Your next great Lessn starts here.

Welcome to Short Vowels! – What are short vowels? – Short vowels make quick sounds, like in ‘cat’, ‘bed’, ‘fish’, ‘dog’, ‘bus’. – Vowels: A, E, I, O, U – Vowels are special letters in our alphabet. – Listen to a vowel song – Sing the vowel song together – We’ll learn the sounds by singing! | This slide introduces kindergarteners to the concept of short vowels, which are the sounds vowels make when they are not saying their name. Start by asking the class if they know what a vowel is to assess their prior knowledge. Then, explain that vowels can make different sounds and today we’re focusing on the short sounds. Play a short vowel song to engage the students and follow up by singing it together to reinforce learning. Make sure the song is catchy and easy to follow. Encourage the students to listen for the short vowel sounds in each word of the song. This activity will help them recognize and remember the sounds associated with each vowel.

Meet the Short Vowels – Five vowels in the alphabet – A, E, I, O, U are vowels – Vowels have two sounds – Long sounds and short sounds – Today’s focus: short sounds – Short sounds like ‘a’ in apple – Practice with short vowels | This slide introduces the concept of vowels to Kindergarten students, emphasizing that there are five vowels in the English alphabet: A, E, I, O, U. It’s important to explain that each vowel can make two different sounds: a long sound and a short sound. For this lesson, the focus will be on recognizing and pronouncing the short sounds of each vowel. Engage the students with examples and encourage them to practice making the short vowel sounds. Activities can include listening to and repeating the sounds, identifying short vowel sounds in words, and a matching game with pictures and words. The goal is to help students differentiate between long and short vowel sounds in a fun and interactive way.

The Short ‘A’ Sound – ‘A’ as in ‘apple’ – The short ‘A’ sounds like the ‘a’ in ‘apple’, ‘ant’, and ‘hat’. – Practice saying the ‘A’ sound – We’ll all say ‘ahh’ like at the doctor’s. – Find words with the short ‘A’ – Think of words like ‘cat’, ‘bat’, or ‘mat’. – Share your words with the class | This slide introduces the short ‘A’ sound to Kindergarten students, using the familiar word ‘apple’ as a reference. Encourage the children to repeat the sound several times to get comfortable with it. Then, ask them to brainstorm other words that contain the short ‘A’ sound. This can be done as a class activity, with students raising their hands to contribute words they’ve thought of. You can prepare a list of words with the short ‘A’ sound to prompt them if they are struggling to come up with examples. Make sure to praise their efforts and correct any misconceptions gently.

The Short ‘E’ Sound – ‘E’ as in ‘elephant’ – The short ‘E’ sounds like the ‘e’ in ‘elephant’, ‘bed’, or ‘red’. – Practice saying the ‘E’ sound – We’ll all say ‘eh’ like in ‘elephant’ together! – Find words with the short ‘E’ – Think of words like ‘net’ or ‘pet’. – Share your words with the class | This slide introduces the short ‘E’ sound to Kindergarten students. Start by explaining that the short ‘E’ sound is similar to the first ‘e’ in ‘elephant’. Have the class repeat the sound several times to practice. Then, encourage the students to think of other words that have the same short ‘E’ sound. You can prompt them with examples like ‘net’ or ‘pet’ if they are struggling. Finally, ask the students to share the words they’ve thought of with the class. This will help them recognize the short ‘E’ sound in different words and understand how it’s used in everyday language.

Exploring the Short ‘I’ Sound – ‘I’ as in ‘igloo’ – The short ‘I’ sounds like the ‘i’ in ‘igloo’, ‘insect’, and ‘itch’. – Practice saying the ‘I’ sound – We’ll say it together: ‘ih, ih, igloo’. – Find words with the short ‘I’ – Think of ‘igloo’, ‘insect’, ‘itch’. Can you find more? – Listen for the ‘I’ in words – When we read, listen for ‘ih’ like in ‘fish’ and ‘ship’. | This slide introduces the short ‘I’ sound to Kindergarten students. Start by explaining that the short ‘I’ sound is like the ‘i’ in ‘igloo’. Have the class repeat the sound several times to practice. Then, engage the students by asking them to think of other words that have the short ‘I’ sound. Provide examples like ‘insect’ and ‘itch’ to help them get started. Encourage them to listen for this sound when they are reading or listening to a story. This activity helps students recognize and pronounce the short ‘I’ sound, which is crucial for their reading development.

The Short ‘O’ Sound – ‘O’ as in ‘octopus’ – The short ‘O’ sounds like the ‘o’ in ‘octopus’, ‘pot’, and ‘top’ – Practice saying ‘O’ together – Find words with the short ‘O’ – Think of words like ‘dog’, ‘log’, ‘fog’ – Listen for the ‘O’ in words – We’ll listen to words and pick out the short ‘O’ sound | This slide introduces the short ‘O’ sound to Kindergarten students. Start by explaining that the short ‘O’ sound is similar to the ‘o’ in ‘octopus’. Have the class repeat the sound several times to practice. Then, encourage the students to think of and share other words that have the short ‘O’ sound. Provide examples like ‘dog’, ‘log’, and ‘fog’ to help them get started. Finally, engage the class in a listening activity where they identify the short ‘O’ sound in spoken words. This interactive approach helps students recognize vowel sounds in different words, which is essential for their reading and pronunciation skills.

The Short ‘U’ Sound – ‘U’ as in ‘umbrella’ – The sound ‘uh’ like in ‘umbrella’ – Practice saying ‘U’ together – Find words with the short ‘U’ – Think of ‘up’, ‘mud’, or ‘pup’ – Listen for ‘U’ in daily words – Hear ‘U’ in words we use every day | This slide introduces the short ‘U’ sound to Kindergarten students. Start by explaining that the short ‘U’ sound is like the ‘u’ in ‘umbrella’. Have the class repeat the sound several times together to practice. Then, encourage the children to think of other words that have the same short ‘U’ sound. Provide examples such as ‘up’, ‘mud’, or ‘pup’ to help them get started. Finally, remind students to listen for the short ‘U’ sound in words they hear throughout their day. This will help reinforce their understanding and recognition of the vowel sound in different contexts.

Short Vowel Sounds Listening Game – Listen to the word I say – Identify the short vowel sound – Is it a, e, i, o, or u? – Ready to play the listening game? – Remember the short vowels: a, e, i, o, u – Examples: ‘cat’ (a), ‘bed’ (e), ‘fish’ (i), ‘pot’ (o), ‘sun’ (u) | This interactive game is designed to help Kindergarten students recognize and identify short vowel sounds in spoken words. As the teacher, you will say a word out loud, and the students will determine which short vowel sound they hear. Before starting, remind the students of the short vowel sounds and give examples for each. During the game, pronounce words clearly and give students time to think and respond. Encourage participation and praise correct answers to build confidence. If a student struggles, provide additional context or repeat the word if necessary. This activity can be varied by using different words, having students come up to the front to say words, or by incorporating props or images that represent the words being used.

Short Vowel Hunt Activity – Let’s search for short vowels – I’ll show a word, find the vowel sound – Example: ‘cat’ – find the short vowel – The short vowel in ‘cat’ is ‘a’ as in ‘apple’ – Practice with different words – Try with ‘bed’, ‘pig’, ‘cot’, ‘mud’ | This slide introduces the class activity focused on identifying short vowel sounds in words. The activity is designed to be interactive, with the teacher presenting words and the students identifying the short vowel sounds. Use common, simple words that the students are likely to know. The example given is ‘cat’, where the short vowel sound is ‘a’. Emphasize the sound rather than the letter itself, and encourage students to say the vowel sounds out loud. Prepare a list of words with short vowel sounds for the activity, ensuring a mix to cover all the short vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). As students identify the sounds, provide positive reinforcement. This activity will help students recognize vowel sounds in different words, an essential skill for reading.

Class Activity: Vowel Craft – Create a vowel flip book – Each page features one vowel – A, E, I, O, U – one vowel per page – Add pictures with the vowel sound – Draw or paste images like ‘cat’, ‘bed’, ‘fish’ – Fun way to learn vowel sounds | This activity is designed to help Kindergarten students identify and remember the short vowel sounds through a creative and engaging craft. Provide students with materials to create a flip book, with one page dedicated to each of the vowels: A, E, I, O, U. Encourage them to think of or find pictures of objects that contain the corresponding short vowel sound to add to each page. For example, for the vowel ‘A’, they might add ‘apple’ or ‘ant’. This tactile and visual activity supports auditory learning and helps solidify the concept of short vowels in a memorable way. Possible variations of the activity could include using stickers, magazine cutouts, or drawing their own pictures. The goal is to create a personalized learning tool that they can use to practice vowel sounds.