Kindergarten · Reading · RF.K.3.B, RF.K.3, RF.K.2.D

Vowels Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

A ready-to-teach vowels lesson for Kindergarten, built around hearing short a, e, i, o and u in the middle of a word, reading cvc words, and meeting long vowels and silent e. Print the plan, print the practice pages, and you are set.

Approximately 47 minutes

Learning objective

Read and comprehend vowels passages independently
Build vowels vocabulary and fluency at the Kindergarten level
Apply key reading strategies through vowels practice

Materials

Circle the CVC Word for the Picture, Set (set of 4, 1 to 4)
Vowel Blends - Set 1
Matching Short Vowels
Identify Short Vowels
Write Short Vowels
Long Vowels
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Build the background (5 min)
Say it before you show it. Give three spoken examples of vowels and have students repeat, then one that does not belong.
2. Read aloud and think aloud (I do) (10 min)
Write two examples of vowels while sounding them out slowly. Point to each part as you say it so the sound and the letters stay connected.
3. Guided practice (we do) (12 min)
Read a second passage together. This time students find the evidence and you record it. Push every answer back to the text with "what words told you that?"
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Circle the CVC Word for the Picture, Set". Students read and answer on their own. Circulate and ask individuals to point to the line in the text that supports their answer.
5. Share and close (5 min)
Two or three students share an answer and the evidence behind it. Restate vowels one final time in the students' own words, not yours.

Check for understanding

Ask each student to point to the evidence in the text for one of their answers. A student who has the right answer but cannot find the line has not yet learned vowels.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild vowels with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own vowels problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand vowels.

Skills covered in this lesson

Vowels · Phonics Digraphs · Phonics Vowel Blends · Blends · Short Vowels · Identify Short Vowels · Write Short Vowels · Long Vowels · Circle Long Vowels · Phonics R Controlled Vowels · Phonics Word Families · CVC words

Questions teachers ask about teaching vowels

What vowel skills do kindergarteners learn?

They learn the short sound of a, e, i, o and u, hear that sound in the middle of a word like pig or fox, and read CVC words such as cat, bed and sun (CCSS RF.K.2.D and RF.K.3.B). Long vowels and silent e words like cake come next.

What is a CVC word?

A three letter word made of a consonant, a short vowel and a consonant, like map, web or rug. The CVC pages have children trace and copy these words, circle the word that names a picture, and trace each sound in sound boxes before reading the word.

How can I tell if my child hears short vowel sounds?

Say a word like hat and ask which sound is in the middle. The identify short vowels pages ask children to color the short a pictures, cut and glue pictures under short e or short o, and circle a, e, i, o or u for words like nest and bus.

How many vowels worksheets are there for Kindergarten?

93 sheets on short and long vowels, CVC words, silent e words, word families and vowel blends. 64 of the 93 sheets have an answer key.