Vowel Teams: Spelling the Long A Sound

Scratch Garden

This animated music video provides an engaging phonics lesson focused specifically on the various vowel teams that produce the "Long A" sound (/eɪ/). Through a catchy song and a recurring visual motif of a train traveling through a landscape, the video systematically introduces different letter combinations—ai, ay, ea, ey, ei, and eigh—demonstrating how they all create the same phonetic sound in different words. The content explores advanced spelling patterns for early readers, moving beyond basic phonics to tackle complex graphemes. It addresses the challenge of English orthography where one sound can be represented by multiple spelling variations. Each section of the song highlights a specific vowel team, provides the sound it makes, and offers three distinct vocabulary examples illustrated with clear graphics (e.g., "mail," "play," "steak," "eight"). This video is a highly effective tool for 1st and 2nd grade literacy instruction. It helps students transition from simple CVC words to more complex spelling patterns. Teachers can use it to introduce the concept of vowel teams, support spelling lists that focus on the Long A sound, or as a review tool for students struggling with these specific irregular spelling patterns.