Short o (CVC) decodable sentences and word list

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

Short o (CVC): the letter o between two consonants, as in hot. 28 words.

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

Name ____________________________ Date ______________

Short o (CVC)

Read the words. Then read the sentences.

Words

Sentences

The dog sat on a log.
Tom got a hot pot.
A fox hid in the box.
Mom can mop the top.
The hog is not in the fog.
Don can jog and hop.
Dad got a job.
Tom did not get the mop.
The dog got off the cot.
Bob and Ron sit on a log.

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

About this pattern

Short o is the vowel that varies most between accents, so let children say the word the way they say it and check it against the picture or the sentence. The words here are mostly three-letter CVC words, plus on and off, two small words a child meets in everyday sentences very soon.

What to say

Open your mouth and say /o/ as in octopus. Because the sound is made with the jaw dropped, put a hand under your chin and feel it drop on every short o word.

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

Make an on and off sorting game: what is on the log and what is off the cot?
Read the sentences as a chain: one child reads a sentence and the next tells what happened next.
Use the word list for a quick Read it fast timing: how many in one minute?
Draw a hog in the fog and write the sentence under it.

Questions

Does mom count as a short o word?

Yes in most US accents: it is read with a short o sound. If your accent differs, treat the pattern as consonant-o-consonant and let students read it as they say it.

Why is off here but not of?

Off is spelled the way it sounds, with a short o. Of is a tricky word (the f says /v/) and is taught by sight.

How do I know each sentence is decodable?

Every word in these 10 sentences is either on the word list for short o (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.

Nothing you do here is sent to us. No sign-in, no ads.