Short Vowels — Answer Key
Part A: Trace the Words
Trace each word carefully by following the dotted lines.
1. pit
2. sit
3. cup
4. bun
5. dug
6. run
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. A farm animal that says oink is a pig.
Pig uses short i /i/ as in igloo. First graders hear short i as a quick, clipped sound between two consonants.
2. I drink hot cocoa from my blue cup.
Cup has short u /u/ as in umbrella. The short u sound is different from short i, even though both are quick vowels.
3. The bright yellow sun shines all day long.
Sun uses short u, the same vowel sound as run and bun. Short u is one of the last short vowels Grade 1 readers master.
4. A tiny swimmer has one small fin on its side.
Fin has short i in the CVC pattern. First graders tell short i from short u by listening to mouth shape — short i is tighter.
Part C: True or False?
Read each statement. Circle True or False.
1. The word 'pig' has the same middle sound as 'pug'.
True False
Pig has short i (/i/ as in igloo); pug has short u (/u/ as in umbrella). The two short vowels are easy to mix up but sound different.
2. The word 'run' has a short u sound in the middle.
True False
Run rhymes with sun and bun, all short u words. The u between two consonants makes the short u sound.
3. The word 'sit' has a short u sound.
True False
Sit has short i, not short u. Short i sounds like /i/ in igloo. Short u sounds like /u/ in umbrella.