CVC short a e i u review worksheet

This free CVC short a e i u review worksheet gives early decoders targeted printable practice contrasting short a (/æ/), short e (/e/), short i (/ɪ/), and short u (/ʌ/).

Built around two matching-onset quadruplets—bag/bed/big/bug and dad/den/dig/dug—this 4-page workbook requires students to inspect the medial vowel letter carefully rather than guessing from the beginning consonant.

Teaching ideas

• Onset Quadruplet Warm-Up: Point to bag, bed, big, and bug on Page 1. Ask students what letter all four words start with, then have them underline the middle vowel before reading each word aloud.
• Minimal Pair Check (big vs. bug & dig vs. dug): Have students notice how b-i-g and b-u-g (as well as d-i-g and d-u-g) share both their first and last consonants, isolating the /ɪ/ vs. /ʌ/ medial vowel contrast.
• Trace and Vocalize: On Page 2, instruct students to whisper each phoneme while tracing the letters and blend the whole word smoothly as they write it on the line.
• Partner Roll-and-Read: Use Page 4 with a single die during literacy centers for rapid, self-checking decoding fluency.

Simple Bitsboard connection

Follow up this printable workbook with our interactive CVC short a e i u review games or load the word sets into Bitsboard for Photo Touch, Missing Letter, and Pop Quiz practice.