Step 4: Magic e (& contractions detour)

Magic e at the end of a word makes the vowel before it say it's name — Magic e

c says /s/ before an e, i, or y
g says /j/ before an e, i, or y — Usually c says /s/ and g says /j/ in front of e, i or y

Definitions:
VCE stands for Vowel, Consonant, e, which are the last 3 letters in a the Magic e syllable. The vce is always at the end of a word (bike, explode). The exception os when the vce is at the end of the first word in a compound word (facemask, baseball).
CCVCE signals there will be blends (two consonants, cc) at the beginning of the Magic e words.

Teaching/Learning to Read

teachingvideos

Teaching Videos

Magic e syllable

Magical alternate story for the Magic e Syllable

2 sounds for long ū (same video as on Open and Closed Syllable page)

TEACH ALONG THE WAY ●●●

Teach and add the relevant sounds (ce, ci, cy, ca, etc. and ge, gi, gy, ga, etc.) from the Big Sounds Pack to daily practice.

ce, ci, cy say /s/: When a c is followed by an e, i or y it says its soft sound /s/. When a c is followed by a, o, u or any consonant letter, it says it’s hard sound /k/. Find more resources here.

ge, gi, gy say /j/: When g is followed by an e, i or y it usually says its soft sound /ğ/ as in gym. When g is followed by a, o, u or any consonant letter, it usually says it’s hard sound /ḡ/ as in gate. There are more exceptions to this than for the c. Find more resources here.

Vowel Protectors protect vowels from Magic e: As we learned in Steps 1 and 2, -ck, -ffsszzll, -tch and -dge come after a short vowel to protect it from a Magic e. Letters are also doubled in words to act as vowel protectors like in the words peppermint and planned.

We do not end words in v, j, i or u: In English, we do not end words in v, j, i or u. (The four common exceptions are the pronouns you, thou, hi and I). In a word that ends in a vowel, v, e the first vowel might not say its name since the e may be there so the v is not at the end. The i in give says its sound, the a in gave says it’s name, and the i in live is pronounced both ways!

Contractions Detour!
Sometimes we shove 2 words together and use an an apostrophe to show where we took out the letter(s). “Is not” can also be “isn’t.”

Bundle: Contractions Lesson and 4 Games
– Contractions PowerPoint
– Contractions flashcards: Match the contraction to the words spelled out.

Teaching Activity

Act Out Open, Closed and Magic e Syllables Just like teaching the Open and Closed syllables, make letter cards and act out what the vowel would say in different situations, and now include the Magic e running up to a word. Find directions here.

Practice Reading

KEY:
K-1 Beginning
1-2 Growing
Intervention/Challenge
* A favorite!

Bundle: Additional various activities to practice a specific skill
Pack: Additional multiple versions of a specific activity to practice a specific skill

bundlesandpacks

Magic e Bundles!

Magic e with only CVC words Bundle Magic e level 1 with only CVC words with words, pyramids with flashcards, games and stories
Magic e with blends and multiple syllable words Bundle Magic e level 2 with blends and Multiple Syllable words with pyramids with flashcards, games and stories

Magic e Pack!

Magic e VCE story Pack Full Page Story with List ALL

Individual Materials including materials for more advanced learners:

Lists

Word and Phrase Lists

Highlighting Wordlists

Word Lists
Magic e CVC to CVCE word pairs list It is the Sam Same Sock Sam (also in CVC Bundle above)
Magic e CVC to CVCE fold to cover the e list Hide (also in CVC Bundle above)
Magic e VCE word families Ace vertical lists
Magic e VCE word families Cake For A Snake horizontal tracking
Magic e CCVCE by word family Snake Grape with blends
Magic e VCE mixed word list 1 Is It Ripe
Magic e VCE mixed word list 2 Bone
Magic e VCE two sounds for ū Use Dude.
Magic e VCE ce and ge list with and without challenge question at end

VCE Phrases
Magic e VCE words and phrases activity How Many Can You Find and Say: Gross!
Magic e VCE phrases a words A Safe Male Rat
Magic e VCE phrases i words I Can Ride A Mile
Magic e VCE phrases o words A Mole In The Hole
Magic e VCE phrases 2 sounds for ū words A Cute Mule
Magic e VCE phrases timing option Cube of Ice
Magic e VCE phrases timing option In The Crate
Magic e VCE sentences timing option Jake Has A Fake Snake

Multiple Syllable
Magic e VCE 2 syllables to put together and read Explore
Magic e VCE compound words Inside
Magic e CVC CV VCE mixed practice multi-syllable divisions Robin
Magic e CVC CV VCE (mostly closed) mixed practice multi-syllable MUSTANG
Magic e Challenge CVC VCE multiple syllable words, definitions and sentences Divide and Define #1
Magic e Challenge CVC VCE multiple syllable words, definitions, sentences Divide and Define #2

Flashcards

Flashcards

Magic e Flashcards and Sort
Magic e Flashcards
Magic e Flip Chute Cards (See directions for Flip Chute Cards on the Directions page.)
Magic e VCE Open, Closed, Magic e Word Changes flashcards/activity (includes directions)
Magic e VCE Make Words with VCE endings and Blends Flashcards/activity (includes directions)

Fluency Pyramids

Magic e VCE Beginning Fluency Pyramids #1-10 Pack with wordlists and index (included in bundles above)

Games

Games

Game Directions

Sound Games
Magic e VCE a, i sounds Trains
Magic e VCE o, u sounds Sports
Magic e VCE o, a, i sounds Bird and Squirrel

Word Games (c cays /s/ and g says /j/ when followed by an e)
Magic e VCE with only CVC words Games Pack (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CVC to CVCE words Cut a Cute Cape (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CVC to CVCE Do You See The e? (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CVC to CVCE We Hope to See Our Pals (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CV to CVC to CVCE words Butterflies (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE words I Like A Nice Bone (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE words Ice Cream Cones Yum (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE words Fun at the Lake (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CVC and VCE ZAP
Magic e VCE words Ovals1 (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE words Ovals 2 (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e CCVCE words Trace the Whale (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e CVCE words Capture the Shark (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e CVCE words Capture the Jellyfish (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)

Phrase Games
Magic e VCE a phrases I Like to Bake (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE i phrases Game Time (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE o phrases Get the Hose (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE u phrases Cute Mule (included in CVC Bundle 1 above)
Magic e VCE phrases A Cute Red Rose
Magic e VCE phrases Chimp on a Vine
Magic e VCE phrases Name the Mice
Magic e VCE sentences I Hid Your Gift (included in blends Bundle 2 above)

Spelling

Spelling

Practice with words from the lists, games etc., or use the lists below.
* Having learners spell with word chains where the coach says “change one sound in (chop) to spell (chip), now change one sound in (chip) to spell (sip)” is a powerful way to draw student’s attention to individual sounds in the words!

Use Magic e lists for spelling words. Mix Magic e words with closed syllable words. When spelling multiple syllable words pronounce and spell one syllable at a time.

Magic e VCE Word Chain spelling Wake to Spit

Syllable Sorts

See syllable sort directions and headings and a strategy page in Teacher Resources below.

Syllable Sort Directions
Syllable Sort Headings

Closed and Magic e word sort
Open, Closed and Magic e syllable sort

Small Books

Magic e VCE 4 page with only CVC words 4 Page Stories #1-6 Pack horizontal format (also in CVC Bundle above)
Magic e VCE 4 page with CVC words and blends 4 Page Stories #7-15 Pack horizontal format (also in blends Bundle above)
Magic e VCE 4 page 4 Page Stories #1-15 all together Pack
Magic e VCE small book Cub in a Cube cvc cvce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small book I Like Mice foldable format
Magic e VCE small book What to feed Cute Mice foldable format
Magic e VCE small book Who Is She cvc vc vce foldable format
Magic e VCE small book Mice Are Nice ccvc vce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small book The Big Egg Mess cvc cvce ll ss horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small book Would You Like To vce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small book Rub a Dub Dub cvc cvce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small book Brave Snake cvce ccvce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE small Book Bad, Bad horizontal and vertical formats
4 page Books:
Magic e VCE 4 page Late For The Date -ate family horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page My Best Day -ake family horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page Cap Man cvc cvce horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page Jane and Mike Were Late horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page Who took a Slice horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page Vote for Super Hero horizontal and vertical formats
Magic e VCE 4 page The Race with a Cheat (vowel team ea) horizontal and vertical formats

Magic e VCE teach vce + ing small book Baking horizontal format

Full Page Stories with Lists

Highlighting Word Lists directions

Magic e VCE Full Page Story with List ALL Pack (included in blends Bundle 2 above)

Magic e VCE list and story -ake family Make a Joke (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE list and story -ame family My Tame Goat (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE list and story -ave, -ake, -ale families The Tale of Dave (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE list and story mixed Dave was Late (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE list and story mixed The Strike (included in blends Bundle 2 above)
Magic e VCE list and story with c and g Bruce (included in blends Bundle 2 above)

Teacher Resources

Visuals

Teaching Stories

Written Story: Magic e as told in Teaching Video
Written Story: 2 Sounds for Long u Story as told in Teaching Video
Alternate Explanation For the 2 Sounds of Long u:
- The name of the letter u is pronounced like the word “you”. This word has two phonemes (sounds): the /y/ sound (as in yes), and then the /oo/ sound (as in moon). In words like use and cute the letter u’s full name is heard.
- When the u is saying its name, it often goes by a nickname (a shorter version of its name). For its nickname the u drops the first phoneme (sound) /y/ and we only hear the second phoneme (sound) /oo/. We only hear the /oo/ sound of the u’s name in words like tube and flute.

PowerPoints

PowerPoint: Magic e from Teaching Video
PowerPoint: Practice Reading Magic e Words in Chunks
PowerPoint: All Syllable Types with Practice (Directions in notes section on each slide) Use only slides that are relevant to where you are in the steps.

Directions

Map Sounds to Letters

First map the sounds in the word to the letter(s) representing the sounds, even if it is not a letter combination that has been taught yet. Only an unusual sound/letter combination needs to be remembered “by heart.” Mapping the sounds to the letters is how we remember what words look like. See example below:

Map sounds to the letters that spell those sounds. Teach spelling

Be sure to reinforce what you know and are learning about words:
Schwa Sound: Any vowel might say /u/. Point out this happens in many common words like: the, of, was, some, from…