Dr. Seuss’s book “Hop on Pop” is full of rhymes focusing on short vowel sounds. “Hop on pop” and “pup in cup” are two examples of the rhymes that Dr. Suess illustrates using fanciful creatures and objects. Read this book with your third graders, and ask them to use its format as a model for creating their own short vowel rhymes. Have the students complete their rhymes with illustrations created in the style of Dr. Suess. Compile and copy the students’ illustrated rhymes into a classroom booklet that the children can keep.
Test your third graders’ understanding of short vowel sounds by playing “I Spy” with them. Instruct them, using objects clearly visible in the classroom, to create a list of items that they see that contain short vowel sounds. Offer students a time limit of five or 10 minutes in which to complete the task. Once the time is up, have each student read his list of objects, allowing the whole class to evaluate whether each object identified contains at least one short vowel sound. Award a special prize such as stickers or markers to the child who identifies the most words containing short vowel sounds. If two or more students tie, award extra credit for correct spelling to determine a winner.
Introduce your class to some examples of haiku, explaining that these poems, while describing a variety of subjects, must follow a specific pattern. Each haiku must contain three lines, with line one being five syllables; line two, seven syllables; and line three, five syllables. Ask the class to work together to compile a list of words with short vowels that connect to a particular subject, such as winter or Halloween. Write the words suggested by the children on the board. Have each child create his own haiku on the chosen subject, using the word list created by the class for inspiration. Let the students read their finished poems to the class.
Review short vowels with your third graders by having them complete worksheets that focus on each vowel separately. Allow your students to explore the subtleties of why vowels sometimes make a long sound and sometimes make a short sound. Offer them worksheets that show the effect of an “r” when it follows the vowel, what sort of vowel sound is usually followed by a double consonant and the effect of a silent ending “e” on the vowel that precedes it in a word. Show the change in pronunciation when “plan” becomes “plane” or “wag” becomes “wage,” for example.