Long a : ai ay

 

Explicit Phonics  Lesson

ai/ay Spellings

Day 1

          We have studied the short vowel sounds: /ă/, /ĕ/, /ĭ/, /ŏ/, and /ŭ/. The vowels use their short sound in words or syllables where they are closed off by a consonant. (CVC pattern)

          This week we are going to study two ways to spell long ā. These two ways both have two vowels, but only represent one sound: / ā /. When a and i are together in a word they say / ā / as in rain. When a and y come together in a word, they also represent the sound /ā/ as in hay. (Write the spellings and key words on the board or display them on cards.) The two ways we are spelling long ā in words this week are ai as in rain and ay as in hay. ai and ay are vowel teams. The letters work together to make the long ā sound.

PA

          I’m going to say some words. If you hear long ā in a word I want you to touch your earlobe. So if I say lane, you would write the letter a in the air with your finger because it has the long ā sound.  If you don’t hear the long ā, keep your hands in your lap.  If I say tab, you would keep your hands in your lap because it does not have the long ā sound. Pronounce these words without letters or words visible.  Have the students indicate if the word has the long /ā/ sound:

tape         pass         chase        late         last         tart

chair        tray         stand        space      bath        bathe

Decoding:

          Use two colors of markers to write /ā/ words one spelling at a time on the board as the class sounds out and then blends the words as a group. When using the ai or ay spellings write both vowels, use 2 fingers and touch each vowel at the same time for the vowel teams, and say sound.

                   train            brain           chain            mail

                   nail              say               play             jail

                   clay              tray             sail              way                      

          After the words are decoded, briefly discuss meanings of words that may be unfamiliar to the students. Reread the lines of words with the class. Then give clues and have the students tell their buddy which word is the answer. Call on one set of buddies to give and spell the answer. Circle the words on the board as they are given as answers. Clues could be:

1.     We use this to think                                         brain

2.    Which ____ should we go?                                way

3.    Metal links that hold up a swing                         chain

4.    Letters and postcards                                       mail

5.    A type of transportation that runs on rails        train

6.    A large flat surface to carry dishes on              tray

7.    A place to keep people who break laws               jail

8.    A soft, mussy solid used to model into things       clay

9.    To talk                                                                say

10. A sharp wedge you hit with a hammer                  nail

11.  The large sheet that catches the wind on a boat                                                                    sail

The last word (play) is read by a student and used in a sentence. This exercise will give practice in reading words with the long /ā/ sound and will help expand vocabulary at the same time.

Reading Decodable Text:

          Use the decoding practice page to practice reading long ā words in sentences. Read the passage to the students, have the class read it chorally, and then have buddy A read to buddy B. Then B will read to A.

         

         

Day 2

Review:

          Review the spellings of long ā. Give a key word for each spelling.

Phonemic Awareness:

I am going to give you a word with the long /ā/ sound in it. I want you to segment the words into individual sounds. So if I say ”take” you would give me /t/, /ā/, /k/.  If I asked you where the long ā sound is in the word, you would tell me that it is in the middle of the word.

          Pronounce these words to have the students indicate where in the word the long ā sound is heard:

place            /p/ /l/ /ā/ /s/                shape           /sh/ / ā / /p/

bake            /b/ /ā/ /k/                   paste            /p/ / ā / /s/ /t/

fame            /f/ /ā/ /m/                    date             /d/ / ā / /t/

age              /ā/ /g/                           tea               /t/ /ē/

lake             /l/ /ā/ /k/                    ape                /ā/ /p/

three           /t/ /ā/ /s/ /t/               great            /g/ /r/ / ā / /t/

ache            /ā/ /ch/                        flake              /f/ /l//ā/ /k/

Decoding:

          Write the following words on the board as the students sound and blend into words (Use buddy strategy for more student engagement. See Day 1.)

         

          paid             stay             hay              fail

          braid           spray           today           hail

          stain            gray             pay              bray

Use these clues or make up your own (Be sure to push the vocabulary factor):

1.     Opposite of go                                                            stay

2.    Weaving hair                                                              braid

3.    Ice falling during a thunderstorm                                hail

4.    Now                                                                          today

5.    A color                                                                      gray

6.    Gave money you owe                                                   paid

7.    Couldn’t do what you tried to do                                  fail

8.    The noise a donkey makes                                           bray

9.    Dried grass                                                                hay

10. Fine mist                                                                   spray

11.  Something you can’t wash out of your clothes               stain

Have the student read the last word (pay) and use it in a sentence, telling their partner.

Reading Decodable Text:

          Have student Buddies practice reading the long a phrases (You will need at least one copy for each pair of students.)

Day 3

Review:

          Use the long ā card with a_e, ai and ay to review the 3 spellings that they have studied for the long ā sound. Have words with these spellings on flashcards (about 8) to quickly practice decoding.

Word Building:

          Using a pocket chart and letter cards or magnetic letter tiles work through the word chain:

rain             day              paid

gain             may              maid

grain            ray              raid

train            tray             braid

trail             bray            brain

rail              bay              grain

fail              say              rain

mail             stay             pain

nail              stray           plain

         

Reading Decodable Text:

          Have student Buddies practice rereading the long a phrases (You will need at least one copy for each pair of students.)

Day 4

Review:

          Review quickly the 3 long ā spellings, and the key words for each. Have the students give words that have these target spellings. List them on the board with the students’ help to spelling them.

Encoding:

          Use the dictation procedure.

          1.   /ā/ a_e      /ă/ a      /ā/ ay      /ā/ ai        /ŏ/ o

          2.   main       rain          rail

          3.   way        wait         trail

          4.   railway    today 

         

We can wait for the rain to stop.       

Reading Decodable Text:

          Provide students with copies of ai/ay sentences. Have them locate and circle words with the long ā spellings in the words. Then practice reading the sentences with buddy strategy.

Day 5

Review:

          Review quickly the long ā spellings using the yellow, long ā spelling card. Using six to eight word cards, have Buddy A read the first word and tell a sentence using the word to Buddy B. Call on one Buddy A to share their sentence. Then for the next card, Buddy B reads and tells a sentence using the word to Buddy A. Continue until all the word cards have been used.

Encoding:

          Use the dictation procedure:

          1.       /ī/ i_e      /ā/ ay      /ĕ/ e    /ā/ a_e     /ā/ ai

          2.       pay              play             clay   

          3.       say              stay             day    

          4.       payday            player

          I will stay and play with clay today.

         

Reading Decodable Text:

          Reread long ā sentences and phrases  using the buddy strategy.

Decoding Practice

rain     train     brain     drain    chain    day      pay       play       say       stay

play all day

he may say

wait for mail

paid it today

1.           The gray rain fell all day.

2.         The player will stay late after the game.

3.         We will wait for the mail to come.

4.         Dad may say we can go today.

5.         May will play with clay to make a chain.

6.         Do you use your brain to think?

7.         The train will stay on the rails .

8.         The rain may stop so we can play a game of ball.

ai/ay Phrases

1.  the sun’s rays

2.  like to play

3.  eat the hay

4.  stay away

5.  plain gray

6.  down the drain

7.  cut the chain

8.  may go away

9.  pay your way

10.  a gray brain

11. mail it today

12. hit the nail

13. stay on the trail

14. say we may

15. rain all day

16. on the train

17. train your brain

18. a long way

19.  don’t fail

20.  nail it up

ai/ay Sentences

1.     The railway train will not fail to be on time.

2.   Did the clay block the drain?

3.   I will stay late to pay today.

4.   The player will wait for the rain to stop.

 

5.   He put the mail on the gray table.

6.    The cows ate all of the bale of hay .

7.    Can you train your brain to stay on task?

8.    Don’t fail to hit the nail with the hammer.

9.     We won’t fail to pay the bill today.

10.      The rays of the sun will dry the gray clay.

11.       I say we stay and wait for the rain go away.

12.      The man will stay on the trail all day.

13.      Nail up the chain to make a tree swing.

14.      You should pay your way as you go .

15.      He was in pain because he stepped on a nail.