3.4 Explicitly Teach 'oi' and 'oy'

A diphthong (pronounced /dĭf -/ /thŏng/) is a unique vowel team. It's a sound formed by the combination of two sounds in a single syllable, as in coin and loud. 

Diphthongs are different from other vowel sounds because the phoneme begins as one vowel sound and glides into another in the same syllable. Our mouths move as we say the phoneme. 

Slowly say out loud the first sound in the word oil. 

Do you feel how your mouth starts the phoneme with your lips rounded in a tight circle as you say the first sound and then the corners of your mouth slowly draw apart as you say the second sound? 

Listen to the keyword and sound for /oi/ in this interactive sound card.

See How to Pronounce the English Phonemes for pronunciations of all vowel and consonant sounds. 

Flash cards are a quick, effective way to build automaticity and reinforce what students already know. In this video, literacy coach Ashlea Edwards, M.Ed., demonstrates how to warm up with flash cards for the vowel teams ‘ai’ and ‘ay’, which make the long /ā/ sound, and ‘oi’ and ‘oy’, which make the /oi/ sound. 

Say,

Today we are going to learn a new vowel sound. When we make this sound we are actually making two sounds that glide from one sound into another. Watch me as I make this sound: /oi/. When I make this sound, my lips start rounded and my tongue is in the middle of my mouth pulled back. Then my tongue moves up and forward when my lips move into a little smile: /oi/. It's the sound we hear at the beginning of the word oil.

Say and have students repeat the /oi/ sound. 

Take out and show students the keyword picture card for 'oi'.

Point to the picture of the tea kettle boiling on the card. Say, 

Say, 

Listen to what we'll say when we see this card: 

'o', 'i', boil, /oi/, at the beginning or middle of a word.

Say and have students repeat, 

'o', 'i', boil, /oi/, at the beginning or middle of a word.

Say,

Boil is when you heat a liquid so hot that bubbles start to come up from the bottom and steam comes off the top. When we cook, we might boil water to make pasta.

Say,

Now let's look at another diphthong that makes the same /oi/ sound.

Show students the keyword picture card for 'oy'.

Point to the picture of the toy on the card. 

Say, 

Say, 

Listen to what we'll say when we see this card: 'o', 'y', toy, /oi/, at the end of a word or a syllable.

Say and have students repeat,

'o', 'y', toy, /oi/, at the end of a word or a syllable.

Say, 

Today, we will read and spell words that have the diphthongs 'oi' and 'oy'.

On the board write the following:

f____l         pl_____         p____nt         ______l         j______

Begin with the first word. Say, 

When we see the line, we are going to make the /oi/ sound. Then we are going to decide if it will be 'oi' or 'oy'. Remember that 'oy' comes at the end of a word and 'oi' can come at the beginning or in the middle of a word. Let's look at the first word: /f/, /oi/, /l/, foil. Foil can be something you use when you are cooking, like aluminum foil; or foil can mean to stop a plan. Which vowel team will we use in the word foil? ['oi'] Why? [because the /oi/ sound is in the middle of the word] 

Fill in the 'oi' and have the students read the word foil.

Continue this process with the rest of the words using these steps:

1. Say the sounds, making the /oi/ sound for the blank line.
2. Discuss where the /oi/ sound is in the word
3. Have the students decide which diphthong and explain why.

After all words are filled in, have the students read back all of the words: foil, ploy, point, oil, and join.

When it's time to teach, we encourage you to use this research-based lesson plan to teach the diphthongs 'oi' and 'oy'. It's ready to print and use in your classroom right away!