Saw

When we think about sounds we are trying to teach our students, the /aw/ sound comes to mind. Again this is two letters that make one sound! - I feel like a say this a lot. But, that is the way I teach it. It's easy enough for students catch on, even the young ones.

There is no reason or explanation for the way saw works. I like to use saw for the /aw/ part in words for a few reasons. First, it is past tense, and when our students read it they need to know that someone or something was looking at something or someone. For example, I see the ball and in the past; I saw the ball. I explained about see the other week so you can check out that post. Both see and saw start to appear in lower level books making it an important word for student to read and write.

Also, saw can be a tool. This tool cuts and goes back and forth to break something off. I like using the word saw as my s sound word with a picture of a saw tool and not someone looking. That can be confusing. Plus sometimes when my students are confused, I make the w in saw by saying "cut your head off" as I write the letter w. The students find it fun and that helps them remember saw; the tool: cut: needs a w at the end.

One thing that makes teaching fun is watching students apply their learning. Saw isn't that hard to confuse with our sounds. But it is important to remember the way it looks. Have your students write saw. Now have them write raw, law, claws, drawing, seesaw. If they can get those can they write awful, dawning, straws, pawing, flawless?

There is not a a lot of aw words which makes it not that hard to apply. What makes it hard is how to spell it. Does it look right as sow? Sound it sound right as sa? Does it make sense to be sao? Students will eventually catch on to saw being s-a-w. There are two sounds in this word /s/ and /aw/.

Practice this word over and over and over. Until students can apply it, they don't know it. Always question them, don't tell them no, but allow them to discover the correct way. High frequency words or short sight words are drill and kill!

Good luck and happy teaching.