Kindergarten · Reading · week 20

Short U: Sun, Cup, Bug

Blend three-sound words using the short u sound, reading sun, cup, and bug.

Short u says "uh," the sound from the word up. Blend it into real words this week: sun, cup, and bug.

You blended bug with your ears back in week four. Now those same sounds turn into a word your eyes can read too.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Say the short u sound alone first, "uh," before blending a whole word around it.
  • Remind your child that bug was blended by ear months ago. Point out how far reading has come since then.
  • Watch for short u sliding into short o. Say both sounds side by side if that mix-up shows up.
  • Mix in short a, i, and o words so all four vowels stay strong together.
Talk about it:
  • What sound does the letter u make in sun?
  • Which word felt the most familiar today, since you blended it by ear before?
  • Can you think of one more short u word?

Mastery looks like: They blend and read short u words like sun, cup, and bug accurately, without confusing the sound with short o.

Common stumbles: Confusing the short u sound with the short o sound; needing extra time on the middle vowel sound in every word.

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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