Video narration
Can you hear the middle sound in this picture word, cat? Say cat slowly: c...a...t. CVC means consonant, vowel, consonant, so cat has a middle vowel. Now listen to bed: b...e...d. Both words have three letters, but their middle sounds are different. That middle vowel changes the word. Short a says the sound in cat. Short e says the sound in bed. Let's use picture cards. Cat, map, and hat: listen for the short-a sound. Bed, hen, and pen: listen for the short-e sound. You sort them. Where does map go: short a or short e? Short a. And hen? Short e. Say each word after you choose. So, can you hear the middle sound in that word? Yes. It changes the word. Short a says the sound in cat, and short e says the sound in bed. Listen, then choose the matching letter.