“OO” As in Moon, or “OO” As in Book?

One of the most complicated aspects of the English language is the fact that one grapheme (a letter or group of letters that represent a sound) can represent multiple phonemes (sounds). Such is the case with the “oo” digraph!

Think about the words “moon” and “book”. In the word “moon”, the “oo” is making a long sound. In the word “book”, the “oo” is making a short sound. Confusing, huh?   

This classroom game is a fun and active resource that enables students to review the most commonly used long and short “oo” graphemes. During the activity, students move around the classroom as they complete the activities on the task cards. They are required to:

• Look at the picture on the card.
• Work out whether the “oo” sound is long or short.
• Circle the correct response on their recording sheet.

The long and short “oo” graphemes included in this phonics activity are:

• oo (as in wood)
• oo (as in spoon)
• ui (as in juice)
• ew (as in dew)
• u (as in pudding)
• u_e (as in tube)
• ue (as in blue)
• ou (as in soup)

Other Applications of This Active Phonics Game

These versatile task cards can be used in multiple ways during your literacy sessions. You could always try these alternate ideas:

Group Sorting Activity

Provide the students with the task cards. Have them group the cards by long or short “oo” sound.

Pair Card Games

Have the students use the task cards to play card games such as “Memory” or “Snap!” Matches are made by words that share a long or short “oo” sound.

Choose a Side!

Assign one side of the classroom the long “oo” sound and the other side the short “oo” sound. Choose a task card and say the word aloud, or display the cards on your interactive whiteboard. Have the students move to the side of the classroom that corresponds to the sound they can hear in the word. For an extra challenge, eliminate the last player to choose and side and keep playing until only one student remains!

Easily Download and Prepare This Resource

Use the dropdown arrow on the Download button to select the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

Print one version of the resource, then copy the task cards on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access.

Recording sheets can be placed into dry-erase sleeves and reused time and again!

This resource was created by Alessandra Pastor, a teacher in Massachusetts and a Teach Starter collaborator.