2nd grade
Sound Sort: /oy/ or /ow/?
Twelve longer words to read out loud and sort by sound: moist, choice and oyster, or crowd, pouch and sprout.
Phonics worksheet · Bossy R and diphthongs
Bossy R Sort: ar, or, er/ir/ur
Twelve words to sort by their bossy R sound: ar (scarf, spark), or (thorn, stork) and the /er/ spellings (perch, twirl, church).
- Grade level
- 2nd grade
- Time
- About 15 minutes
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- R-controlled vowels, Diphthongs, Spelling one sound many ways
What kids do
“Read each word. Which bossy R sound does it have? Write it in the right column.”
Words on this sheet
marchsparkarhornstorkscarfperchtwirlthornsnortburnsmartchurchor
Teacher tip
er, ir and ur all say /er/. Group them together.
How to use it
- Call the r “bossy” and act it out: the r pushes the vowel to make a new sound.
- Say the sound with a picture: ar like a pirate, or like a fork, ou like “ouch”.
- Keep a set of letter tiles or magnetic letters on the table for building words.
Watch for
er, ir and ur sound the same, so spelling them is about memory. Group words by spelling.
Talk about it
- What sound does the vowel make when r comes after it?
- What sound does this letter or letter team make?
Take it further
Make a bossy R anchor chart with words from class books.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More bossy r and diphthongs worksheets
2nd grade
Bossy R Word Search
Ten ar, or, er, ir and ur words hidden across, down and diagonally down: shark, storm, shirt, nurse, fern and more.
2nd grade
oi, oy, ou and ow Word Search
Ten words with oi, oy, ou, ow, au and aw hidden across, down and diagonally down: coin, toy, cloud, crown and straw.
2nd grade
Bossy R Bingo
Two different bingo cards with 16 ar, or, er, ir and ur words, plus the caller’s list. Play in pairs or as a class.
Free for teachers
Get the free Classroom Drawing Kit
12 printable pages: six step-by-step lessons, a grid activity, draw-and-write sheets and teacher notes, sent with your welcome email. After that, new classroom printables by email.