Videos are an awesome way to teach and reinforce the trickiest of phonics rules. I’ve rounded up the best videos to teach R-controlled vowels so that you don’t have to!
So you just spent all of this time with your kids practicing the sounds that vowels make. They are feeling super confident reading CVC words with digraphs and blends…and then you have to throw a curveball: the bossy r 🤪
This twist in letter sounds can be really hard to grasp, especially for new readers who thought they had it all figured out. I like to diffuse the situation for all of us by introducing a few videos to teach r-controlled vowels.
Learning Videos for the Classroom
While I personally believe these videos are appropriate for preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms, remember that there can often be inappropriate ads before and after YouTube videos. Also, I always recommend previewing the full video before showing it to your class.
If you plan to show YouTube videos in your classroom, I highly recommend that you read this blog post by Catherine, the Brown Bag Teacher. She shares three ways to eliminate YouTube video ads so that you can safely play these learning videos in your classroom.
6 of the Best Videos to Teach R-Controlled Vowels
Look Out For Bossy R
Jack Hartmann (the king of phonics videos!) shows how an “r” can change a cvc word. He explains how the “r” changes the sound of the vowel when it comes after the vowel.
That makes this a great introduction video for teaching r-controlled vowels. If your kids are like mine, they will want to watch it over and over again which will give them tons of practice!
Workout with Bossy R
Jack Hartmann leads a workout based on r-controlled vowels. (This is a great opportunity to get up a move while practicing this tricky phonics pattern!)
He says bossy vowels are strong so you work out when you you hear/see a word with the “r.” When there is no bossy “r” in the word you freeze!
Controlling R Song
This video features an “r” that is in charge. It sings a song to the tune of “Old Macdonald” while explaining how the r-controlled vowel works.
It covers all of the vowels and gives examples of words that follow the spelling pattern.my kids crack up at the silly sentences in this song.
Bossy “R” with Lin Manuel Miranda
I’m just going to say YOU’RE WELCOME in advance because your kids are going to LOVE THIS VIDEO. When I found it I watched it and shared it with everyone I knew because #HAMILTON.
This video will make your kids feel like the coolest kids in the school. After several watches, they will be rapping it right back to you!
Pirates Say AR!
This video is the perfect introduction to “ar” words. It is catchy (and sure to get stuck in all of your heads!) and gives tons of examples. The words are displayed for several seconds so students are able to read the words as they come up.
Annie’s Bossy “r”
This video is a little bit silly but my kids loved it! Annie gives a simple, quick explanation of how vowels change when an “r” is added. I especially love how she gives an example of the vowel’s sound with and without the r.
I love the variety of the videos available on YouTube for this skill! Pair these videos with some r-controlled vowel sentences and r-controlled vowel reading passages and your kiddos will be mastering bossy R in no time!
Did I miss any of your favorite videos? Can you believe Lin Manuel Miranda does a r-controlled rap?! ? Let me know below!
