2nd grade
aw and au
The /aw/ sound: trace paw, draw and sauce, color the aw and au words, fill in the right spelling and read a sentence.
Phonics worksheet · Bossy R and diphthongs
ou and ow
The /ow/ sound: trace cloud, house and cow, color the ou and ow words, fill in the right spelling and read a sentence.
- 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, trace, find and fill in ou and ow words.”
Printed on the sheet:
- 2. Read and trace
- 3. Color every word with ou or ow
- 4. Write ou or ow to finish each word
- Tip: Ouch! ow can also say /ō/, as in snow.
- 5. Read the sentence. Trace the ou and ow words.
- A brown cow ran out of the house.
- 6. Draw an owl on a cloud
Words on this sheet
outcowshouttownmouthbranmothshottondenloudliddownbrowncloud houseowl clownseclth
Teacher tip
Say “ouch!” for ou. ow says the same sound in cow.
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”.
- Say every word on the sheet together before kids start, stretching the sounds.
Watch for
er, ir and ur sound the same, so spelling them is about memory. Group words by spelling.
Talk about it
- Can you find a word in the room with this sound?
- Can you think of another word with the same sound?
Take it further
Hunt for ou and ow words in a picture book.
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
air and are
Two spellings of the /air/ sound: trace hair, chair and care, color the air and are words, fill in the right one and read a sentence.
2nd grade
ear and eer
The /eer/ sound: trace hear, near and deer, color the ear and eer words, fill in the right spelling and read a sentence.
2nd grade
ore and oar
Two more ways to spell /or/: trace more, store and roar, color the ore and oar words, fill in the right spelling and read a sentence.
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