The top of each worksheet has a vowel strip with picture keywords showing the five short vowel sounds.
​Your student can refer to it to remember the vowel sounds when needed. 
What are Phonics or Short Vowel Workbooks?
These workbooks help emerging readers decode (read) words using a phonics-based approach (“sounding out” words). In addition, the matching activities in these worksheets help children build their vocabulary while understanding the meaning of each word. So these workbooks help a child learn to read, comprehend and build vocabulary. They are unique because all the words in these workbooks only use short vowel sounds. 

What is a Short Vowel?
All vowels have long sounds and short sounds. Emerging readers often get confused when presented with words that have different vowel sounds. This is why all the words in these sheets use ONLY short vowels. This makes it easy for a child to sound the words out, a skill essential for emergent readers. Students do NOT need to know long vowel sounds to use these worksheets.

When is a child ready to use these workbooks?
The workbooks are designed for all emerging readers, students with learning differences like dyslexia, and learners of English as a second language. Teachers from K-2, reading specialists, dyslexia & special education tutors, ESL teachers and of course, parents at home can use the workbooks for their students.

​Emerging readers are ready to work on these activities once they have been taught the 5 short vowel sounds, as well as the sounds of all the consonants in the alphabet, and they can “sound out letters”. (Usually K-1st grade, but this may be later for children with learning differences such as dyslexia). If the child comes across a word he/she does nor know (dim, tag, etc.), this is a good opportunity to use the picture to explain its meaning.
How do levels progress?
There are five sequenced workbooks, each consisting of 12 worksheets. Each workbook progresses to the next level with increasing difficulty, so only move the child up when ready.

If more practice is required, have the student repeat a workbook or worksheet as needed before going up to the next level.

How to use the workbooks?
These workbooks are easy to use. The child simply fills in the bubble space next to the correct answer. The worksheets are classified by numbers on the top right corner of each page. So 1-8 means Workbook 1, Worksheet 8. Each worksheet has two pages. An answer guide has been provided at the end. 

The workbook can be printed and given to the child. If you choose not to print the workbooks, here are a couple of options:
  1. Have the student record the answers in a separate notebook. Write the workbook and sheet number on the top of the page. (Example: if it is the 3rd worksheet of the first workbook, you would write “Worksheet 1.3”. Number 1-8 down the page. The child writes a, b, or c next to each number.) This also works well if you have purchased the workbook on an electronic device (iPad, Kindle, tablet, laptop, etc.)
  2. Classroom or multiple use:
    Place the printouts of each worksheet in a clear sheet protector (or laminate the worksheets) and give your student a dry erase marker to mark the answers on the sheet protector. Erase the answers and the sheet is ready for the next use, and you will not require repeated printing this way.

If you are looking for short vowel workbooks for Barton students, that's a different workbook, please Click here for Short Vowel Workbooks for Barton students.

If you notice persistent vowel confusion and directionality issues (reading pan for nap, bat for tab, lap for pal) this might be an indication of a learning difference like dyslexia, which affects 1 out of every 5 individuals in the U.S.
​Dyslexia is not a disability, it is a different way of processing language.

Dyslexia is suspected in children with average to above-average IQ, who often shine in creative areas like art, music, sports, 3-D visual-spatial skills, mechanical ability, people skills, yet have great difficulty learning to read, write and spell.

Description of K-5 Phonics Workbooks & how to use them

Workbook 1 - Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) words – each worksheet works on ONE short vowel sound.
Working with one vowel at a time allows the child to get familiar with the individual vowel sound, eliminates confusion and makes the child a confident reader. This is the first level of the series, and is the best activity for a beginning reader. A few words with double letters have been used – but these still follow the CVC sound pattern and can be easily sounded out. (Example: hill, cuff, doll)
          The twelve worksheets in Workbook 1 are as follows:
          3 worksheets on Vowel ‘a’ (example: cat, hat, ham, pan)
          2 worksheets on Vowel ‘e’ (example: beg, men, hen, pet)
          2 worksheets on Vowel ‘i’ (example: sip, lip, win, fig)
          3 worksheets on Vowel ‘o’ (example: dog, hot, cob, log)
          2 worksheets on Vowel ‘u’ (example: bug, run, fun, hut)

Workbook 2 - CVC words with all the 5 short vowels. (Example: dog, cat, hit, beg)
Once the child has mastered the five short vowel sounds individually, Workbook 2 has words using all the 5 vowels.

Workbook 3 - Introduction of Digraphs (Two letters making one sound: ch, th, sh) (Example: bath, chip, rash) These worksheets have words with short vowels and digraphs.

Workbook 4 - Introduction of Blends (Two consonants together, each making its own sound)
This workbook is divided as follows:
  • End Blends (Example: belt, hand, gift, milk)
    The first 4 worksheets have words with all 5 short vowels, digraphs, and end blends (blends at the end of the word). It is usually easier for a child to blend the consonants that come at the end of a word (after the vowel), so it is better for the child to learn to read words with end blends first, before moving on to words with beginning blends.
  • Beginning Blends (Example: crab, plan, truck)
    The last 8 worksheets have words with all 5 short vowels, digraphs, and beginning blends (blends at the beginning of the word). It is more difficult for children to read consonant blends at the beginning of a word, and that is why there are more worksheets provided to practice this skill.
A child should not move on to Workbook 5 (Mixed Blends) until the words from Workbook 4 can be read fluently.

Workbook 5 - Mixed Blends (Example: strand, crunch, brunch) Words with short vowels, digraphs, mixed blends (including more complex blends: blends on both ends of a word, three letter blends and digraph blends). 

App for iPhones & iPads

The ​Picture Sight Words™ program is now available worldwide as an iOS interactive App with audio & visual features and self-learning mode

INTERACTIVE

Try it today on iPads & iPhones as a free download from the Apple App Store with free sample flashcards

VOICE-ENABLED

Each sight word and its sentence has recorded audio pronunciation

SELF-LEARNING

Children can self-learn and practice; parents/tutors can track their performance from one level to the next
A perfect app for children in K-3, homeschool, for learning differences like dyslexia and English Language Learners (ELL/ESL)