Grades K-2 Parent Letter Unit 4 - Reading Horizons Phonics R-Controlled Vowels

Aug 28, 2026

Unit Four parent letter introduces the Reading Horizons phonics program and outlines the key literacy skills taught to support children’s reading and writing. Content focuses on r-controlled vowels, special vowel sounds, the flexible job of the letter y, and the /ī/ sound pattern after i + gh. It also covers decoding strategies for multi-syllable words, schwa usage, and syllable-final -le sound behavior. Activities include word-bank practice and tic-tac-toe writing, reading, and storytelling tasks.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time1 h 16 min

AccessFree to download

Unit Four - Dear Caregivers

R-Controlled Vowels and Special Vowel Sounds

Jobs of the Letter Y and Sound of -igh

Digraph Blends and Decoding Skills 1-2

Schwa Sound and Final Consonant -le

Practice Activities: Word Bank and Tic-Tac-Toe

R-Controlled Vowels: Exceptions

Unit Four Dear Caregivers, We are beginning Unit Four in our Reading Horizons phonics program. This program teaches specific skills to build a strong foundation in literacy by developing your child’s reading and writing abilities. Here are some key elements we will focus on in Unit Four: fork spoon |
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| ber
| | --- | --- | G1 • R-Controlled Vowels: When a vowel is followed by the letter r, it spells a new vowel sound. We call this an r-controlled vowel. The r-controlled vowels we learn are ar, or, er, ir, and ur. • Special Vowel Sounds: Special Vowel Sounds look like adjacent vowels, but they do not spell a long vowel sound. These sounds spell anew sound that is neither long nor short. The Special Vowels we learn are au, aw, ou, ow, oi, oy, and oo. • Jobs of the Letter Y: The letter y can function as a consonant or a vowel depending on its position in a word. When y acts as a vowel, the sound it spells depends on which Phonetic Skill the word follows, how many syllables are in the word, or the letters that precede it. • Sound of-igh: When the letters gh come after the vowel i, the letters gh are silent and the vowel i spells /ī/ . • Digraph Blends: A digraph and consonant can occur together to make a three-letter digraph blend. As we read, we blend the sounds smoothly together. The most common digraph blends are thrand shr. • Decoding Skill 1: Decoding Skill 1 helps us divide words with more than one syllable. It tells us that when there is only one consonant between two vowels, the consonant moves, or runs, with the next syllable. A quick way to remember this skill is One must run. • Decoding Skill 2: Decoding Skill 2 helps us divide words with more than one syllable. It tells us that when there are two consonants between two vowels, the consonants split. A quick way to remember this skill is Two must split. © 2024 by Reading Horizons | |
a
| way
| | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | tur
| tle | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | • Schwa Sound: The schwa can take over any vowel sound. It most often sounds like /ŭ/, as in the word about, but can also sound like /ĭ/, as in the word parrot. The schwa is the most common vowel sound in the English language. • Final Consonant-le: Every syllable must have a vowel sound. The syllable le comes at the end of a word with more than one syllable and has a schwa vowel sound. This syllable sounds like /ŭl/ . We are excited to embark on this journey together and to seethe incredible progress your child will make. Thank you for being an essential part of this learning adventure! © 2024 by Reading Horizons Name: R-Controlled Vowels Skills: • When a vowel is followed by r, it spells a new vowel sound. We call this an r-controlled vowel. Marking: • We mark the vowel with an x. Then we arc the vowel and r together. Example Words fort squirt Word Bank: barn march smart yard corn fort north sport worn herd verb burst turn curl surf bird squirm stir thirst whirl Tic-Tac-Toe Complete at least three squares in a row using words from the Word Bank above. | 1. Write a sentence using one of the words. See if you can use more than one word in the sentence. | 2. Write two words with the same vowel sound. | 3. Choose five words and use beads, fingers, cereal, or beans to count out their sounds. | | --- | --- | --- | | 4. Write two rhyming words. If there are not two words that rhyme, think of a new word to add. | 5. Write or tell a story using two words and share it with a family member or friend. | 6. Read the words. Put a dot next to any tricky ones and practice reading them again. | | 7. Teach someone how to mark one of the words. | 8. Write a word and draw a picture to illustrate the meaning of
the word. | 9. Write one of the words on a paper. Stick the paper somewhere popular (fridge, TV, etc.). Every time you see the word, read it. | © 2024 by Reading Horizons Name: R-Controlled Vo

FAQs

What phonics topics are covered in Unit Four for K-2 students?

Unit Four focuses on r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, ur), special vowel sounds, the sound roles of the letter y, and decoding rules for dividing multi-syllable words.

How do students learn the r-controlled vowel concept and marking method?

Students mark the vowel with an x, then arc the vowel and r together. They practice with example words from a provided word bank.

What do the activities like Tic-Tac-Toe require students to do?

Students complete at least three squares in a row using word-bank words, including writing sentences, identifying rhyming words, counting sounds, reading tricky words, and teaching or illustrating meanings.

Aug 28, 2026

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