Free printable · Sound: short e and u
Short e and u CVC Decodable Story – The Red Bus (Free Printable)
A short decodable story that practises the short e and u sound, plus a matching handwriting sheet. Every word can be sounded out by a child who has learned first sounds, apart from a few common tricky words.
Download the free PDF (2 pages, A4)Prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use.
For parents
- Read the story together three times this week. Your child colours a star each time.
- Point to each word as they read. Short e says e as in egg; short u says u as in umbrella. Listen for the middle sound.
- Hunt for the short e and u words and write six of them in the boxes.
- Finish with the tracing sheet: trace the grey words, then write each one on its own.
For teachers
- Fits a systematic synthetic phonics sequence at Set 1 · First sounds, after teaching the short e and short u sounds. Suits Foundation.
- Tracing sheet uses the QLD Beginners handwriting style.
- 48 words, 9 different short e and u words, short sentences.
- Use for small-group reading, repeated reading for fluency, or homework.
- Photocopy freely for your class.
short e and u words in this story
- the
- bus
- red
- runs
- gets
- hums
- up
- end
- fun
Tricky words used
- the
- is
- to
- a
- has
Common words that can't be fully sounded out yet. Practise them by sight.
More First sounds printables
Practise short e and u with Digby
In Wombat Words, your child reads stories like this one aloud and Digby follows along, then they trace the tricky words in their school's handwriting style. You get a report showing which sounds they've mastered.