Looking for a way 

to break the boredom 

of practicing short 

vowels in the same 

way day after day?

Teaching with visual and kinesthetic activities are effective ways to help your students with short vowels sounds.

Short Vowel Sorts

This simple activity is a quick way for students to practice distinguishing short vowel sounds. You will need some picture cards. Have students work with no more than 2 or 3 sounds. They sort the pictures into columns or rows based on the vowel sound. They then name each picture and say the vowel sound aloud.

Vowel Stick Puppets

The teacher should say a word, students repeat the word, identify the short vowel sound and hold the correct ‘puppet’ aloft. Begin by asking them to say the sound as they hold up their puppets, but this could also be extended to the letter name and sound. Example: A says /a/

Vowel Fluency Strips

Many students may require a transition stage, where they practice fluency first. Fluency strips are the perfect solution! They read a strip full of words, where the short vowel changes with each word. Students are required to pay very close attention to the changes. This type of activity is great for transitioning to ‘real text’.

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