Short Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Trace the Words
Trace each word carefully by following the dotted lines.
1. bag
2. tag
3. leg
4. red
5. ten
6. hen
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A big brown bag is where I carry books.
Bag is a CVC word with short a sound, like cat and hat. First graders can hear short a by listening for the /a/ as in apple.
2. A grandma hen that lays eggs is a hen.
Hen uses short e, the /e/ sound as in egg. Short e and short a sound different even though the words look similar.
3. The color of an apple is often red.
Red has the short e sound between r and d. Short e is quick and crisp, different from the short a in bag.
4. A ball tied to a string is called a tag.
Tag has short a in a CVC pattern. It belongs with bag, rag, and wag in the -ag word family.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The word 'bag' has the same middle sound as 'beg'.
True False
Bag has short a (/a/ as in apple); beg has short e (/e/ as in egg). The middle sounds are different, even though the words look similar.
2. The word 'ten' has the short e sound in the middle.
True False
Ten rhymes with hen and pen, all short e CVC words. The e between two consonants makes the short e sound.
3. The word 'tag' has a short e sound.
True False
Tag has short a, not short e. Short a sounds like /a/ in apple. Mixing up short a and short e is a common Grade 1 stumble.