Kindergarten · Reading · week 16

Mixing Short A and Short I Words

Read a mix of short-a and short-i words by swapping beginning and ending sounds, building flexible, fast decoding.

You know two whole families now: short a words like cat and short i words like pig. This week you mix them together and read fast, switching back and forth.

Once you know one ending, like at, in, or ig, you can build many words just by changing the first sound. Watch how many words come from just a few endings.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Say pairs like cat and pin back to back so the vowel sound has to change each time, keeping your child alert.
  • Point out how many words come from just a handful of endings: at, an, am, ig, and in.
  • If a vowel sound slips, slow down and say the vowel alone first before blending the whole word again.
  • Turn it into a quick game: you say a beginning sound, your child names the ending, and together you blend the word.
Talk about it:
  • Which felt trickier today, short a words or short i words?
  • How many different words can come from just the ending at?
  • Can you build a brand new word using an ending from this week?

Mastery looks like: They read a mixed set of short-a and short-i words accurately, correctly switching the vowel sound each time.

Common stumbles: Reading the wrong vowel sound because the last word used a different one; stopping fully between every single word instead of reading smoothly.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Blending & SegmentingSlide sounds together to read a word — /s/ /u/ /n/ → “sun”.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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