CVC refers to the consonant, vowel, consonant pattern seen in words like sun, pen, man and hit. This is often referred to as the ‘basic code’ in reading instruction. Basic code refers to the one-to-one relationship between one letter and one sound. The most common sounds for letters are used and the vowels make the short sound. For example, even though the letter "s" can be the sound /z/ in was or has, its basic code sound is the sound /s/. Reading phonetically is referred to as ‘decoding’, so we start by decoding the most basic sounds and combinations of sounds. This is the foundation; students need to feel successful attacking 3 letter words in order to feel confident and apply this skill with new words and in new text.
Activities for Decoding CVC Words
Model: Show the letters moving together while you model blending the sounds together and select the picture of the word that the sounds represent as you blend the sounds faster and eventually say the word. This helps learners understand the concept.
Support: After modeling, have your child practice blending the sounds you say. In this video, the Sesame Street monsters are demonstrating blending a beginning sound onto a word ending, which can be a good place to start if your child is having difficulty blending three sounds together. https://bit.ly/3dA278y Just as the monsters demonstrated their understanding of the word sad, we need to give our learners the opportunity to show that they have made meaning from blending the sounds in the word. Giving two or three pictures to choose from (as shown in the photo above) allows your child to connect the word they have read with its meaning.
Read: Write or build one of the words and have your child say each sound and blend to read the word, then choose the picture card to match what they have read. There are many worksheets available that are like this, but I find it useful to use larger picture cards and movable letters to really be able to demonstrate what we are doing (ie: point to each letter as you/ they say the sound, display letters further apart as you segment but move them together as you blend, physically pick up the card and match to the word rather than drawing lines (which may add unnecessary difficulty to the activity). We have provided slides (near the end of the PowerPoint) with three CVC pictures on each so you have pictures of CVC words for your child to choose from. These can also be printed and cut apart, which may be necessary to target specific skills (discriminating between similar vowel sounds, for example). Click here to download and print
These blending envelopes are useful for learners who tend to look at the first letter and guess the word: the activity shows them how to look at each letter and say its sound one at a time. Model and have them practice blending the first two sounds before showing the third sound to be added. Here is the link to the short e cards; the rest of the vowels are linked at the end of the post.
If your child is confidently and independently blending CVC words, have them try words with consonant digraphs such as ch, th, sh (be sure to present as one unit since the two letters work together to make one sound) and consonant blends such as fl, tr, br, st at the beginning of words and then at the end.
Free Decodable Books Online:
Decodable Word Lists:
Below are lists of words that follow specific patterns in progressively more difficult order. The list is nice to keep handy when working on spelling and reading words with your child. It is also useful when you are trying to write decodable sentences or books for your child to read. Some children are not motivated to read decodable books like the ones listed above. I often create decodable books using the child’s interests (favourite characters from TV and movies, animals, vehicles etc.). You can do a Google search for a picture and create a simple sentence to go with it. No need to print anything; just show the picture and write the sentence on a sentence strip. Or create a PowerPoint with a collection of pictures and decodable sentences you create. It is not necessary for the character names to be decodable; your child will use the picture cue to figure it out.
For example:
Mickey has a big dog.
Decodable Word Lists
CVC WORDS |
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ham yam Pam sat vat pat fat bat rat cat |
mat hat ban man pan ran tan van can |
fan bag gag nag lag rag sag tag wag had |
tad dada pad bad mad fad sad lad jam |
ram Ted wed led fed bed red bet pet set |
let net yet get met wet jet hen ten |
den Ken pen men Ben pin win bin kin tin |
fin lit wit sit hit pit fit bit kit |
mop pop cop top hop fog bog log dog jog |
hog got hot dot not cot pot lot cut |
but gut rut nut hut mug jug hug dug rug |
bug tug nun pun run bun gun fun sun |
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CVC WORDS with Consonant Digraphs |
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shed shin ship shot shut |
shun shop
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mash dash cash hash lash ash |
rash mesh wish fish dish
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Josh mush rush hush gush |
this than that |
thin thud |
math bath path Beth with moth |
chip chap chat
|
chin chop |
much such |
rich
|
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CCVC WORDS (consonant blend at the beginning of the word) |
CVCC WORDS (consonant blend at the end of the word) |
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crab clam gram swam slam tram clap plan Stan snap bran |
spat slat slap scat brat flat flag Glen Brad glad flap |
drag swam step fret fled bled Fred stem spit flip grit |
grin grip grim Greg gram spin skin skip slid twin swim |
skid crib drip twig trip trap spot slot plot plop drop |
stop crop frog flop smog club plus drum snug plum slug |
band land hand and sand pant fast cast ask mask gasp |
mast past last ramp camp lamp damp land sand hand band |
test nest west pest best vest rest desk belt help bent |
sent lent tent went send bend mend end lend hint wind |
list fist mist mint lost cost pond bump jump lump pump |
must rust bust dust gust just hunt runt dusk husk tusk |
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WORDS with consonant digraphs and blends |
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chest chant champ chest |
chomp chimp |
ranch bench Inch pinch |
punch bunch lunch munch |
thump theft |
fifth cloth broth tenth |
shelf shift |
stash smash flash crash |
trash fresh |
swish brush crush flush |
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CCVCC WORDS (consonant blend at the beginning and end of the word |
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stand grand brand stamp |
slant blast craft plant |
grasp clasp grant |
spent spend blend |
crept slept swept |
brisk crisp twist blimp |
sprint drift swift |
frost blond |
stump plump clump crust |
trust stunt grunt |