First Grade · Reading · week 27

Checkpoint: Common Vowel Teams

Show automatic, accurate reading of the common vowel teams (ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, igh, y), without hints.

Checkpoint time again! This one covers every vowel team you have learned: ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, igh, and y. Read each word cold, without a hint first.

Remember the rhyme if you get stuck: when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking. Igh and y work a little differently, but you know those too.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Let your child read each word without a hint first; step in only after a genuine try.
  • Note which vowel team, if any, needed extra support so you know what to review.
  • Keep this warm and celebratory -- checkpoints show growth, not just gaps.
  • Point out how many different long-vowel patterns your child can now read compared to the start of the year.
Talk about it:
  • Which vowel team felt the most automatic today?
  • Was there a vowel team that still needs more practice?
  • How many different ways can you now make a long vowel sound?

Mastery looks like: They read words across all the common vowel teams accurately without hints.

Common stumbles: Confusing which vowel team is present in a word and guessing the wrong long-vowel sound.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Vowel TeamsTwo vowels, one sound: ai, ea, oa, ee — hear each team.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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