Teaching Silent Final E: The Split Vowel Spelling Rule

I don’t know about you, but when it was time to introduce the concept of long vowels in the middle of one-syllable words ending in “e”, I would spend long hours in prayer…first for my sanity and then for my students’ comprehension! Sure, there are some great ways to get this concept across to kids, but below, I have outlined what I think works best.

Teach this first: Any of the single vowels make a long sound if immediately followed by an “e”. Let me say it again. Any time you place an “e” after the single vowels a, u, i, o, and e, you will hear the first vowel’s long sound, and the “e” goes silent. (For a more in-depth discussion about this first step, check out this post.)

NOW…it’s time to teach the Split Vowel Spelling Rule for Silent Final E. You may find it hard to believe, but this rule eventually just rolls right of the tongue! It’s so simple for little minds to grab onto because it provides the rationale for why the tiny letter “e” can have such power over the vowel it used to be paired with!

Here’s what happens when we split apart the vowel teams with a consonant. (We will use the following examples in our discussion: lie, hoe, cue.)

LIE 

If I use the consonant “k” to split apart the i and e found in the word lie, what happens? I get the new word: like.

This is a direct application of the Split Vowel Spelling Rule! I explain that VC+e and CVC+e words are simply showing a V+e pattern that got split apart by a consonant. (Even young students begin to grasp this concept over a period of spaced repetition. It is a simple and effective explanation!)

HOE

If I use the consonant “p” to split apart the o and e in hoe, what happens? I get the new word: hope.

CUE

If I use the consonant “t” to split apart the u and e in cue, what happens? I get the new word: cute!

Now, this may not seem like earth-shattering news, but this kind of logical teaching can set students on a much more successful path for understanding spelling…and ultimately for improving their reading.

Next time, I will introduce Rule 2: The V-C-G-U Rule. You won’t want to miss it!

(This post is part of a series on Silent Final E. To start at the beginning, click here.)

The Prerequisite for Teaching Silent Final E

If there’s one subject I enjoy teaching almost as much as English grammar, it’s phonemic awareness, phonics, and spelling! I know it’s strange, but my linguistic brain has always identified with letters and the sounds they represent. When I began teaching phonemic awareness and phonics as an aid for spelling, letters began to take on a personality in my brain. It happened quite by accident, but I started noticing that certain letters could be grouped based upon their attributes of both position and function. So, without getting too deep into the linguistics, I would like to introduce you to four important reasons for the Silent Final E. And once kids understand the “why”, it will be easier for them to remember to include the silent e on words that require it. Below is Part 1, which will explain an important feature of vowel pairs. This is a prerequisite to lock down with kids before moving on to the first rule.

You will want to teach the following basic letter pattern concept:

Vowel + Silent Final E : Pattern (V + e)

-When you put a Vowel e just after any one of the other vowels, you make a Vowel Team.

-A Vowel Team is two vowels side by side that make one sound.

-When you put an e after any of the vowels, you will hear the first vowel say its long sound, and the e becomes a silent e.

Here’s a completed list of these vowel teams:

Next time, I will officially introduce Rule 1 for Silent Final E: The Split-Vowel Spelling Rule. You won’t want to miss it!