6. Student Practice Activities for 'y' as a Vowel

Students need lots of opportunities to practice words with 'y' as a vowel so that they can build accuracy and automaticity on the way to fluent reading. We've included free printable student practice activities below. Please download and share them with your colleagues! 

Before students begin, make sure they understand how each activity works. You can model the activity during whole-group instruction or in a small group. Once they're familiar with the routine, students can complete the activities independently at their seats, in a center, or in a small group.

Be sure to monitor students as they work. Some students may need extra support or scaffolding. It's helpful to provide a recording sheet or another way for students to turn in their work so you can check for understanding. A few may need quick, explicit, and positive error correction, while others might benefit from additional instruction or practice with 'y' as a vowel.

Roll and Reads are a fun, game-like way to practice reading and spelling words in isolation. After you've modeled how to do Roll and Reads, students can do them with partners or in centers on their own. Use this student activity to build accuracy and fluency in reading and spelling words with 'y' as a vowel.

Use these read sheets to practice 'y' as a vowel. You'll want to first introduce these sheets with the whole class or in small groups. After students have read them with guidance from the teacher, they can use them to practice reading independently at school or home.

Students should practice reading in context each day to build fluency. These decodable texts focus on the 'y' as a vowel and other phonics patterns that students have learned. Be sure to read How to Use Decodable Texts before implementing them with students.