Reception English and phonics: Two letters, one vowel sound: ai and ee

Method. Find the picture whose name has the sound /ai/ in the middle.

1. Look at the vowel group in each name. Two or three letters together can make one vowel sound.
   rain: ai · tree: ee · cup: u
2. Find the group ai. ai makes the sound /ai/.
   ai is in rain.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   rain

Check. Say rain slowly. It has the sound /ai/. ✓

Watch out. Look for the whole vowel group, not only the first vowel letter.

Method. Find the picture whose name has the sound /ee/ in the middle.

1. Look at the vowel group in each name. Two or three letters together can make one vowel sound.
   rain: ai · sun: u · tree: ee
2. Find the group ee. ee makes the sound /ee/.
   ee is in tree.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   tree

Check. Say tree slowly. It has the sound /ee/. ✓

Watch out. Look for the whole vowel group, not only the first vowel letter.

Method. Say rain sound by sound.

1. Say rain. Find the middle sound.
   r - ai - n
2. Find the middle sound. ai makes one sound, /ai/.
   middle sound: /ai/
3. Write the answer. Write both letters together.
   ai

Check. ai makes one sound in the middle of rain. ✓

Watch out. Write a and i together.

Method. Say tree sound by sound.

1. Say tree. Each sound is one box.
   t - r - ee
2. Find the sound /ee/. The letters ee make one sound, /ee/.
   ee = /ee/
3. Write the answer.
   ee

Check. ee makes one sound at the end of tree. ✓

Watch out. Write e and e together.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   rain
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   r - ai - n
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   r-ai-n

Check. Read the letters back: r-ai-n. They spell rain. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   tree
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   t - r - ee
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   t-r-ee

Check. Read the letters back: t-r-ee. They spell tree. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Read the parts in order. Then say the sounds together, faster and faster, to make the word.

1. Read each part, one at a time. Each part makes one sound. Read them from left to right.
   r - ai - n
2. Say the sounds, then join them. Blending means joining the sounds together into one word.
   /r/ /ai/ /n/
3. Write the word. The blended sounds make the word.
   /r/ /ai/ /n/ = rain

Check. Check the picture of a rain. The picture matches the word. ✓

Watch out. Do not say each sound as a separate word. Join them together.

Method. Read the parts in order. Then say the sounds together, faster and faster, to make the word.

1. Read each part, one at a time. Each part makes one sound. Read them from left to right.
   t - r - ee
2. Say the sounds, then join them. Blending means joining the sounds together into one word.
   /t/ /r/ /ee/
3. Write the word. The blended sounds make the word.
   /t/ /r/ /ee/ = tree

Check. Check the picture of a tree. The picture matches the word. ✓

Watch out. Do not say each sound as a separate word. Join them together.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   bee
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   b - ee
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   b-ee

Check. Read the letters back: b-ee. They spell bee. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Read the parts in order. Then say the sounds together, faster and faster, to make the word.

1. Read each part, one at a time. Each part makes one sound. Read them from left to right.
   t - ai - l
2. Say the sounds, then join them. Blending means joining the sounds together into one word.
   /t/ /ai/ /l/
3. Write the word. The blended sounds make the word.
   /t/ /ai/ /l/ = tail

Check. Check the picture of a tail. The picture matches the word. ✓

Watch out. Do not say each sound as a separate word. Join them together.

Method. Say rain one sound at a time.

1. Say the sounds. Each box is one sound.
   r - ai - n
2. Count the sounds. ai is one sound.
   r, ai, n
3. Write the answer.
   3 sounds.

Check. Count again: r, ai, n. There are 3. ✓

Watch out. Count sounds, not letters.

Method. Count the sounds, not the letters.

1. Count the letters. rain has four letters.
   r, a, i, n
2. Count the sounds. ai is one sound, so there are fewer sounds than letters.
   r, ai, n
3. Give your answer. Say why Ben is wrong.
   Accept any answer that says no: rain has three sounds, r, ai and n, because ai is one sound.

Check. Three sounds: r, ai and n. ✓

Watch out. Two letters can make one sound.

Method. Say each name and find the sound at the end.

1. Say tree. tree ends with the sound /ee/.
   tree: /ee/
2. Say rain and cup. rain ends with /n/. cup ends with /p/.
   rain: /n/; cup: /p/
3. Write the answer.
   tree

Check. Only tree ends with /ee/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the end of each word.

Method. Find the vowel sound in each word.

1. Look at rain. The vowel sound is /ai/.
   rain: /ai/
2. Look at tree. The vowel sound is /ee/.
   tree: /ee/
3. Give your answer. Say whether the sounds are the same.
   Accept any answer that says no: rain has the sound /ai/, and tree has the sound /ee/.

Check. /ai/ and /ee/ are different sounds. ✓

Watch out. Say each word slowly to hear the vowel.

Method. Look at the spelling of each sound.

1. Look at rain. The sound /ai/ is spelled with ai.
   ai
2. Look at tree. The sound /ee/ is spelled with ee.
   ee
3. Give your answer. Say how many letters make each sound.
   Accept any answer that says yes: ai and ee are each two letters that make one vowel sound.

Check. Each vowel sound is two letters. ✓

Watch out. Two letters can make one vowel sound.