1 Decodable Reading Passage

A short, decodable story embedding short e words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.

Pip's Ten Hens

Skill: Short E • Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was

Coloring page included in PDF

Pip felt sad. He had ten red hens. "Oh, no!" said Pip. His ten red hens were not in the pen. They had run off! Pip must get them back before bed. Pip saw the hens by the wet net. They hid in the tall bed of green stuff. Pip did not want to beg them. He ran to the tub. Pip got wet from the tub. He set the wet hen back. He led the rest to the pen. Pip said, "Go, hen, go to the pen!" One by one, the red hens ran to the pen. Pip then set a peg to hold the pen door. He gave a nod. The ten hens were good.

Circle or highlight all the short E words in the story above. How many did you find?

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2 Word Sort

Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: Real Words vs Nonsense Words.

Real Words

Nonsense Words

bed

red

fed

led

wed

hen

pen

ten

men

den

pet

ped

hep

kem

teg

feb

nen

bem

jev

wep

ked

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3 Phrasing Practice Cards

Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.

the bed on red

a red in fed

the fed and led

a led with wed

the wed on hen

a hen in pen

the pen and ten

a ten with men

the men on den

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4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)

Read each word in the grid as quickly as you can. Time yourself and try to beat your best time!

Decodable RAN Chart — Short E

bed

men

pet

let

bed

wed

let

men

wed

pet

let

pet

Target words: bed, wed, men, pet, let

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Free Printable Short E CVC Words (Story 2)

Mastering the short 'e' sound, often found in CVC words like "bed," "hen," and "jet," is a crucial step in early phonics, following initial work with short 'a'. This sound is produced with the mouth slightly open, tongue flat, and often presents challenges because young learners might confuse it with the short 'i' sound (saying "bin" instead of "ben") or even the short 'a' sound (saying "bat" instead of "bet"). The subtle difference in tongue placement between 'e' and 'i' can be tricky, leading to common mispronunciations like "pin" for "pen" or "git" for "get." Focusing on the clear, crisp 'eh' sound helps children differentiate these close vowel sounds, building a strong foundation for decoding. Our short 'e' worksheets provide targeted practice to solidify this sound. Begin with the decodable passage from "Pip's Ten Hens," guiding your child to sound out each word, emphasizing the 'eh' in "ten," "hens," and "fed." The word sort activity encourages active listening, helping them categorize words like "red" and "leg" by their shared short 'e' sound, distinguishing them from other vowels. Use the phrasing cards to build fluency, prompting them to read phrases like "a red hen" or "get wet" smoothly. Finally, the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart for short 'e' words will boost their speed and accuracy in recognizing these common CVC words, ensuring they can quickly retrieve and pronounce them without hesitation.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.

Short E CVC Words (Story 2)

1 Decodable Reading Passage

2 Word Sort

3 Phrasing Practice Cards

4 RAN Chart (Rapid Naming)

📖 Decodable Readers

Free Printable Short E CVC Words (Story 2)

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