What are cvc words?
When you first begin teaching phonics, it is easy to feel overwhelmed with all the new literacy language that is thrown at you! If you are teaching young children, then one of the first phonics skills you will need to be prepared to teach are cvc words. So, let’s break down what cvc words are and some of my favorite ways to teach them!
CVC words are three letter words that follow one simple pattern: consonant-vowel-consonant. The middle sound in a cvc word is always a short vowel. The first and last sound are always consonants.
Examples of CVC Words
CVC words make up some of the earliest words we teach to young learners since they can be read by understanding just 5 short vowel sounds and consonant letter sounds. Here are some examples of cvc words that children can begin learning:
| Short Vowel | CVC Words | |
| short a | cat, map, ran, fat | |
| short e | red, pet, hen, net | |
| short i | pig, lip, fin, sit | |
| short o | dog, pot, log, mop | |
| short u | cup, bus, sun, nut |
How to Teach CVC Words
Phonemic Awareness
Before we ever ask a child to read, we want to check if children can recognize the individual phonemes in words. To do this, we practice identifying the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words. My friend Kristina at Sweet for Kindergarten has an amazing post all about phonemic awareness. You can check out her post to learn all about what phonemic awareness is and how to practice this important skill: All About Phonological Awareness
Segmenting CVC Words
Let’s start segmenting! To teach a child to segment a word, you will start by saying the word slowly and emphasizing each sound. Then, children will repeat the word back to you and break the word into individual sounds. I like to write out the word and place dots under each sound to point to as we segment. You can practice with a variety of CVC words to see if your students can identify the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in each word.
Blending CVC Words
Next, you are ready to teach your children how to blend cvc words. We first want to determine if our students can read the individual letter sounds contained in each word. Then, we can begin to blend sounds together to form a complete word.
- Model Blending: Model how to blend sounds together to form a word. Slowly say each sound in a cvc word and then blend them together. For example, “c-a-t, cat.”
- Use Visuals and Gestures: Use hand movements or visual aids to show the blending process. I like to have students tap the dots under each letter of the word and
- Practice with Manipulatives: Use letter tiles or cards and have your students move the letters each time they say the sound.
Ways to Practice CVC Words
The best way to become fluent in reading cvc words is to practice, practice, practice! Here are 3 ways to practice reading cvc words with your students:
1. Blending CVC Word Worksheets
These cvc word blending worksheets make it quick and easy to practice blending cvc words! Your students will touch each dot below the letter and say the sound the letter makes. Then, they will slide their finger on the arrow to blend the sounds together and read the word. To show that they understand the word they read, your students will even cut out a picture and paste it next to the word they read. This is also a great way to add some fine motor practice into your day!
2. CVC Word Roll and Read Games
Playing phonics games is a great way to reinforce these skills in a fun way. In this cvc roll and read game, children roll a die and then read a word in the section that they roll. They place a counter on the word and then keep rolling until all of the spaces are covered.
3. CVC Fluency Passages
Once your students are able to read cvc words and are ready to read in the context of a passage, then it is time for cvc fluency passages! In these passages, we focus on one single word family per passage so that your students are able to blend similar words as they learn to read.
Printable CVC Word Fluency Practice
If you want to help your students master reading cvc words this year, then check out my printable cvc word fluency practice activities! This resource will help your students become cvc word masters by taking their reading journey one step at a time. They will learn to read words in isolation, read in a sentence, and then read in a passage! Just click here for a closer look:
Here are some other posts to help you teach your children to read:
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Written on July 19th, 2024 by Laurin Brainard