In April, Aldie Elementary was buzzing with excitement as students and staff came together to celebrate National Schwa Day—a fun and educational event highlighting one of the most common yet tricky sounds in the English language: the schwa.
The day kicked off with a special read-aloud of The Not So Lazy Schwa by Yvette Manns, which introduced students to the concept of the schwa sound—a relaxed, unstressed vowel sound often heard in everyday words like banana, sofa and about.
To mark the occasion, the entire school community joined in a pajama and sunglasses day (extra fun when you say it with a schwa!). The cafeteria served schwa-themed treats, and students had the chance to win prizes in schwa-themed raffles. Fun fact: the schwa sound is the most common vowel sound in English and can be spelled using any of the five vowel letters.
In the afternoon, classrooms were filled with engaging, hands-on literacy activities designed to reinforce the day’s learning. From games to word challenges, students practiced identifying the schwa sound in a variety of creative ways. Even the staff joined in, adding a schwa twist to their words and sporting custom shirts and accessories that embraced the theme. According to teachers, the day was truly ex-schwa-llent!
Families were notified in advance and encouraged to talk with their children about what they learned. The celebration not only boosted phonics skills but also sparked a love for language in a playful and memorable way.
It was a schwa-some day at Aldie Elementary!