This lesson covers vowels and vowel sounds in English. There are five vowel letters—A, E, I, O, U—but around 20 vowel sounds, including pure vowels (monophthongs) and diphthongs (combined vowel sounds). Pure vowels are further divided into checked vowels (cannot end open syllables) and free vowels (can end open syllables). Vowel sounds are also categorized as short or long depending on pronunciation and word placement. The letter “Y” can sometimes act as a vowel depending on its position. Students learn the different sounds of each vowel, their examples, and common mistakes, and practice using them through worksheets, quizzes, and assessment exercises to improve reading, pronunciation, and spelling skills.