📖 ReadingLevel 1Lesson 1
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Short Vowel Sounds CVC

How to use: Download the PDF to print the worksheet. Then use this page to repeat activities and check answers.

Learning Objectives

  • 1Identify the short vowel sound in the middle of a CVC word
  • 2Match a CVC word to its short vowel: a, e, i, o, or u
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Mini Lesson

Every word has a vowel inside it — and in short CVC words, that vowel makes a quick, clipped sound.

What is a CVC word?

  • CVC stands for Consonant – Vowel – Consonant.
  • Example: cat → c (consonant) + a (vowel) + t (consonant).
  • The vowel in the middle is always a short sound.

The five short vowel sounds

  • a — like in cat, bag, map
  • e — like in pet, bed, hen
  • i — like in sit, pin, big
  • o — like in hot, dog, top
  • u — like in cup, run, bug

How to find the vowel sound

  • Say the word slowly: c – a – t.
  • Listen to the middle sound — that is your vowel.
  • Use the Sound Pad to hear each short vowel out loud.
Vocabulary
CVC word
A three-letter word in the pattern Consonant – Vowel – Consonante.g. cat, pet, sit, hot, cup
Short vowel
A quick, clipped vowel sound — a, e, i, o, or u in the middle of a CVC worde.g. the a in cat, the u in bug
The five short vowels with example CVC wordsFive big circles labeled a, e, i, o, u, each with an example CVC word: cat, bed, pig, dog, cup.The Five Short VowelsacatebedipigodogucupListen to the middle sounda e i o ucat · bed · pig · dog · cup
Five vowels, five CVC words — each has a short vowel in the middle.
C-V-C structure broken into three boxesThree boxes showing the letters c, a, t — labeled consonant, vowel, consonant — with sliding arrows that show how the three sounds blend into the word cat.C · V · C → one wordcatconsonantvowelconsonantcat
c + a + t slides together into the word cat.
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Ask yourself: "What is the middle sound in this word? Which short vowel matches — a, e, i, o, or u?"

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Guided Practice

Read each page slowly. After each page, ask: "What is the CVC word on this page? What vowel sound do I hear in the middle?" Point to the vowel in each word.

Sam and the Big Red Pot

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Cover

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Exercises

Tap a card to flip it. Say the word out loud, listen to the middle sound, then check the back. Use Got it when you know it and More practice if you need another go.

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cat

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1. What does CVC stand for?

2. Which group shows all five short vowels?

3. Where is the vowel in a CVC word?

4. What short vowel sound is in the word cat?

5. What short vowel sound is in the word cup?

6. What short vowel sound is in the word pet?

7. What short vowel sound is in the word big?

8. Which group of words all have the short o sound?

9. What is the best way to find the vowel sound in a CVC word?

10. Which group of words all have the short u sound?

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Assessment

Parent / Teacher Checklist

Lesson 2 →