Short Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Trace the Words
Trace each word carefully by following the dotted lines.
1. bed
2. pet
3. net
4. hot
5. dog
6. box
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. I sleep in my bed at night.
Bed is a CVC word: b-e-d. The vowel e between two consonants makes the short e sound, which is /e/ as in egg or elephant. Short e is a common first-grade sound.
2. My pet is a friendly puppy.
Pet follows the CVC pattern p-e-t. The e is stuck between consonants, so it makes the short e sound. Words in the -et family like pet, net, and wet all share this sound.
3. The sun makes the sand feel hot.
Hot is spelled h-o-t in the CVC pattern. The o between two consonants says its short sound /o/, like in octopus and ox. No silent e means the vowel stays short.
4. The toy is inside the box.
Box is a CVC word: b-o-x. The x acts like the final consonant, keeping the o short. Short o sounds like /o/ in octopus. The CVC pattern locks the vowel into its short sound.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The word dog has the short o sound.
True False
Dog is d-o-g, a CVC word. The o between two consonants makes the short o sound, like in octopus, ox, and mop. This is a common short o word for Grade 1 readers.
2. The word bed has the short o sound.
True False
Bed has the short e sound, not short o. Short e is /e/ as in egg. Mixing up short vowel sounds is a common first-grade stumbling block, so saying each word aloud helps.
3. The words hot and pot rhyme.
True False
Hot and pot both share the -ot rime and the short o sound. Rime families help first graders read and spell many CVC words once they know one word in the family.