LumiraWhat is a vowel team?
In a vowel team, two or more letters combine to spell one vowel sound. English has many of them and several spell more than one sound, so each team needs explicit teaching and plenty of practice in real words.
The ear vowel team (as in near) — word list
Every word below appears in the decodable book on this page, so a reader who practises the list will meet the same words again in context.
- clear
- dear
- fear
- hear
- near
- year
Free decodable book: Decodable Vowel Team EAR (Near)
This is an original Lumira decodable reader, written so that a child can sound out nearly every word using patterns they have already been taught. The full text is below — read it here, or open it in the app to read it together with the words highlighting as you speak.
Mia can hear. Leo can hear too. Mia and Leo hear and hear.
Leo sat near Mia. Mia sat near Leo too. They like it.
Mia and Leo had a clear day. It is clear this year.
Leo did not fear. Mia did not fear too. They like it.
Mia is dear to Leo. Leo is dear to Mia too.
Clear hear near dear year fear. Mia and Leo like them all.
How to teach it
- Say the sound on its own first, several times, before showing any letters.
- Show the spelling and name it explicitly — tell the reader what it says rather than asking them to work it out.
- Blend two or three words from the list together, out loud, slowly.
- Read the decodable book above, where the pattern repeats in real sentences.
- Come back to it two or three days later. Cumulative review is what makes it stick.
Lessons that practise this pattern
ear (long e: near, clear)
Read ear as long /e/ + r
Word sort: ear's 3 sounds
Sort ear words by which of its three sounds they use