About this activity
Eight words sampling the vocalic /r/ contexts: butter and water for er; bird for ir; car for ar; bear and chair for air; fire for ire; ear for ear. One word per context, which makes this a survey rather than a drill — the point is finding out which contexts the student already has.
How to use it in a session
Use it as a probe first. Vocalic /r/ is not one target but six, and a student can be accurate on car and inaccurate on fire — running eight words tells you which contexts to work and which to leave alone. Once you know, move to the context-specific decks rather than staying here. Ten minutes covers the eight with careful listening.
What to listen for
Listen for the /r/ colouring the vowel rather than following it. In butter the whole second syllable is r-coloured; a student who says butt-uh has a plain vowel and one who says butt-er has added a separate sound, and neither is the target. Watch fire and ear, the two least frequent contexts, which are often the last to arrive.
Carrying it home
Butter, water, car and chair are ordinary words. Asking a family to notice one of them, rather than the sound in general, gives them something they can actually report back.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Second through fifth, for students working on vocalic /r/.
- Do I need an account?
- No, all eight cards play free.
- Why only one word per context?
- Because it is a survey. Eight words across six contexts tells you which ones the student already has, and then the context-specific decks give the repetitions.