I’ll never forget the day my son came home and told me all about how evil the letter ‘e’ can be. He taught me that the letter ‘e’ sometimes goes at the end of words and makes the vowels say their names. How rude! While I remember learning about Silent ‘e’ (worked for me), I’ve since learned that there are many other names for this trickster of a letter, including Evil E and Bossy E.
Are you using Sprout English’s Spotlight Phonics lesson in class this week? Have you reviewed Tanya’s pronunciation tips? Here are some fun songs and stories to share with your learners to get these rules to stick!
Evil E
“Say it Vowel! Say your name!”
Young kids act out a funny play with letters and demonstrate how ‘e’ hops over other letters and makes the vowel in front say its name. Evil E is bit of a bully, isn’t he?
Magic E
“Magic E makes the short sounds long.”
A fun song to sing along with as your students figure out E’s magic tricks. Includes a list of words with Magic E.
Silent E
“All I have to do is stay quiet!”
Silent E shows how he plays the jumping game. Kids will love when Silent E starts to sing faster! What other tricks does he have up his sleeve?
Super E
“He can jump over one letter and if he finds a vowel, he can make it say its name!”
Not every ‘e’ is a Super E!
Bossy E
“If you’re an a, or an e, or an i, o, or u, then I’m the boss of you!”
A fun song with a great visual review of the vowels.
Teaching Idea
Does your school have a reading buddy or learning partner program? If you teach older students, assign them the task of creating a song, skit, or story about this tricky letter. Students can choose one of the names above (e.g., Super E or Magic E) or make up their own name using a synonym or other adjective they like (e.g., Stubborn E). Have your students present their skits, songs, or stories to a younger audience.
Related
Find Sprout English’s Silent ‘e’ lesson in the Phonics Cafe – Book 3. Here are some related resources.
- Alphabet Review
- ABC of Alphabet Activities
- Alphabet Name Game
- Alphabetizing Fun – Christmas Activities
- Plurals: Phonics Lesson
- Pronunciation of Plural Endings
- Pronunciation Game – A Plural Party
- Phonics Lesson: M to R
- Pronunciation Practice: L & R
- “ph” & “wh” Words
- Pronunciation of “ph” & “wh” Words
- Three-Letter Words
- Pronunciation of Past Tense Endings
- Question Intonation – Yes/No & Wh-Questions
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