Short e (CVC) decodable sentences and word list

30 words with the letter e between two consonants, as in bed, and 10 sentences a child can sound out. Project them, or print the sheet.

Short e (CVC): the letter e between two consonants, as in bed. 30 words.

Tricky words used so far, read by sight: a, the, is, has, to.

Name ____________________________ Date ______________

Short e (CVC)

Read the words. Then read the sentences.

Words

Sentences

Ben has a red hat.
The hen is wet.
Meg can get the pet.
Ted has ten red pens.
The vet has a net.
Ben and Meg met the vet.
Ben fed the hen.
Yes, Ted can get the jet.
The pet is wet and sad.
Jen has an egg.

Tricky words, read by sight: a, the, is, has, to

About this pattern

Short e is the vowel children confuse most with short i, because the two sounds are close in the mouth. Sentences here also use the short a words, so children get practice switching between vowels, which is the real skill behind reading.

What to say

Make the sound /e/ as in egg with your mouth a little open, then contrast it with /i/ as in itch. Hold a word like bed up and ask, is this ben or bin?

How to use it

Start in Word list: say the pattern, then read the words together with the coloured letters as your clue.
Press Full screen (F), choose Sentences, one at a time, and use the arrow keys for the next sentence.
Press Print for a sheet with the words and the numbered sentences to take home.

Ideas for class

Minimal pairs: write bed and bid, pen and pin, and have students point to the one you say.
Sort picture cards of pets and things you can find in a bed or a net into short a and short e.
Read each sentence twice, the first time to find the short e word, the second to read it smoothly.
Have students finish the sentence starter, The hen is ...

Questions

My students mix up short e and short i. What helps?

Contrast them aloud before they read: say /e/ with your mouth open wide and /i/ with a smile. Then use minimal pairs (pen and pin) and let children choose which word you said.

Do the sentences repeat short a words?

Yes, on purpose. A sentence may use any word from the patterns taught so far, so children keep practicing what they already know.

How do I know each sentence is decodable?

Every word in these 10 sentences is either on the word list for short e (cvc) or for a pattern taught before it, or is one of the tricky words read by sight (a, the, is, has, to). The list is checked by a program, so a word that has not been taught cannot slip in.

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