Teaching Short Vowel Sounds Those short vowel sounds can really trip up our young readers. Several of the vowels sound so similar it’s no wonder that they can be so tricky. Discrimination activities, such as this vowel sticks activity, can help our students hear the differences between the sounds. Several years ago I attended a training based on Orton Gillingham methods and the training introduced a strategy called vowel intensives. Because those vowels can be so tricky, repeated practice is necessary- even if it’s just for a few minutes before introducing new phonics skills. When teaching short vowels, be sure to differentiate this activity.  You can do this by choosing which and how many vowels to use during instruction. You