spelling Archives - Pure Joy Teaching

Final Silent E is Helper Letter

More than just magic E. The final silent E is often overlooked and under- taught as a valuable spelling skill that can help many students who struggle with spelling.

Learning this helpful pattern helps to explain lots of predictable English spellings.

One of the best ways to explain why the letter E is so busy helping is because ot the spelling rule that says these four letters are not allowed to be at the end of English words. So naturally, they need a silent helper, or another letter steps in and helps.

Visual pictures are more engaging to young learners.

Learning can be fun when you link the spelling rules and patterns into groups that make sense of the spelling patterns.

At Pure Joy Teaching, we use visuals and educational games to highlight these spelling patterns. Starting with CVCe- Crazy 8-style game that uses the word play of (ate) as wild cards. It includes soft c & g and tricky words that have the letter S making the Z sound.

What are the silent E rules?

While many people learn only the basic “magic e” rule, silent e performs eight distinct jobs in English spelling and pronunciation:

Making the preceding vowel long (CVCe pattern): The silent e signals that the preceding vowel should say its long sound (its name). Examples include cape, kite, hope, and cube.
Preventing words from ending in V or U: Native English words do not end in the letters v or u, so a final silent e is added. Examples include have, give, love, blue, and true.
Softening C and G: A silent e after the letters c or g changes their pronunciation to soft sounds—turning c into /s/ and g into /j/. Examples include face, ice, cage, and huge.
Preventing singular words from looking plural: Adding a silent e to singular base words ending in s prevents them from looking like plurals. Examples include house, nurse, horse, and moose (differentiating it from moos).
Giving every syllable a vowel: Since every English syllable must contain at least one vowel, silent e provides the vowel in consonant--le (C-le) syllables. Examples include table, apple, little, and bubble.
Making short words look complete: English orthography visually favors words that are at least three letters long, so a silent e is added to short words to give them standard length. Examples include awe, are, bye, owe, and tie.
Changing TH from unvoiced to voiced: Silent e modifies the th digraph from an unvoiced sound to a voiced sound.. Examples include changing bath to bathe and breath to breathe.
Distinguishing meaning between homophones: Silent e helps readers differentiate between words or homophones that sound the same but have different meanings or grammatical functions. Examples include or vs. ore, for vs. fore, and by vs. bye

Nessy has a great video for the -ve rule and sight word have.

Point v, can not be alone at the end of words.

The syllable rule: every syllable needs a written vowel. We have a PICKLE Game for that. This game also inlcudes a colored spelling patterns for the vowels. It’s more than just silent E, is using advacned spelling patterns with a key card that students can use to decode the vowels, vowel teams, R-controlled, and tricky Y.

Student love this game. It has lots of action cards with the pickle theme.

You Can Teach Spelling Rules in Game Style

Easy-prep literacy game for reviewing the many reasons for the silent e. This highly engaging card game. Colorful picture-embedded phonics to support the spelling rules and patterns. I have, who has ? Will have your first-grade or second-grade students reading Long Vowels with Silent E with ease!

The rules for silent E are embedded into a reading game style activity. Who has?

Visuals in books and stories are another way to explain spelling patterns to students. In this book: The Vowel Tree, by author D. Passmore. The little letter U is shown as scared to be alone, and the letter E comes to the rescue.

Spelling to the Rescue

Thank you so much for reading this article. Please follow me on Facebook and TPT for more spelling support.

Why Can My Child Sound Out Words, But Still Struggle to Understand What They Read?

If you are a parent or educator of a child with dyslexia, you may have encountered a puzzling gap: your student can decode words, but their reading fluency is multiple grade levels behind, and their reading comprehension is dangerously low.

When schools focus solely on decoding accuracy as the requirement for extra support, children with fluency and comprehension deficits often get left behind. But science tells us that sounding out words is only the first step—and without automaticity, reading becomes an exhausting mental effort.

The Science: The Working Memory Bottleneck

To understand why a child who can sound out words still struggles to comprehend, we have to look at how the human brain processes information:

Working Memory is Strictly Limited: Cognitive Load Theory shows that our working memory (our conscious “mental workspace”) can only hold roughly 4 to 7 chunks of new information at once.
Labored Decoding Overloads the Brain: When a child has not yet mastered automatic word recognition, sounding out letters requires conscious, step-by-step mental calculation.
The “Memory Decay” Effect: Imagine trying to read a long page of random numbers. You might pronounce every single digit correctly, but by the time you reach the end of the line, your brain has forgotten the numbers at the beginning.

When a child with dyslexia spends all their cognitive energy translating letters into sounds, their working memory reaches cognitive overload. There is simply no mental space left over to organize ideas, connect sentences, or remember what was just read.

How We Bridge the Gap: Offloading Cognitive Strain

The key to helping dyslexic readers transition from labored decoding to true comprehension is reducing extraneous cognitive load—taking the heavy mechanical strain off working memory so the brain can focus on meaning.

Here is how targeted, structured literacy tools make reading easier and more effective:

Visual Picture Mnemonics (Dual Coding): The brain processes visual images and spoken sounds through two separate channels. Embedded picture mnemonics—like turning the vowel team ui into a basket of fruit—give students an immediate visual anchor. Instead of frantically searching their memory for an abstract rule, the visual cue instantly unlocks the sound, saving precious working memory capacity.
“Chunk and Chew” Reading Formats: Long, dense paragraphs overwhelm short-term storage. Decodable comic formats break stories into bite-sized, digestible panels. Asking a child to read a short section and draw the scene forces them to build a mental picture of the story, ensuring they comprehend as they go.
Logical Rules Over Rote Memorization: English spelling can feel full of random “exceptions” that frustrate dyslexic learners. For example, knowing that Final Silent E acts as a guardian because English words do not end in v or u turns confusing words like have or blue into a logical schema. Giving students clear structural rules removes trial-and-error guessing.
Visual Phonics for Tricky Words: Homophones (like there and their) cause major cognitive friction. Embedding subtle visual clues directly into letter shapes—like dressing the letter i in their in a sports uniform to mean “I am on their team”—helps students permanently map word spellings and meanings into long-term memory.

Making Literacy Accessible and Joyful

Dyslexia is not a reflection of a child’s intelligence or effort—it is a working memory challenge. When we provide visual anchors, bite-sized practice, and logical spelling frameworks, we remove the “spelling tax” and free up their minds to discover the true joy of reading.

At Pure Joy Teaching, our structured phonics games, decodable comics, and picture-embedded anchor charts are designed using these exact Science of Reading principles. They give parents and educators simple, no-prep tools that reduce cognitive load and build confident, fluent readers.

Why Some Children Know the Alphabet… But Still Can’t Read

If you have a struggling reader and are looking for more resources to help you help them at home on in the classroom. Here are a few more things that have worked for us. These are not affiliate links, just honest advise.

Nessy has a free spelling Ebook. It is great for students, and they have lots of great videos.

Uncovering the Logic of English, by Author Denise Eide. It is a great book, and she has lots of great videos.

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The Magic of Self-Checking: Why “Flip Chutes” are a Spelling Game-Changer for Struggling Readers

If you have ever watched a student freeze up, sigh, or wildly guess when trying to spell words with vowel teams, you are not alone. Long a vowel patterns (a_e, ai, and ay) are notoriously tricky for early readers and spellers. A student hears the sound /ā/ and is suddenly forced to choose between three different spelling pathways. Under cognitive pressure, their working memory often collapses, leading to frustration and guesswork

Traditional spelling instruction often relies on dry, repetitive writing lists or flat worksheets. But cognitive science shows that spellers—especially those who struggle or have dyslexia—need a multisensory, interactive, and immediate feedback loop to lock spelling patterns into long-term memory

That is exactly why we created the Long a (a-e, ai, ay) Flip Chute Spelling Cards. By pairing the cognitive science of spelling with a physical, self-checking toy, we have turned a major spelling hurdle into an independent, joyful success.

Here is a look at the reading science behind why this simple, self-checking flip chute activity is so incredibly effective for the brain.

Flip-Chute Box. Sample with other phonemic games.

1. Lowering the Working Memory Tax

Spelling is cognitively much harder than reading. While reading is decoding (translating visual print into speech), spelling is encoding (taking an auditory concept, segmenting it into isolated sounds, retrieving the matching graphemes, and physically writing them in the correct sequence.

This process places a heavy tax on a child’s working memory—the brain’s temporary mental “sticky note”. For children with processing differences or dyslexia, this sticky note is very small. When asked to spell a word like spray or paint completely from scratch, their working memory easily overflows.

Our Flip Chute spelling cards act as a supportive external scaffold:

The cards provide the visual anchor of a picture and a partially spelled word (e.g., tr _ _ n or pl _ _).
Because the rest of the word’s structure is held stable on the card, the student’s working memory is freed from tracking the other letters.
The child can focus 100% of their conscious processing power on evaluating the target vowel sound, applying the spelling rules, and making the correct phonogram choice (ai, ay, or a_e).

Student chooses the “chunks” that are missing.

2. Applying “Spelling Position Rules” (Orthography vs. Guessing)

English spelling is not a random system of exceptions; it is highly logical and driven by vowel position rules. By isolating long a spellings, students learn to use position-based patterns to guide their choices

By isolating the long a spellings onto targeted cards, students learn to use positional rules to guide their choices. (Tap-it out, where is the sound?) Beginning, middle, or end.

They learn that ay is a vowel team that strictly lives at the end of a base word or syllable (e.g., play, clay).
They learn that ai is used in the middle of a word or syllable and is typically followed by a consonant (e.g., train, rain).
They learn that a_e (split digraph/Magic e) uses a silent final e to reach back and make the a say its name (e.g., gate, cake).

Instead of guessing, the student’s brain begins to build structured pathways, categorizing words by position and orthographic rules.

Red Font -Highlights the target skill.

3. The Power of Instant Self-Correction

In traditional worksheets, a student might write a spelling error (like spelling plain as plane) and not receive feedback until the worksheet is graded days later. By that time, the incorrect visual representation has already begun to map itself into the student’s brain as a valid pathway.

Immediate feedback is a critical intervention catalyst. When a student picks one of the three spelling “chunks” and drops it into the flip chute, the card physically tumbles and flips, instantly revealing the correct answer on the back. They can also write the word on whiteboards or paper and then self-check. Rewriting and correcting if necessary. Instant feedback.

If they are correct, the correct spelling is immediately reinforced, building orthographic mapping.
If they are incorrect, they experience an instant cognitive reset. They see the correct spelling right next to their target, allowing them to wipe the card clean and correct their mistake immediately.
This error-correction loop ensures that only accurate phonetic maps are consolidated into long-term memory.

Orthographic Spelling with game-like style.

4. Meeting the Repetition Threshold (Through Joy!)

The science of reading reveals a stark truth about spelling and word automaticity: the number of exposures a brain needs to turn a word into a “sight word” (recognized instantly without conscious effort) varies dramatically by learner.

Most Able Learners: Need only 1 to 2 repetitions.
Average Learners: Need 4 to 14 repetitions.
Least Able/Struggling Learners: Need 20 or more repetitions to achieve automatic word recognition

Getting a struggling speller to willingly write and analyze the same spelling pattern 20+ times on a piece of paper is a recipe for anxiety and avoidance.

Because the flip chute feels like magic to a young student, it gamifies high-frequency repetition. Dropping the card, hearing it tumble, and watching it emerge flipped provides a highly satisfying tactile and visual reward. Students willingly cycle through deck after deck, racking up the high number of correct repetitions required to build automatic word recognition—all while laughing and playing.

5. A Tri-Sensory Brain Match

As research shows, learning is accelerated when we integrate multiple neurological pathways—seeing, hearing, saying, and writing. These flip cards are a masterclass in tri-sensory instruction.

Visual: The student sees the clear, beautifully illustrated keyword pictures, identifying the word’s meaning, and tracks the printed grapheme patterns.
Auditory/Oral: The student pronounces the word aloud, segments the phonemes, and oralizes the spelling rule.
Tactile/Kinesthetic: The student physically writes the vowel team with a dry-erase marker (building handwriting muscle memory) and physically manipulates the cards through the chute.

By triggering all three pathways simultaneously, your student is building a robust, resilient reading and spelling network in the brain.

Ready to Add This Science-Backed Center to Your Literacy Block?

Spelling practice doesn’t have to be a battle of wills. By moving away from flat busywork and adopting highly interactive, self-checking tools, you can give your students the exact cognitive support they need to succeed independently.

👉 [Click here to grab the a-e, ai, ay Long a Flip Chute Spelling Cards bundle in our TPT Store] and start slaying the guessing monster in your classroom today!

Looking for the whole spelling set?

Flip Chute Smart Spelling Game

Spelling to the Rescue

Unlocking the Magic of Vowels: A Creative Way for Kids to See Spelling Patterns

As educators and parents, we know that learning to read and spell can be challenging for young students. Traditional drills and rote memorization often leave children frustrated or disengaged. But what if we could make spelling visual, playful, and memorable—so that kids can see the patterns as well as read them?

That’s the idea behind my new series of books, Pure Joy Phonics. Designed specifically to help students connect visual storytelling with vowel spelling patterns. Each book brings letters to life in a world where they have personalities, feelings, and relationships—making the abstract rules of spelling something kids can actually see and understand.

In: The Vowel Tree

Take the letter “u”, for example. In these books, “u” is a curious little letter who doesn’t like to be alone at the end of words. When it finds itself lonely, the silent “e” swoops in like a superhero, giving “u” a partner and forming the magic of words like blue and glue. With clever illustrations and playful narratives, children can visualize why letters behave the way they do—and the patterns stick.

This approach does more than teach spelling; it encourages children to think about words as a system, noticing the relationships between letters, sounds, and meaning. It also empowers educators and parents with a fun, ready-to-use tool that makes reading instruction engaging and effective.

Whether your students are struggling spellers or eager word explorers, these books offer a fresh way to build confidence and curiosity. With each page, children are not just memorizing rules—they’re discovering the personalities of letters and the stories behind the words they read every day.

If you’re looking for a new method to help students connect visually to spelling patterns, this series brings both magic and learning into every lesson. Invite your students into a world where letters have lives of their own, and watch as the rules of spelling become something they can see, remember, and enjoy.

The first two books are in print, and more books are on the way. Look for them on Amazon.

The Vowel Tree By D. Passmore

The Vowel Tree Christmas Tale Book

Reading VS Spelling

Balancing Mastery Between Reading and Spelling

This question is one that I see asked often on Facebook and hear from educators, parents, and homeschoolers. “The student can read, but struggles so hard to spell.”

This ongoing struggle is hard for the student and the educator. Leaving both of them deflated and questioning what to do next. I was that kid. I was that educator. Through those experiences, I found some solutions that have really made a difference for my own spelling and how I work with the students in front of me.

I will lay out the top key points that helped me bridge the reading to spelling mastery for myself and my students. I am not a perfect speller, but I do have a better grasp of why some words are spelled the way they are.

For educators, parents, tutors…

Knowledge

Read the book: Uncovering The Logic of English, by Denise Eide. Or watch some of her videos. Truly, the best spelling rule/pattern advice out there. That I have read. As the educator, you need to understand why some words break the rules. You can explain it to the students and make it easier for them to master spelling.

The kid-friendly spelling version that I love is free from Nessy. Improve your spelling free resource from Nessy.

Letter Sounds

Make sure the sounds are made correctly. Many educators and parents are shocked by the realization that the sound they have been teaching for the letter symbol is making it harder to blend. This video will help 44 phonemes by Rollins Center. Her tip is clip the extra schwa sound at the end of the letter sound. Make sure it is a clear /b/ sound, not “buh.” Occasionally, letter name confusion is an issue.

Vowel Sounds are Important

Every English word must have at least one vowel in it, or a letter that is acting as a vowel, such as tricky Y. Without the vowels, they are just letters and not words. Letters I and A, are words on their own. Vowels have long and short sounds; the consonants do not. So, mastery starts with the knowledge that these five letters, a, e, i, o, u can do special things. Letter Y, is tricky. As the first letter, Y will say its sound. After that, it may act as a vowel, and the sound may depend on the syllable placement.

The origins of words are important to remember; our favorite word, pizza, is not English in its origins. That is why the vowels make different sounds.

Closed and Open Syllables

Open and closed syllables are one of the very first syllables that emergent readers will come across in their reading. Many educators skip over the explanation and just call them High Frequency Words HFW. However, there is an opportunity to teach the students why I say its name “I.” The letter I is an open syllable. When the letter t or n, is next to the letter I, it is now closed.

I – open, In -closed, It – closed

A – open, At – closed

Go – open, Got – closed

It may also be time to teach that letter s, makes the “z” sound sometimes.

Rules VS Patterns

Spelling makes more sense when you can see the patterns. Some people shy away from spelling rules to emergent readers, or only teach the magic E rule. I was in my 40’s before I learned why the words: give, have, love, and done are not affected by the magic E rule. Which is surprising because there is always one student who struggles with this, or reminds me of the rule breaker words. One of the most logical guides or rules is this: English words usually do not end with the letters v, i, j, or u. With that one bit of knowledge, we now have the explanation for why the silent E is at the end of so many words. Think of the letter E as a helper letter.

The V, is pointy. He would fall over without E to hold him up. Nessy Video.

The letters I and U, need a silent E at the end of words: pie, blue.

The letter J, is replaced by the soft G and magic E, in words like page and stage. In addition, after short vowel sounds, DGE does the job of making the “j” sound. hedge, bridge, fudge.

Letter O Schwa Pattern

Schwa sounds with silent E words are often called Heart Words. Come, some, from, done, love, mother. I like to teach them as a pattern of words that have the letter O making the “uh” sound. Nessy has a good video. I add the m. The letter O may make the schwa sound after these letters: v, n, m, th. This is a fun Uno-style-Schwa game for the schwa sound. After we play the game, a spelling test can follow to see if the student has applied the skills. Writing is important for mastery.

Vowel Teams and Spelling Patterns

It is easy to say, “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” However, that catchy rhyme will not help me choose a spelling pattern.

AI or AY

If we have already learned the rule above about which letters do not like to be at the end of words, we should be closer to figuring out which spelling to use.

Letter I, does not like to be at the end of words. AI would be used at the beginning or in the middle.

Aid, aim,

AY usually will be at the end of a word. Not counting the suffix endings.

say, play,

For other long A spellings like a-e, or ai, that is has a lot to do with homophones like

sail – sale, wail – whale

or words that need a silent E to soften letters C, or G sounds.

race not (rais), and rays is total different word.

page not (paij) because English words do not end with the letter /j/. Silent E is needed to soften the letter G.

How We Correct Matters

No one likes to hear that the spelling is wrong. However, with spelling, you can say, “You have two of those sounds correct.” Now, let’s think about how we can fix this one sound.

In the examples above, the word page was spelled incorrectly. However, the sounds were correct-ish. That is something to point out. AI does say “A,” and it is in the center, which would be good if the target word were pail. The sound is in the correct place, however the letter /j/ can not be at the end of the word. So what are the options? /ge/ or /dge/? We need /ge/ to be magic E and change the vowel A to the long sound.

This may seem like a long explanation, but some students will thrive with an explanation that informs them for future spelling words. Many students are trying to memorize the whole word without applying any spelling tactics.

These mnemonic vowel teams are a tactic that we use in reading intervention. The images are colorful picture-embedded letters, and on the back of the cards have spelling tips and examples of where they can be used in words. Beginning, Middle, End.

Some students like the option of word scrambles. This allows them to see the letter options and put them in the correct order.

Unscramble Words for Intervention

Spelling scope and sequence

Students often need practice with reading and spelling. They can benefit from an opportunity to choose the correct spelling. These self-checking Flip-Chute cards. Let them read and guess which is the correct long A spelling.

a-e, ai, ay, ei, eigh

This is also a great vocabulary builder. The students are choosing the correct spelling pattern, and they are introduced to homophones such as:

tale, tail,

plane, plain,

mane, main

male, mail,

sale, sail,

ate, eight

There are nine card sets in the bundle, and more are on the way.

R-Controlled Uno Game

Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my collection of reading and spelling tactics. If you have made it this far, I would like to share one more freebie for spelling the schwa sound and a silent E helper. Please follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and TPT.

The Vowel Tree By D. Passmore

The short vowels use teamwork to make more vowel sounds.

The Vowel Tree is a playful phonics story that teaches young readers how vowels work together to create long, short, and diphthong sounds. Through teamwork, friendship, and fun, children build strong spelling and reading skills while learning that vowels are better together.

The vowel adventure starts with the short vowel sounds and moves through long sounds with magic E, Vowel teams for long and short sounds, and includes the other helpful consonant letters like tricky Y, W, and gh.

What is a Vowel Tree?

Designed to support early literacy development, this engaging phonics story introduces vowel teams in a memorable and meaningful way. By combining spelling patterns with lessons about friendship and cooperation, The Vowel Tree helps children build confidence in reading and spelling.

When to use ue or ui?

Pages that explain the reason for spelling patterns. See the letter U peeking down from the corner for page. Letter U does not like to be alone at the end of words. Letter E comes to the rescue. They stick together like glue.

This helpful hint combines visual links to spelling and reading.

This mnemonic visual for UI for juice is a student favorite. Letter U is filled with juice, standing next to letter I, which is tall like a drinking straw.

The book is filled with many more sounds and spelling tips.

The Vowel Tree invites young readers into a world where A, E, I, O, and U learn the power of teamwork. As the vowels grow and connect, children discover how single letters join together to form long vowels, short vowels, and diphthongs.

Perfect for classrooms, homeschooling, and shared reading at home, this book makes vowel sounds easy to understand—and fun to learn.

Great for:

Early readers and emerging spellers
Phonics and vowel team instruction
Kindergarten through early elementary classrooms
Parents and teachers looking for engaging literacy tools

ISBN 978-1-7644532-1-9 Paperback

The hardcover book will be released soon!

Look for it on Amazon first. Author page D. Passmore

Holiday version of the Vowel Tree Book

The Vowel Tree Christmas Tale Book

The Vowel Tree Christmas Tale Book

Festive Phonics Adventure as the Five Vowels Team up to Decorate their Tree.

Join A, E, I, O, and U on a festive phonics adventure! As the five little vowels work together to decorate their Christmas tree, young readers discover how the vowel sounds grow from single letters into powerful vowel teams. This colorful, holiday-themed story blends early reading skills with lessons of teamwork, friendship, and fun—making phonics merry and bright. Supports early literacy skills, including vowel recognition, vowel teams, and phonemic awareness.

Phonics Vowel teams Christmas. Ideal for read-alouds, small-group phonics lessons, and holiday literacy centers.

Available on Amazon By D. Passmore

More books in the Vowel Tree series are on their way. Be sure to follow me on Facebook to get all the latest updates.

You may also like my pirate-themed handwriting books.

Unscramble Words for Intervention

Gamify encoding success with scrambled words. Students love unscrambling the words. Targeted phonics skill are building as the decode and encode words that match the images.

Encoding and decoding can be overwhelming for some students. These unscrambling cards were a big success.

Success is Satisfying

Unscrambling words can feel super satisfying for some students. cvc, cvcc & ccvc. This was created for one of my wonderful students. He finds it easier to encode the words when he has letters to choose from on the cards. It is easier than decoding. This is really helping him build up his phonemic skills, and he is not as frustrated.

Get that Reluctant Reader to Engage

blending board options with unscramble words cards — Used the card with the blending board huge success.

A wonderful way to use the cards more than once, pair them with the letter blending board.

Center Vowel CVC Flip Chute Game

Flip-Chute Smart Spelling DIY Template . Easy to create this for your classroom.

Flip Chute Smart Spelling Game

Watch the video here.

R-Controlled Flip Chute Spelling Game

Master the bossy r spellings sounds with this engaging Flip Chute game! A fun, self-check way for kids to practice encoding and build confidence.

Students build spelling pattern recognition with targeted spelling skills of ar, or, er, ir, and ur. These R-controlled words are a fun way to practice the spelling of ar, or, ir, er, and ur sounds. Each card has a picture and word, with the r-controlled vowel missing. Bossy R game. Students can choose the missing letters and self-check by flipping it over to the back. Instructions & template for making a Flip Chute are included.

Targeted bossy r controlled vowels

How flip cards work:

The front side with the arrow has an image and word that is missing the two letters that are the r-controlled vowel. The answer is on the back and is revealed when the card is flipped in the direction of the arrow. Easily flipped in over when inserted into the flip chute.

Easy DIY Flip Chute

Kids love mastering Bossy R sounds with this interactive Flip Chute game! Practice ar, or, er, ir, and ur words using self-checking cards that make learning phonics fun and independent.

Flip Chute DIY Template

Many different literacy skill games from the Pure Joy Teaching TPT shop, along with other Flip Chute games. All Flip Chute cards come with the template and instructions to DIY your own Flip Chute box.

Center Vowel CVC Flip Chute Game

Support early readers with this hands-on Flip Chute CVC game! Students practice short vowel sounds in CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words using self-checking cards that build decoding and confidence.

Simple self-check game for vowel sound practice.

Short vowel sounds are super important for reading and spelling. The targeted CVC game is a great way for students to practice the 5 short vowel sounds.

CVC is one of the first skills to master after learning the letter sounds. However, many students do not realize that every English word must have a vowel or a letter that acts as a vowel, such as the letter Y. Additionally, because of the schwa sound and spelling words with different word origins, many students struggle with the sounds /a/ & /u/, and likewise/e/ & /i/.

This game is a great way to target that middle vowel practice with self-checking cards. It can also help with vocabulary; each card has an image on the front.

This set included ccvc and cvcc words.

Make short vowel practice simple and fun! This Flip Chute CVC game lets students self-check as they learn short vowel sounds and blending skills. Great for centers, intervention, or phonics review.

The Flip Chute is easy to make. Template and instructions are included.

Flip Chute DIY Template

You can get them from the Pure Joy Teaching TPT shop, along with other Flip Chute games. All Flip Chute cards come with the template and instructions to DIY your own Flip Chute box.