What are R-Controlled Vowels? Let’s Find Out!

When an r follows a vowel, the r changes the sound that the vowel makes.  That vowel is called an r-controlled vowel.  Sometimes teachers refer to the “r” as the “bossy r” because the r “bosses” the vowel to make a new sound. It seems like a simple concept, but what makes r-controlled vowel sounds so confusing for students? 

We understand that teaching phonics isn’t always easy.  That’s why we have created these r- controlled vowel posters. Students need to practice recognizing and producing the r-controlled vowels in words, and these posters do just that! The set includes five posters highlighting each of the r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ir, or, and ur). Each poster shows the vowel combination and several words and images containing each sound.

Displaying these posters in your classroom will increase awareness of common spelling patterns and provide a great visual for your RTI group instruction.

How to Make the Most of Your R-Controlled Anchor Charts

1. Print the poster on letter-size paper, slip it into a clear sleeve, and use it in your guided groups as a reminder.
2. Print the posters half-sized or quarter-size and have students paste them into their writing notebooks as reference materials.
3. Print the poster on letter-size paper, slide it into a clear sleeve, and hang it on a ring as a reference tool for a learning center. 

We’ve also developed bonus ways to turn posters into interactive tools that make your lessons stick! 

🖍️ Turn this poster into a coloring page by printing it in black and white. 

📝 Create a fill-in-the-blank worksheet by removing selections of text.  

📂 Place copies in students’ homework folders for reference. 

Before You Download

This resource prints as a PDF. Please use the dropdown menu to choose between the Color or Blackline version.

Spend more time lesson-doing and less time lesson-planning when you grab these activities and teaching resources too!