SCOOT and Spell Words with Long O Sounds

In the English language, multiple letters (and combinations of letters) can be used to make the same sound.

This fun and active resource enables students to review and revisit the most commonly used “long o” spelling patterns. During the activity, students move or “scoot” around the classroom as they complete the activities on the task cards. They are required to:

• Look at the picture on the card.
• Identify the correct “long o” spelling pattern required to spell the word.
• Write the word using the correct spelling on their recording sheet.

The “long o” spelling patterns included in this phonics activity are:

• oa (as in boat)
• o_e (as in robe) 
• ow (as in bow)
• oe (as in toe) 

We’ve Done the Differentiation for You!

This English Language Arts resource comes with two differentiated sets of 24 task cards. The distinctions between these two sets are outlined below.

Set 1: In addition to the picture, these task cards show the word underneath with blank lines to indicate the missing “long o” letters, e.g. the word “goat” would have the “oa”  missing in the middle of the word. The accompanying recording sheet for this scaffolded set of cards has the answer prewritten. There are blank spaces for students to add the correct “long o” spelling to each word.

Set 2: These task cards contain the picture only. The accompanying recording sheet for this set requires students to write down all of the words that match the cards without any scaffolding provided.

Why not mix and match the task cards and recording sheets to best suit the needs of your students?

Scaffolding and Differentiating Long O Spelling 

Try a few of these ideas if your students struggle with determining which letter combination to use to spell the long o sound.

• Create visual graphics of difficult words, homophones, and homographs. These picture cues really help students remember which pattern to use.
• Sorting is always a good idea when you have several options for spelling the same sound. You can play matching games like memory or sort the cards into groups. This builds phonemic awareness, so it’s always a good activity for all students.

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.