Sight words and phonicsK and grade 1
CVC words worksheets
A boxed bank of twelve short-vowel CVC words sits above three word-family columns. The child reads each word and writes it under the family it belongs to. An answer key is available.
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On this page
What prints
The sheet is titled "CVC Word Family Sort", with the vowel named first if you pick one (for example, "Short a CVC Word Family Sort"). Near the top is a bordered box holding a word bank of twelve words in bold type, arranged in two rows of six. Below it are three columns, each headed by a word family such as -at, -ig or -ug. Every column has six blank lines.
The bank is built from four words for each of the three families, then shuffled. The child reads a word, notices how it ends and writes it on a line under the matching family. With the answer key switched on, a second copy of the page shows each family's words filled in on the lines.
CVC means consonant, vowel, consonant, the pattern of words like cat, pig and bus. The families used here cover short a, e, i, o and u, from -at and -an to -et, -ot and -ug.
The settings
- Activity. "Sort words into families" is the one this page opens with. The other choices, "Word family read and write" and "Real or nonsense word", have their own pages: word families worksheets and real and nonsense words.
- Vowel. Mixed vowels, or Short a, Short i, Short o, Short u or Short e. A single vowel narrows the families, which suits a child still learning to tell the vowel sounds apart.
- Number of words. This applies only to the real or nonsense activity, so it does not change this sheet.
Tips for the sort
Start with one vowel. If the page offers -at, -an and -ap, the children are attending to the ending sound and the vowel stays constant. Mixed vowels is a step up, since the child has to hear the vowel as well.
Have the child say each word slowly, stretching the sounds: "b-a-t". Then ask, "What does the end sound like?" Naming the family helps them spot that bat and mat share more than a letter.
Skip the pressure of speed. These words are meant to be sounded out, not memorized as shapes. Reading Rockets has a clear overview of how phonics instruction builds on this blending.
Worked example: a short a page
Choose Short a. Suppose the sheet gives families -at, -an and -ad, with bank words: sat, can, mad, bat, ran, dad, hat, pan, sad, fan, pat, had.
- Your child reads sat and writes it under -at. Then can goes under -an and mad under -ad.
- They hesitate on had. You prompt, "What do you hear at the end?" and they say "d", then place it under -ad.
- When done, they read each column aloud as a list: "bat, hat, pat, sat".
Check with the key and note any word placed in a wrong column. If more than two are wrong, try the read-and-write version first.
After the sort
Ask your child to make up a silly sentence using one word from each column. It ties reading to meaning, and reinforces the families.