There are four- r controlled vowels that are important to teach to students learning the phonograms we read and write. ir, ur, er and ear. ear has the er sound when it is followed by a consonant other wise it will say ear. make a list of words where ear say ear as in early, earth, etc. Many students get confused when to sound out r-controlled vowels. This will help clarify confusion with the r-controlled vowels. Parents and teachers make up word games for students to discover the many uses of the r-controlled vowel. This knowledge can clarify spelling for students in the upper grades. Have fun with the er's