Star Car Phonics Slides Small Group Phonics • R-Controlled Vowels
Sound Focus: /ar/
Meet the Mighty
Bossy R Sound: /ar/
When the letter a meets Bossy r, they lock together to make one powerful new sound!
Key Sound Pair
ar
/ar/ as in STAR
and CAR
Hear the /ar/ sound
Blend ar words
Read fluently in sentences
RULE
How Does "Bossy R" Change the Sound?
Small Group Mini-Lesson
Alone, 'a' says:
a
/ă/ short sound
like in cat or hat
Here comes:
r
Bossy R!
Bossy R takes control!
=
Brand New Sound
ar
/ar/
Opens wide like a doctor visit: "Ahhh-r!"
Teacher Prompt & Kid Tip:
Bossy R never lets letter 'a' say its short sound /ă/. Together, they act as one single vowel sound: /ar/!
GUIDED PRACTICE
Tap, Blend, and Read
Touch each dot • Slide on arrow
c
ar
c - ar ➔ car
b
ar
n
b - ar - n ➔ barn
st
ar
st - ar ➔ star
p
ar
k
p - ar - k ➔ park
Step 1: Sound it • Step 2: Blend it • Step 3: Read it whole
CONTRAST CHECK
Short /ă/ vs. Bossy /ar/
Listen to how the vowel transforms!
Short /ă/ cat meow!
Bossy /ar/ car vroom!
Short /ă/ bat baseball
Bossy /ar/ bar gold bar
Short /ă/ pat gentle tap
Bossy /ar/ part a piece
Short /ă/ fat round cat
Bossy /ar/ far way out!
Look closely before you read: If the letter r comes after a, your mouth must open into the /ar/ sound!
WORD CHAIN
The AR Word Ladder
Change one part to build a new word!
Start word:
dark
dark
Change /d/ to /b/ ↓
New word:
bark
bark
Change /b/ to /p/ ↓
New word:
park
park
Add /s/ to the front ↓
Spark Challenge:
spark
spark
Notice how ar stays the exact same in every single word!
FLUENCY
Read with Smooth Expression
Spot the /ar/ words first!
1
The dark car drove past the big red barn.
Target words: dark, car, barn
2
We saw a bright star shine over the green park.
Target words: star, park
3
Can the dog bark if it is hard to see in the yard?
Target words: bark, hard, yard
Read 1: Accuracy (get every sound right)
Read 2: Smoothness (no robot reading!)
Read 3: Voice & Expression
CHECKPOINT
Sound Detective: Find the /ar/ Words!
Thumbs Up if you hear /ar/
Word 1
shark
YES: /ar/
Word 2
trap
NO: /ă/
Word 3
smart
YES: /ar/
Word 4
yard
YES: /ar/
You Mastered the /ar/ Sound!
Remember: When you see 'a' followed by 'r', open wide and say /ar/!
Bossy R Pro! ⭐️
Spark Dark Decodable Passage Decodable Reader • R-Controlled /ar/ Phonics Focus: Bossy R
Spark in the Dark
Name:
Date:
Warm-Up Words (Touch & Read Before You Start) Look for the ar team!
bark
dark
farm
barn
star
cart
yard
hard
spark
yarn
Read the story carefully. Target Sound: /ar/
1
Mark and his little pup, Spark, live on a quiet farm with a red barn.
2
When the sun went down, the night was cold and very dark in the farm yard.
3
Mark stepped outside and looked up. A bright star began to shine in the sky.
4
"Look at that star, Spark!" Mark said. But Spark let out a sharp bark.
5
Spark ran fast past the wooden farm cart. Mark had to run hard to keep up.
6
"Wait, Spark! It is not smart to dart into the dark barn!" Mark called out.
7
Mark stepped inside and turned on a light. He saw Spark by the old cart.
8
Sitting in the hay was a tiny lost kitten playing with a soft ball of red yarn!
9
"Good boy, Spark," smiled Mark. "You are not scared of the dark at all."
10
Together, they walked back across the yard under the shining stars.
Fluency Tracker (Read 3 Times!)
1st Read: Accuracy
2nd Read: Smooth
3rd Read: Voice
Word Hunt Challenge
Use a yellow crayon to circle or highlight 8 words in the story with the Bossy R ar sound!
Story Comprehension & Word Study
Spark in the Dark • Activity Page
Show What You Know
1
Answer in Complete Sentences
A. What does Mark see when he looks up into the night sky? (Look at Line 3)
B. What was making noise inside the barn under the cart? (Look at Line 8)
2
Bossy R Word Sort
Sort the words from the bank below into the right column.
star bark cart barn far dark part yarn
Ends with -ar
-ark or -arn
Ends with -art
3
Sentence Dictation & Sketch
Listen, write, then draw!
Write the teacher's sentence carefully. Remember your capital letter and period!
Bark Dark Foldable Booklet Bossy R Mini-Book • Focus: /ar/ Front Cover
Spark in the Dark
A Decodable /ar/ Phonics Adventure
Draw Your Cover Illustration: Sketch Mark and Spark the pup looking at a bright star in the dark night!
Written & Illustrated by:
/ar/ as in STAR ⭐️
Cut or fold along this dashed line
Page 2 Scene 1: Under the Night Sky
Illustrate Page 2: Draw Mark and Spark in the dark yard under the shining star.
Mark and his pup, Spark, walked into the farm yard. The sun was down, and it was very dark. Mark looked up and saw a bright star shine in the sky!
Words to spot: farm • yard • dark • star Turn to Page 3 ➔
Page 3 Scene 2: Into the Red Barn
Illustrate Page 3: Draw Spark running past the wooden cart to find the kitten with yarn!
Spark let out a sharp bark! He dashed past the wooden cart and ran into the barn. Mark ran hard to keep up. Under the cart was a tiny kitten with soft red yarn!
Words to spot: sharp • bark • cart • barn • hard • yarn Finish on Back Cover ➔
Cut or fold along this dashed line
Page 4 • Back Cover Word Champion Review
Read & Check the /ar/ Words: Check each box as you read!
star
bark
dark
farm
barn
cart
hard
yarn
Quick Talk Question:
Why was Mark proud of Spark at the end of the story?
Star Reader Fluency Award Color 1 star each time you read this whole book!
