✏️ WritingLevel 1Lesson 4
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Forming Short Words

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Learning Objectives

  • 1Form short CVC words by writing the beginning, middle, and ending sounds
  • 2Say a word slowly
  • 3Write one letter for each sound
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Mini Lesson

Short words are made of just a few sounds. If you can hear each sound and write the right letter for it, you can spell hundreds of words!

Short words have three parts

  • Most short words follow this pattern: consonant — vowel — consonant.
  • We call this a CVC word (C = consonant, V = vowel).
  • Examples: cat, dog, big, hot, run.

Vowels are the middle sound

  • The five vowels are: a e i o u.
  • Every short word has a vowel in the middle.
  • The vowel is often the trickiest sound to hear — say the word slowly!

Say it slowly — stretch it out

  • To spell a word, say it slowly like pulling taffy.
  • c — a — t. Three sounds. Three letters.
  • Write one letter for each sound you hear.

Check it — does it look right?

  • After writing, point and read each letter back.
  • Does it match the sounds? If yes — great job!
  • If something looks wrong, try a different vowel.
Forming three CVC words letter by letterThree rows of ruled writing lines showing the words cat, dog and sun being formed one letter at a time with numbered stroke markers 1, 2, 3 above each letter.Form the word — one sound at a timecat1c2a3tdog1d2o3gsun1s2u3n
Three CVC words formed letter by letter — strokes 1, 2, 3 on the lines.
Writing direction — start here and go this wayTwo sample letters, c and a, with a start dot and an arrow showing left-to-right writing flow, plus a green start label and a directional arrow pointing right.Start here — go this waycastartstartleft → rightGreen dot = start. Arrow = direction.Words are always written left to right.
Begin each letter at the green dot and follow the arrow — then move left to right.
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Ask yourself: "What sound do I hear at the beginning? In the middle? At the end?"

Vocabulary
CVC word
A three-letter word in the pattern Consonant — Vowel — Consonante.g. cat, dog, sun, big, run
Vowel
One of the five letters a, e, i, o, u — the middle sound of a short worde.g. a in cat, u in sun
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← Lesson 3: Capital and Lowercase LettersLesson 5: Spelling CVC Words →