Short Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Trace the Words
Trace each word carefully by following the dotted lines.
1. cat
2. hat
3. map
4. pig
5. bit
6. fig
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A cat says meow and drinks milk.
Cat is a CVC word: c-a-t. The vowel a is between two consonants, so it makes the short a sound, like the /a/ in apple. There is no silent e to change the sound.
2. I wear a hat on my head.
Hat follows the CVC pattern h-a-t. When a vowel is trapped between two consonants with no silent e, it makes its short sound. Short a sounds like /a/ in ant.
3. The pig has a curly tail.
Pig is spelled p-i-g in the CVC pattern. The i is surrounded by consonants, making the short i sound like /i/ in igloo. The short i is often the trickiest vowel to hear.
4. I took a little bit of the apple.
Bit is a CVC word: b-i-t. The single vowel i between two consonants makes the short i sound. If we added silent e to make 'bite,' the sound would change to long i.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The word cat has the short a sound.
True False
Cat is c-a-t, a CVC word. The vowel a between two consonants makes the short a sound. Short a is the sound you hear in apple, ant, and cat.
2. The word pig has the short a sound.
True False
Pig has the short i sound, not short a. Short i sounds like /i/ in igloo. Each short vowel has its own sound: a, e, i, o, u all sound different.
3. The word fig rhymes with pig.
True False
Fig and pig both end with the -ig rime and share the short i sound. Rhyming helps Grade 1 readers hear that words with the same short vowel pattern sound alike.