Free printable word families o phonics worksheets. Four practice activities: decodable passage, word sort, phrasing cards, and rapid naming chart.
Grade: KPhase 1: FoundationsPattern: CVC word families: -ot, -op, -og
dotgothotlotnotpotrotcophopmoppoptop
1 Decodable Reading Passage
A short, decodable story embedding word families o words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.
Kim's Garden Pot
Skill: Word Families O • Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, on, his, her
Coloring page included in PDF
Kim had a bud in a red pot. Kim had to get a post for it.
Kim got on a long log. "This post is hot," Kim said. "My bud will get a lot of sun." She set the pot on top of the log.
Gus, her dog, sat on the log. He had a big, black cog.
Gus did a hop to the pot. Bonk! The pot did a big fall off the log.
"Oh no!" said Kim. Muck was on the sod.
Kim got the cog Gus had. It fit on the pot. It did a good job.
"Gus, you did help!" Kim said. She put the pot on the log, and the cog did stop it.
Circle or highlight all the CVC words in the story. Can you sort them by their vowel sound?
Cut out the word cards and sort them into the correct columns: -ot / -op Family vs -og Family.
-ot / -op Family
-og Family
dot
got
hot
lot
not
pot
rot
cop
hop
mop
pop
top
bog
cog
dog
fog
hog
jog
log
tog
Generated in your browser
3 Phrasing Practice Cards
Practice reading these phrases for fluency. Cut out the cards and read them quickly and smoothly.
the dot on got
a got in hot
the hot and lot
a lot with not
the not on pot
a pot in rot
the rot and cop
a cop with hop
the hop on mop
Generated in your browser
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 — Word Families O
hog
hop
hog
dot
dot
bog
bog
hop
not
hop
not
dot
hog
dot
bog
not
Target words: dot, not, hop, bog, hog
Generated in your browser
5 Word Search
Find and circle the word families o words hidden in the grid. Words go across, down, and diagonally — a fun way to reinforce word families o word recognition.
Word Families O Word Search
E
Q
S
X
U
Y
Z
W
G
U
O
F
R
B
N
O
O
W
J
H
N
C
L
O
T
H
G
P
W
J
T
O
H
W
T
T
V
O
X
Q
L
P
G
O
J
Y
A
T
R
L
H
M
I
S
T
P
T
O
P
R
H
O
R
J
N
P
O
G
G
H
O
P
Y
S
Y
O
W
P
O
V
P
N
D
O
T
P
T
E
N
T
M
M
Q
R
G
Y
I
V
A
S
COPDOTGOTHOPHOTLOTMOPNOTPOPPOTROTTOP
Generated in your browser
📖 Decodable Readers for Word Families O
Next step: once your child can sound out these words, have them read a matching decodable mini-book. Each Word Families O reader is a printable story + coloring page using only sounds they've learned.
The -ot, -op, and -og word families are essential CVC patterns for kindergarteners, building foundational decoding skills after students master individual letter sounds. These short 'o' families often present a unique challenge because the /o/ sound can be easily confused with the short /a/ or /u/ sounds, especially when quickly blending. For instance, a child might misread "pot" as "pat" or "put," or "dog" as "dag" or "dug." The subtle difference in tongue position for /o/ versus /a/ or /u/ requires focused practice. Additionally, the final consonant sounds /t/, /p/, and /g/ need clear articulation to differentiate words like "dot" from "dog," or "hop" from "hot," preventing common blending errors at this early stage. Mastering these distinct short 'o' CVC words solidifies a crucial step in their reading journey.
To maximize the effectiveness of these worksheets, focus on explicit sound blending and segmenting for words like "hot," "mop," and "log." Begin by reading the decodable passage, "Kim's Garden Pot," multiple times, emphasizing the target words in context. Encourage students to identify the common "ot," "op," and "og" endings. Next, use the word sort activity to categorize words, helping students visually and auditorily group similar patterns. For fluency, practice with phrasing cards, reading short phrases containing these words smoothly, such as "a hot pot" or "the big dog." Finally, utilize the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart to build quick recognition of these CVC words, prompting students to say "dot," "got," "hop," "top," "bog," "fog" as quickly as possible, reinforcing instant recall.
