Boy, Coin, Cow, Cloud: oi, oy, ou and ow

About This Resource

A complete Grade 2 ESL phonics pack on the vowel sounds oi and oy (coin, boy) and ou and ow (cloud, cow). Children hear and say each sound, learn where each spelling usually comes in a word, sort words, choose the right spelling and read and write sentences. Includes slides, a lesson plan, worksheet, quiz, homework, flashcards, a rubric and answer keys.

Overview

Two sounds can each be spelled in two ways. The sound in coin and boy is spelled oi or oy: oi usually comes in the middle of a word (coin, point, soil) and oy usually comes at the end (boy, toy, enjoy). The sound in cloud and cow is spelled ou or ow: ou usually comes in the middle (house, mouse, mouth) and ow often comes at the end or before n or l (cow, crown, owl). Children say the sounds with actions, sort words by spelling, choose the right spelling for pictures and read and write short sentences.

Resource Details

Subject: ESL
Topic: Vowel Sounds oi, oy, ou and ow
Category: Phonics
File Type: PDF
File Size: 358.6 KB
Published: 12 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 2 ESL (ages 7–8), A1 45 minutes Phonics listening speaking reading spelling

Learning Objectives

Hear and say the oi/oy sound and the ou/ow sound.
Choose oi or oy and ou or ow using the position in the word.
Read and spell common words with these spellings.

How to Use This Resource

Show the slides. Say boy and coin. Ask: "What sound is the same?" Then do the same with cow and cloud.
Do worksheet activities 1 and 2 together, saying every word aloud.
Children complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz and take home the homework page.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Sound actions: children say oy! with a happy jump for oi/oy and ow! holding a pretend sore toe for ou/ow.
Word sort race: groups sort cards into oi, oy, ou and ow columns.
Spelling detective: children decide which spelling fits by looking at where the sound is in the word.

Differentiation

Support: teach oi/oy one day and ou/ow on another, with picture cards. Challenge: children find words in a book and explain the spelling with the position rule.

Assessment

Use the worksheet and quiz to check reading and spelling. Use the rubric while children read flashcards and sentences aloud.

Teacher Tips

The spelling ow can also make a long o sound, as in snow and grow. Teach the cow sound first and mention the other sound only if children ask. The position rule (oy and ow at the end) is a useful guide, but there are exceptions, so practice common words often.

What's Included

10-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (8 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 8 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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