Video narration
At the park, does A always make the same sound? Try "snack": its A is short. In "gate," A is long and says its letter name. E is short in "bench" and long in "green"; the long E says its name, too. A vowel letter does not always make one sound. Listen to the word to hear whether A or E is short or long. Now listen around the park: A in "snack," E in "bench," I in "sit," O in "dog," and U in "sun." These are the five vowel letters: A, E, I, O, U. You are listening for sounds, not just naming letters. Say each word and notice how its vowel sounds; the same letter can sound different in different words. No. At the park, A is short in "cat" and long in "gate"; listen to the vowel in each word.