Resources for Teaching Schwa in the Classroom

Teaching schwa can feel intimidating when teaching older students. Schwa shows up when teaching syllables, creating spelling lists and is embedded throughout phonics. So what exactly is it and how do teachers teach schwa?

What is Schwa?

In English, schwa is the most common vowel sound. Any vowel can make the schwa sound.

Maroon

Feminine

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Camel

Bacon

Surround

Schwa sounds like a lazy /uh/ sound (sometimes lazy short /i/ sound like lemon). You hardly use your mouth to make the sound when you say the above words. Technically it is a short /u/ sound, but softer and weaker.

Introducing and Teaching Schwa

To build interest in sounds, spelling patterns, syllables etc. at the 5th grade level, I first acknowledge that no one in my class is dying for a lesson on schwa. Students typically are unfamiliar with most phonological vocabulary at the upper elementary level. . . sorry primary teachers!

Build Interest With The Word Schwa

I try to build interest in a playful way by sharing the wacky word- schwa. It is a fun word to say. In a game show announcer voice I share that we are going to learn all about schwa. Then I have the students chant the word a few times. Schwa! Schwa! Schwa! SCHWA!!!!!!!! This extra thirty seconds builds a playful interest in the topic.

YouTube Videos for Introducing Schwa

After a brief definition of schwa, I share a YouTube video that helps break down, with lots of examples the concept of schwa. I really like when people take the time to make a quality 3 minute-ish clip for YouTube of topics that I don’t feel super confident teaching. It makes it much easier for me to start with their video, pause & discuss with the class and move on. Thank you YouTubers! You really have helped me so much in my teaching career!

The tricky thing with teaching schwa to upper elementary, middle school and older students is that most of the resources have a very primary look and feel. I like these videos because they seem to be for a more mature audience instead of a Kindergartener.

The Schwa Sound (The Most Common Vowel Sound)

Okay, honestly this one is a tad on the primary side. . . but I still use the video. It’s not too babyish and I really like how the creator of the video used the visuals to highlight the schwa sounds. This is a great video to build credibility with your class when you say a word is spelled one way, but pronounced another.

The Lazy Schwa Sound (Dynamite BTS Parody)

Schwa schwa schwa is a lazy guy,

He’s not stressed, not emphasized.

This is another fantastic resource to continue to hold students interest while practicing and reviewing schwa. I love the visual metaphor of a lazy guy at home and the schwa sound.

How to Identify and Pronounce the Schwa Sound in British English

This is another video that is really helpful, especially for visual learners, students with executive functioning challenges, struggling readers and rigid thinkers. The added visual of how the schwa sound is made can help clarify why schwa is even a sound.

If you use this video you might want to remind your students that the creator is using British English and a few of the words have a British spelling.

Stressed and Unstressed Syllables

The schwa sound is found in stressed syllables. This can be feel intimidating as a teacher because the resources that we are given are usually quite lacking when it comes to teaching phonics and spelling.

How to Identify Stressed Syllables in English Words– This video is fantastic for anyone who is unsure about teaching stressed and unstressed syllable. Perfect for older students, the creator breaks down five tips on identifying stressed syllable. She also shares a great tip when using the dictionary at the 5 min. and 30 second mark.
Stressed Syllables in English– This is another nice video for those visual learners who need to see the different syllables and how they are stressed.
5 Ways to Figure Out Accented/Stressed Syllables

Resources to Practice Schwa

There are a few free resources you might want to check out when teaching schwa.

Prosody Lesson Plan– This free resources give you more than materials for teaching stressed syllables. This is a great guide for any teacher who is lacking resources for teaching syllables or feels overwhelmed or unsure how to proceed.

Schwa Sorting Activity– This free download is a great practice or review activity. I also like the organization of the sorting mat and feel like it would be easy to modify it for my classes spelling list any time we have a schwa focused word list for the week.