsey: Hi everyone.
Students: Hi!
Narrator: At Hope-Hill Elementary in Atlanta, Georgia. Taura Dorsey is leading her first graders through a lesson on what is known as the /er/ triplets: 'er', 'ir', and 'ur'. The triplets are members of the r-controlled or bossy 'r' family. And they're tricky because they all make the same sound. Ms. Dorsey kicks off the lesson by reviewing the bossy 'r' vowels her students already know: 'ar' and 'or'.
Taura Dorsey: What do you know about 'or' and 'ar'? Ellis?
Ellis: They are both bossy 'r'.
Taura Dorsey: Awesome job. Now I'm going to introduce you to some more bossy 'r' family members. Okay? And I'm going to tell you the sounds. Everyone say /er/.
Students: /er/.
Taura Dorsey: /er/.
Students: /er/.
Taura Dorsey: And ... /er/.
Students: /er/.
Taura Dorsey: Have a question ... /er/, /er/, /er/. I need ... Okay, let's see. Think time. Think time. What did you notice? What's similar? Aiden?
Aiden: They all say the same sound.
Taura Dorsey: They all have the same sound. Okay, these are the /er/ triplets. Everyone say "/er/ triplets."
Students: "/er/ triplets."
Narrator: Even though they're spelled differently — 'er', 'ir', and 'ur' — they all make the same /er/ sound like in fern, girl, and curb.
Taura Dorsey: So this is /er/. This is number one. So number one /er/ is what?
Students: 'er'.
Taura Dorsey: Number two /er/ is ...?
Students:'ir'.
Taura Dorsey: And the third /er/ is ...
Students: 'ur'.
Taura Dorsey: Okay.
Narrator: Now it's time for dictation where students get to practice spelling each of the /er/ triplets. First, just the sound and then with words.
Taura Dorsey: All right. Now this is our chance to tap out some words. Are you all ready?
Students: Yes.
Taura Dorsey: Are you ready?
Students: Yes.
Taura Dorsey: So our first word is bird. Everyone echo.
Students: Bird.
Taura Dorsey: Let's go.
Students: /b/, /er/, /d/. Bird.
Narrator: Because students can't hear which triplet to use. Ms. Dorsey gives them the correct spelling ...
Taura Dorsey: 'ir' everyone.
Narrator: And plenty of opportunities to practice until it becomes automatic.
Taura Dorsey: Which /er/ triplet did we say?
Student: 'ir'.
Taura Dorsey: Awesome. Yes. So write it over.
Student: B-I-R-D.
Taura Dorsey: Awesome. Thank you. The next word is turn. Everyone say turn.
Students: Turn.
Taura Dorsey: What word is it?
Students: Turn.
Taura Dorsey: Let's tap it out.
together:
/t/, /er/, /n/. Turn.
Taura Dorsey: 'ur' everyone. 'ur'. Let's see if you can write it. Go. All right. Who wants to spell turn for me? Who wants to spell turn? Go ahead, Ellis.
Students: T-U-R-N.
Taura Dorsey: Awesome job. Kiss your brain.
Narrator: Writing words in isolation is not enough If we want to help these students become strong writers. So Ms. Dorsey moves on to dictating phrases.
Taura Dorsey: Here's your phrase. "Got a sunburn." Let me help you out with that /er/ triplet. It is 'ur'. Everyone say 'ur'.
Students: 'ur'.
Taura Dorsey: Did you write it?
Students: Yes. Yes.
Taura Dorsey: Oh, look at this. This is amazing.
Narrator: Ms. Dorsey wraps up the lesson by going back and having students read everything they wrote, starting with just the sounds. This routine is quick and simple, but provides meaningful practice to reinforce their learning.
Taura Dorsey: Everyone flip it back over. So we're going to go over our sounds and our words. Let's say the sounds. So the first one is what?
Students: 'er'. /er/.
Taura Dorsey: Let's do the second one.
Students: 'ir'. /er/.
Taura Dorsey: And the third one.
Students: 'ur'. /er/.
Taura Dorsey: And what are those called? The what?
Students: The /er/ triplets.
Taura Dorsey: The /er/ triplets. All right, put your finger on the first word. What is that first word?
Students: Bird.
Taura Dorsey: Bird. Let's spell it. Go.
together: B-I-R-D.
Taura Dorsey: What's the word?
Students: Bird.
Taura Dorsey: All right, let's do the second word. Are you ready? Go.
Students: Turn.
Taura Dorsey: Spell it.
Students:
T-U-R-N. Turn.
Taura Dorsey: All right. Celeste, read that one phrase for us. Go.
Celeste: "Got a sunburn."
Taura Dorsey: All right. Thank you Celeste. Everybody. On the count of three, I want you to kiss your brain. Ready? 1, 2, 3.
Narrator: Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; the AFT; the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation; and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Hope-Hill Elementary, Reading is Essential for All People, and Atlanta Public Schools. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUteaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.
Taura Dorsey: My name is Taura Dorsey, and this is Reading Universe.
Using Hand Motions in Teaching r-Controlled Vowels
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Morgan Walton: These are the motions we use to help students remember r-controlled vowel sounds ... /ar/, arm; /er/, bird; /or/, horn.
R-Controlled Vowels in Multisyllable Words
Six Syllable Types
Use this Teacher Guide as a handy reference for all six syllable types.
Use this Teacher Guide as a handy reference for all six syllable types.
In multisyllable words, r-controlled syllables can appear in different positions — at the beginning (like in perfect), at the end (hunger), or in both syllables (order).
When you introduce r-controlled vowel sounds, you should take time to review closed syllables. At this point, students know that when you have one vowel and it's closed in by at least one consonant, the vowel sound will be short. Once they understand this concept, you can introduce the idea that when the consonant following the vowel is an 'r', the syllable is no longer closed and the vowel is not short.
Give students time to practice identifying the vowel and “looking next door” to check if there is an 'r' immediately after it. Looking for the 'r' first is a quick way to recognize an r-controlled syllable.
Once students can identify an r-controlled syllable, you can explain how to mark and label the syllable to help them decode multisyllable words. We mark the syllable by drawing a line under the vowel. If the consonant following the vowel is an 'r', label it with a circled 'R' to show that the syllable type is r-controlled.
Teacher Tip
Marking and labeling words is a scaffold, not the skill. It should be used in the initial stages of introducing a new syllable type. For some students, this will be short-lived. Once they are able to decode the multisyllable word without it, you can fade it out. Others may rely on the process longer. Keep in mind that for some students, marking and labeling may create too much cognitive load, so be ready to adjust the process to support their needs
Marking and labeling words is a scaffold, not the skill. It should be used in the initial stages of introducing a new syllable type. For some students, this will be short-lived. Once they are able to decode the multisyllable word without it, you can fade it out. Others may rely on the process longer. Keep in mind that for some students, marking and labeling may create too much cognitive load, so be ready to adjust the process to support their needs
