Cut 5-inch long fish shapes from tag board. Write one uppercase or lowercase vowel marked with the breve (a symbol shaped like a bottom half of a circle that stands for a short-sounding vowel, like the "a" in talk) on each fish with a permanent black marker. Laminate the cards so they last longer. Slide a large metal paper clip onto the mouth of each fish. Make a fishing pole from a 1/2-inch diameter dowel rod and staple a 2-foot-long string to one end of the rod. Tie a doughnut-shaped magnet to the other end of the string. Have the children fish for vowels. When they catch a fish, they should say the short vowel sound of the letter on the fish. When you teach long vowel sounds, you can make additional fish with the vowels marked with the macron (a long dash over the vowel, like the "a" in take).
Make enough laminated 5-inch square cards from tag board for each student to have five. Each card in a set of five should have one matched uppercase and lowercase short vowel written and marked with the breve on the front of the card in permanent black marker. Give each child a set of short vowel cards. Say a short vowel sound and have the children hold up the card with the letter that says that sound. You can make additional cards with the long vowels marked with the macron.
Make one laminated bingo grid card per student with five squares across and down. Make the center square “FREE.” Randomly write upper and lowercase vowels with the breve in each square so each bingo card is different. Your students should listen for a short vowel sound and place a marker on the correct letter in the lowercase or uppercase form. The first student to cover an entire row across, down or diagonally should shout "Bingo!" When you study long vowel sounds, fill the squares with uppercase and lowercase vowels with the macron. As your students become proficient in vowel sounds, make bingo cards that mix short and long vowels.
Once your students learn the short vowels and a few consonants, they are ready to make C-V-C (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. Compile a list of words that follow this pattern. Write the consonant on the blackboard, leave a blank space and write the ending consonant. Have students take turns coming up to the black board, listening as you say the C-V-C word and writing the correct vowel in the blank.