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The

Schwa

Sound

The Third Sound of VowelsThe ”Lazy” Sound

64 Schwa Word Cards

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The Schwa Sound - The Third Sound of Vowels

When teaching reading, it is quite common for teachers to not know about the schwa sound and therefore, not know to teach it. When a student is attempting to figure out the vowel sound in a word, and the vowel doesn’t say either its short nor long sound, then it is chalked up as not saying one of the normal foundational vowel sounds and is considered a vowel sound that does not follow the phonic rules. When in reality, the vowel is saying the “unknown” schwa sound which is a phonic sound we all need to know if we’re a reading teacher. The schwa sound is denoted by an upside-down . It is a lazy sound and will occur on an unstressed syllable, and it’s sound is /uh/. It is a good thing to know that a vowel sound really has 4 possible options for students to choose from when reading a word. • The vowel may say its short /i/ sound in bit.• The vowel may say its long /i/ sound in bite.• The vowel may copy another vowel’s sound such as -i saying long /e/ in “chili”.• The vowel may say the schwa sound /uh/ in “denim”.

Typically, it is best to teach the schwa sound the second semester of second grade. By this point, the student knows the 10 foundational vowel sounds -the vowels’ 5 short sounds and the vowels’ 5 long sounds. Therefore, when it is taught at this specific time, it does not confuse the students.

The schwa sound says /uh/ regardless of the vowel is -a, -e, -i, or -o. It usually sounds a little weaker than the short sound of u. I call the schwa sound the “third sound of vowels.” I choose to teach the schwa sound when I teach the Open Syllable because it seems to appear in this syllable type quite often. Also, you will find that the Schwa sound appears in the Closed Syllable quite a bit.

Download this FREEBIE which gives you an idea of the schwa sound being heard with the vowel -a: https://readingonstrawberrylane.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Which-Vowel-is-Schwa-FREEBIE-1.pdf

If you would like the to purchase the entire packet click this link: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Schwa-Sound-5066541

Student are to draw a card and attempt to identify the schwa vowel sound in each word. As students say the word slowly, they will hear the schwa sound. The word then can be written or highlighted on the graphic organizer and the student can circle the schwa sound.

If you would like students to do more than identify the schwa sound, they can label each vowel in the word and mark the syllables in each word. Have students to complete the word work as shown on the key. Doing this word work gives students the opportunity to use another sense, and with every sense they use such as seeing, hearing, and feeling [when writing], they are more likely to capture these word work skills quicker.

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Syllable Definitions and Labeling the Syllables

If students do the word work in labeling the vowels in the words, then read the following to see how the labeling is done. One thing I stress to students when labeling is that the initials of the type of syllable need to be placed over the vowel, and the initials need to be written very small. The sound of the vowel determines the type of the syllable.

Closed Syllable – the vowel of a Closed Syllable is short, and the vowel is closed off to its right by one or more consonants. A consonant does not have to be on the left of the vowel. Examples: at, cat. Closed Syllables are labeled with the initial c.

Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable - the vowel of this syllable contains a long vowel followed by a single consonant and a silent e. Examples: came, Eve. Vowel-Consonant-e Syllables are labeled with the initials v-c-e.

r-Controlled Syllable – when the letter –r is to the right of any vowel, thus making the vowel make a different sound other than its short or long sound. Examples: car, bird. r-Controlled Syllables are labeled with the initials rc.

Vowel Team Syllable - a digraph team is two vowels glued together that make one of the vowel sounds whether it is one of the vowel’s short sounds or one of the vowel’s long sounds. Example: -ea says long /a/ in great - which defies the famous jingle: “When 2 vowels go walkin’, the first one does the talkin’.” A diphthong team is one unique vowel sound formed by the combination of two vowel letters. Together the combination makes its own unique sound. Example: -oi says /oi/ in coin. Vowel Teams are labeled with the initials vt. Note: Sometimes the letters –w and –gh are part of a Vowel Team. I just tell the students that these letters like hanging out with the vowels.

Open Syllable – this syllable includes one vowel letter, and the vowel says the long or schwa sound, and the vowel is the last letter in the syllable. Example: be, able [the vowel -a is open in the word able]. Open Syllables are labeled with the initial o.

Final Stable Syllable – this syllable is a combination of letters only found at the end of words. Examples are, -le, -tion in words such a as cable, and nation. Final Stable Syllables are labeled with the initials fs.

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Mr. Poindexter Squeakers

a e i o

Name ________ Which vowel is ”schwa?” Date_________

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-a Vowel Schwa Sound page 1

away

about

balloon

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Mr. P

oinde

xter S

quea

kers

5

again

idea important

along animal

away

about

balloon

again

idea important

along animal

vto

o

o

o

o o

o

o

vtvt

vt

c

rc

c

o

c

c c

Thank you for purchasing this item! I hope you find it a great resource for increasing students’ knowledge about the Schwa Sound.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions feel free to contact me at atrump@nc.rr.com

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Copyright © 2019 by Reading on Strawberry LaneThis item is a paid digital download from my TpT store.

As such, it is for use in one classroom only. This item is also bound by copyright laws and redistributing, editing, selling,

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