Phonics pattern

Diphthongs: oi, oy, ou, ow

A diphthong is a vowel sound that glides from one position to another: /oi/ as in coin and boy, /ow/ as in out and cow. Each sound has two common spellings, decided mostly by position: oi and ou in the middle, oy and ow at the end.

Spellings: oi, oy, ou, ow

How to teach it

Teach one sound and its two spellings together. Show the position rule with two or three words each.
Read lists, sort words by spelling, and contrast ow in cow with ow in snow, which the student already knows.
Dictate words and talk through the position choice. Read sentences that use both sounds.

Practice words

Read them across, then down. Point under each word as it is read.

coil
spoil
join
broil
soy
oink
choice
shout
scout
trout
couch
pouch

Decodable sentences

Roy found a coin in the soil.
The brown cow is out by the barn.
Joy will boil the corn.

Spoken warm-ups

No print. Say the prompt; the student answers aloud. Sounds are written between slashes.

Spoken warm-ups for Diphthongs: oi, oy, ou, ow
You say	The student says
Listen: /k/ /oi/ /n/. What word?	coin
Say ‘out’. Say each sound.	/ou/ /t/
Say ‘boy’. Change /b/ to /t/. What word?	toy

Common errors

Reading ou or ow as a long o. Try /ow/ and check whether it makes a word.
Spelling by sound only (boi for boy). Ask where the sound is in the word: at the end, use oy or ow.
Mixing oi and ou in reading. Underline the team and say its sound before reading the word.

Which lessons teach this

If you teach UFLI Foundations, this pattern comes up in these 3 lessons. Teach from your own manual.

Literacy Trail is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute. It contains no UFLI lesson content, only lesson names and order.

Questions people ask

Are these words from an assessment?

No. The practice words, sentences and warm-ups here are written for teaching and are kept separate from the words in the Literacy Trail assessments, so practicing never teaches the test.

When is a student ready for diphthongs?

When they read and spell the pattern before it (other vowel teams) accurately and without prompting, most of the time. Keep reviewing earlier patterns for two minutes a session while the new one settles.

How long should practice take?

A few minutes a day beats one long session a week. Read the word list once or twice, dictate three or four words, and read a sentence or two. Rate how it went and bring the pattern back on a short schedule if it is shaky.

Plan sessions for this pattern automatically

Start the 15-day free trial and add a student. When they reach diphthongs, Literacy Trail plans the sessions for it automatically, and a Needs support or Developing rating brings it back for review.

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