We want your feedback! Take our 3-minute survey and enter to win a $100 gift card from Bookshop.org!

  • Phonics

Decodable — The Man with the Velvet Hat

Schwa decodable the man with the velvet hat reading universe

Use this decodable text to give students practice reading two-syllable words with schwa, a lazy vowel that occurs in an unstressed syllable in a multisyllable word. Schwa sounds more like a short 'u' or short 'i' as opposed to a pure short or long vowel sound: for example, wag-ən and el-ə-phant.

Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and three anonymous donors.