The letters oo are the same on the page but make two different sounds. The long oo sound is in moon, food and spoon. The short oo sound is in book, foot and good. A second grader who knows only one of these sounds will stumble on words such as cook or tooth, so this sheet asks the child to listen carefully. Each item shows one word, and below it three more words that all have oo in them.
Only one of the three has the same oo sound as the first word. The child says each word aloud, listens to the vowel sound, and circles the match. Ask your child to move their mouth to feel the difference: the long sound is lips rounded and tight, the short sound is looser.
What your child will learn
Tell the long oo sound from the short oo sound
Match words that have the same vowel sound
Read words with oo correctly
Common Core standard: RF.2.3.B
Worked example
The first word is moon. The choices are good, book and spoon. Moon and spoon have the same long oo sound, so circle spoon.
Common mistake
Choosing a word because it has oo in it, without listening for which oo sound it makes.
Helpful hint
Say the first word, then each choice. Which choice has the same oo sound?