Congratulations on your purchase of Really Good LiteracyCenter-in-a-Box™ Middle Sound Puzzles—Short Vowels, ahands-on activity that strengthens your students’phonological awareness skills.

ObjectiveThe student will match short vowel sounds in words usingpicture cues.

This Really Good Stuff® product includes:• 10 Category Puzzle Pieces• 60 Picture Puzzle Pieces• 2 Game Mats• Center Task Card• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide

Middle Sound Puzzles—Short Vowels reinforces early readers’short-vowel sound knowledge and builds essential auditorydiscrimination skills. Students sort Puzzle Pieces into theirshort-vowel sound categories to make 10 unique short vowelpuzzles. Through repeated practice, they become quick atisolating, identifying, and matching short vowel sounds.

Managing the Center-in-a-Box• Display the Center Task Card.• Remind students to check their work by putting the Puzzle

Pieces together after sorting them. If they fit together, thesort has been done correctly.

• Demonstrate how to tidy the center when the game iscomplete.

• Place the center materials in the box and store italongside other Centers-in-a-Box.

Introducing Middle Sound Puzzles – Short VowelsShort vowel sounds can often be difficult to distinguish for earlyreaders, especially English Language Learners. Middle SoundPuzzles sharpens students’ listening skills by having them focus

on one part of a word, the short vowel sound. There are twoPuzzles each for the five short vowel sounds. Each Puzzlecontains a Category Puzzle Piece, which has a yellow background,and six Picture Puzzle Pieces, giving students the opportunity tomatch seven picture cues per Puzzle. Students build two shortvowel Puzzles at a time by placing two Category Puzzle Pieces ontheir Mat and finding all the matching vowel sound Puzzle Pieces.Both isolating and sorting skills are needed to complete thetask. Vary the difficulty of the task by comparing vowel soundsthat are easily confused or by adding some sound Pieces thatdo not belong.

Model the ActivityBegin by modeling the activity, discussing every step withstudents. Decide on which two vowel sounds to compare andgather their Category and Picture Puzzle Pieces to introduceto your group. Review and name the pictures on the PuzzlePieces to make sure students can easily identify them.Emphasize their vowel sounds by stretching them out: hooog,ruuun. Place the Category Puzzle Pieces on the Mat, one oneach side of the T-chart, and name their pictures and vowelsounds, pot and gum. Scatter the Picture Puzzle Pieces faceup around the mat. Explain that students will build a Puzzle foreach of those short vowel sounds. Take a Puzzle Piece, name it,and ask if it has the same vowel sound as pot or gum. Placethe Puzzle Piece in the correct column.

Continue until all the Puzzle Pieces are sorted. Once all thePieces are placed in their columns, say each word aloud to makesure they all have the same vowel sound. Put the Puzzle Piecestogether. If they all fit together, the Puzzle Pieces have beencorrectly sorted. If they do not fit together, review the picturesand sort again.

As an added challenge, include one or two Picture Puzzle Piecesthat do not fit in the vowel categories selected. Have studentsexplain why they do not belong.

Middle Sound Puzzles—Short Vowels

Helping Teachers Make A Difference® © 2010 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #304147

All activity guides can be found online:

Helping Teachers Make A Difference® © 2010 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #304147

Middle Sound Puzzles - Short Vowels

Middle Sound Puzzles – Short Vowels ActivityOne to four studentsObject: Match short vowel sounds in words using picture cuesMaterials: Puzzle Pieces, Game MatsBefore use, select two vowel sounds to compare and gathertheir Picture Puzzle Pieces. 1. Put the Category Puzzle Pieces at the top of each column

of your Mat. Name each one and say its vowel sound.2. Scatter the Picture Puzzle Pieces faceup around your Mat.3. Take a Picture Puzzle Piece and name it. Say its vowel sound.4. Put the Picture Puzzle Piece in the correct column on your

Mat.5. Continue until all the Picture Puzzle Pieces are used.6. Put the Pieces of your two short vowel Puzzles together.

Name each picture. If the Pieces fit together, you havedone it correctly. If not, take them apart and try again.

For two or more students, take turns.

Short Vowel Sounds a e i o u

Category Puzzle Piece van bed dig pot gum

Center Task CardPost this at the literacy center in a visible position. The studentor helper can refer to the Center Task Card for instructions.Refer to the shaded section at the top of the Card for centerpreparation, including needed materials.

Meeting State StandardsThis type of practice in middle-vowel sound identification andmatching helps students meet grade-level expectations andbuilds a strong phonological-awareness foundation.

Related Really Good Stuff® Products:Middle Sound Puzzles – Long Vowels (#304150)

Picture Puzzle Piecesin order of how they fittogether top to bottom

Middle Sound Puzzles Set 1 (red backs)

catpadmanragmapram

peghenlegredtenwet

zippinwigfinsitlip

hogcotboxdogtopmop

bunrubhuthugrugsun

Short Vowel Sounds a e i o u

Category Puzzle Piece crab nest fish clock brush

Picture Puzzle Piecesin order of how they fittogether top to bottom

Middle Sound Puzzles Set 2 (blue backs)

backbandflagclapflashtrack

bellneckchesttentsledshed

chickdishblimpsickhillskid

frogdolldropblocksockstop

humpstumpplugshrubtruckflush