CVC Words - Minimal Contrast Short Vowel Word Decoding Activity

Keep your beginning and struggling readers engaged in reading CVC words with this fun Feed Me S’Mores activity. Use sets of similar words to encourage your students to look at every letter when decoding short vowel words without consonant blends and digraphs. You’ll have an easy-to-use way to increase their exposure to phonetically regular high-frequency words and support their development of automatic word recognition.

What are minimal contrast words?

Minimal contrast words are similar, almost the same words. They frequently differ by one letter or one sound.

What words did I choose?

I chose 49 phonetically regular high-frequency short vowel words without consonant blends or digraphs from two popular lists, one with 220 words and the other with 1000 words. There are 10 VC words and 39 CVC words. These are the target words.

The target words are presented in pairs and trios contrasted with other similar real words. The only change, typically, is the vowel sound.

There are two sets of s’more CVC word cards. The same words are included in each set. One set has minimal contrast words in pairs. The second set has minimal contrast words in trios. Not all the target words are included in the trios.

Ways to Use This Decoding Activity

Try this read-and-feed activity:

• with your small instructional, intervention, or resource groups
• when tutoring individual students
• in a center

You’ll want to use it for:

• a phonics warm-up
• an exit activity
• practice
• review

Get ‘Em Engaged

Your students will take turns to:

• Pick a card.
• Read the list of minimal contrast words on the s’more.
• Feed the s’more to the hungry bear.
• Color a s’more on the optional reward strip.

Take a closer look at everything included in this minimal contrast word activity by clicking the green VIEW PREVIEW button above.

Looking for more decoding activities with the same target CVC words? You’ll want to check out my companion resources, Rapid Word Charts With High Frequency Words and Phoneme Grapheme Matching With High Frequency Words.

Here’s everything you’ll receive in this easy-to-use and engaging phonics activity:

• teacher information
• large word cards
• small word cards
• reward strips (3, 5, or 10 s’mores)
• color hungry bear graphic
• color s’mores (word pairs)
• color s’mores (word trios)
• black/ white hungry bear graphic
• black/ white s’mores (word pairs)
• black/ white s’mores (word trios)

Check Out More Resources

Phonics

High-Frequency Words

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