CVC Word Search Worksheet 27: Short u

The activity keeps all five targets on one short-vowel pattern: pug, rub, rug, run, sub. Finding each three-letter sequence asks pupils to hold the word in mind, track letters in order and check that all three graphemes match before marking the grid.

What is included?

• One printable activity page.
• One completed answer-key page.
• Two terms pages in the four-page PDF.

How to use this resource

Read pug together and trace its letters in the target list before searching the grid. Encourage children to point to each letter in sequence. When they find sub, ask them to read it aloud again rather than treating the task as a visual puzzle only.

Support and challenge

Give children a card showing the three letters in rub if tracking is difficult. For challenge, ask them to group pug, rub, rug, run, sub by final consonant or use two of the words in short oral sentences.

Teaching notes and quick assessment

Before starting CVC word search worksheet 27, ask pupils to blend pug, rub, rug, run and sub from the word list. When they locate pug or rub, have them track all three letters in sequence rather than circle a familiar shape.

After the grid is complete, cover the list and dictate sub. A secure learner segments it, records the correct vowel and checks the result by blending. This connects the puzzle to the systematic decoding guidance in the Department for Education reading framework.