If you’re anything like me, you like to have a variety activities to make learning to read fun. I like to have a few different choices at any given time to pull out for review or extra practice. The activities included below can be adapted to work with a whole group, small groups, centers, or as independent work.

Here are three quick and easy phonics activities to help your students practice long and short vowels.

The Spinner

Materials:
A piece of paper and a pencil (one per player)

Three spinners with 10 segments, such as the Spinner Template 

The spinner template has 10 segments, one for each letter. Each pair of students will need three spinners. Photocopy the spinners and label the first and third spinners with the letters t, b, c, d, f, h, m, p, r, and s. Label the second spinner with the letters a, e, i, o, u, a, e, i, o, and u.

Before they play, teach your students how to use a paperclip and a pencil for the spinning part of the spinner.

How To Play:
Each player takes turns to try and form words using the letters on the spinner. When it’s their turn, the players spin the first, second and third spinners in order, writing down the letters that each spinner lands on.

If the three letters (in order) form a word, the player circles the word. Players alternate turns, each trying to form 10 words. The first to form and circle 10 words is the winner!

The Process Grid

There are so many uses for process grids! One of them is the Long Vowel Short Vowel Process Grid to use with your class. Here are a couple of suggested activities.

1. Enlarge the process grid by creating an overhead and tracing it onto butcher paper (this is a great task for a volunteer). During a whole class lesson, plug in words that will work for each letter and vowel sound.
2. Photocopy the grids to use for independent practice and at Literacy Centers.
3. Help your students practice long vowel/short vowel words by using the grid during a small group lesson.
4. Instead of lists of words, have students write one word per block along with a sketch of the word.

The Letter of the Day!

This is a great activity to begin during your morning routine and plug in throughout the day. Before gathering your class together, choose a,e,i,o,u and if you want to focus on the long or short vowel sound. With your group, list words on chart paper that utilize that letter and sound.

Throughout the day, provide opportunities for students to make words using the letter and sound of the day. This can be incorporated into a center activity or independent practice.

Are you interested in more long vowel/short vowel activities? Take a look at Carol’s Long Vowel/Short Vowel lesson plans!