Vowel Teams: /aw/ Sound (au, aw)

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Sound Detectives: The Case of the Awesome /aw/ Sound!

Hello, Super Sound Detective! Put on your thinking cap, because we have a fun mystery to solve today. It’s all about the /aw/ sound.

What's the /aw/ sound? It’s the sound you make when you see a super cute puppy and say, "Awwww!" Or it’s the sound a baby crow makes: "Caw, caw!" Our mission is to find the two secret letter teams that make this sound. Let's investigate!

Clue #1: The 'aw' Team

Our first clue is the vowel team 'aw'. When you see the letters 'a' and 'w' standing next to each other in a word, they don't say their own sounds. Instead, they hold hands and work together to make one sound: /aw/! This team loves to show up at the end or in the middle of a word.

Let's look at some evidence:

I saw a big bird.
Can you draw a star?
A lion has a sharp claw.
I drink my juice with a straw.

Clue #2: The 'au' Team

Great work, detective! But hold on... there's another team that makes the very same sound. It’s the vowel team 'au'. How sneaky! The letters 'a' and 'u' also team up to make the /aw/ sound. This team usually likes to hide in the middle of a word.

Let's check out these words:

The truck will haul the logs.
Let's pause the game.
I like tomato sauce on my pasta.
The rocket will launch into space.

⭐ Detective's Key Takeaway! ⭐

Case closed! The mystery is solved. The vowel teams 'au' and 'aw' are sound partners. Even though they look different, they both team up to make the exact same awesome /aw/ sound!

You are an amazing Sound Detective! Keep your eyes open for 'au' and 'aw' words in all the books you read.

Sample questions

1. Which word has the 'au' sound like in 'haul'?

✓ pause

○ boat

○ book

○ cat

Answer: pause — Listen for the /aw/ sound in the middle of the words.

2. Look at the word 'caught'. Which letters make the /aw/ sound?

○ ou

✓ au

○ oa

○ aw

Answer: au — Find the two letters together that make the special /aw/ sound.

3. Which word is spelled correctly for the word 'sauce'?

○ sose

○ souse

○ saws

✓ sauce

Answer: sauce — Listen carefully to the middle sound and remember the 'au' team.

Skills in this topic

Identify the vowel team 'au' and its /aw/ sound (e.g., haul, pause, caught).
Decode words containing the 'au' vowel team.
Identify the vowel team 'aw' and its /aw/ sound (e.g., saw, draw, straw).
Decode words containing the 'aw' vowel team.
Imagine you are a 'Sound Detective.' Investigate and report on the 'mystery of the /aw/ sound,' explaining how 'au' and 'aw' create it and providing examples.

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