Name: AU & AW Diphthong – Vowel Sounds Activity Packet
SKU: 622ceced6d563d4dcd4bb482
Price: 39.99 USD
Availability: InStock

About this resource

What's inside this resource

A phonics packet teaches the au and aw spellings for the /aw/ diphthong sound, opening with an anchor chart explaining the spelling rule: aw at the end of a word or syllable (saw, draw), au in the middle (haul, astronaut). The au and aw sections mirror each other's structure — each has its own word list, a trace-and-write worksheet, a picture-matching cut-and-paste activity, a word-half matching activity, and an original poem using the target words. Additional activities include a word search, a Scrabble-tile scoring worksheet, and an ABC-order task for each sound, plus a crossword puzzle and picture-labeling worksheet specific to aw and a creative-writing prompt specific to au. The packet closes with a combined au-vs-aw discrimination worksheet and a KWL (What I Knew / What I Learned / What I Still Want to Know) reflection chart.

Product description

From the author

Diphthong AU AW Vowel Sounds Activity Packet teaches phonics skills to early elementary students. This printable resource features engaging worksheets and activities to help students in grades K-2 learn the AU and AW vowel diphthongs. Children will practice spelling, reading, writing, and grammar using interactive games and exercises. Educators can implement these materials in small groups, whole class instruction, or as independent practice to reinforce diphthong recognition. With varying difficulty levels, the packet accommodates diverse learners. The no-prep printables allow flexible use for homeschooling or in public and private school settings. By completing the diphthong activities, young learners will boost phonics abilities, reading fluency, and comprehension.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Students apply the au/aw spelling rule — aw at the end of a word or syllable, au elsewhere — to sort and spell target words.
Students read and write words containing the au or aw diphthong through tracing, matching, and word-search tasks.
Students discriminate between the au and aw spellings by sound in a combined listening/labeling activity.

Teaching tips

Introduce the anchor chart's spelling rule (aw at the end, au elsewhere) before assigning either word list, since every later activity assumes students know which spelling to expect.
Teach the {au} section and {aw} section as a matched pair, since each offers the same activity types (tracing, picture match, word match, poem) with a different word list.
Save the combined au-vs-aw discrimination worksheet and KWL chart for after both individual sections are complete, since they require distinguishing the two spellings side by side.

Skills covered

Phonics decoding — students read target words such as astronaut, laundry, and outlaw that follow the au/aw spelling pattern.
Spelling-rule application — students apply the position-based rule (aw at the end, au elsewhere) when tracing, writing, and word-searching.
Sound discrimination — the combined au-vs-aw worksheet has students listen to a picture's name and circle the correct spelling.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

Do the au and aw sections use the same set of activities, or different ones?

The same core set — a word list, trace-and-write, picture match, word match, and a poem — repeats for both au and aw, though aw additionally gets a crossword puzzle and picture-labeling worksheet, and au gets its own creative writing prompt.