Magic E: The Fun and Effective Way to Master CVCe Words

If you’re a teacher in the primary grades, I’m betting you spend a fair bit of your time teaching spelling and phonics. I know this is certainly true for my own classroom, as we devote daily time to focusing on these subjects. One of the spelling rules we practice a ton is “Magic E”, or “Silent E”. If you’re ready to jump into teaching CVCe words in your room, this post is for you! Check out exactly how I make teaching “Magic E” super fun and engaging!

Learn how to use "magic e" as a fun and effective way to master cvce words!

Once my kiddos have mastered those CVC words and short vowels, it’s time to learn all about long vowels. The best place to start with long vowels is teaching CVCe words and how “Magic E” works. Personally, I LOVE this lesson, and honestly, my kiddos do too! Over the years I’ve come up with a few tried and true methods for teaching on this topic. And, they’re not only fun, but also super effective. Ready to hear all the tips? Let’s get to it!

Introducing “Magic E” or “Silent E”

Teaching young students the “Magic E” rule is a little tricky at first, but with the right introduction, you’ll be off to a great start. In my classroom, I like to introduce new spelling and grammar rules to my whole group at once. I find this to be an effective and time-efficient way to give the whole class a high-level overview before diving into small groups and centers.

This magic e video is a fun way to introduce and reinforce cvce words with your students.

When it comes to kindergarten and first-grade students, you can never go wrong with catchy songs! For this reason, I often lean into cute videos like this one as the very first exposure to “Magic E”. This song in particular is great at illustrating to kiddos the changes in vowel sound that come along with “Magic” or “Silent E”.

I pop a song like this one up on the screen and let the kiddos listen and follow along. Afterward, I repeat the spelling rule aloud. Then remind kiddos that when “Magic E” is present, the vowel sound changes from short to long. Next, I write a few examples of this on the board. To illustrate it, I like to write the vowels for each word in red and add “Magic E” in red as well. Here are a few words that make great examples for kiddos just beginning to work with “Magic E”:

tap: changes to tape
hid: changes to hide
man: changes to mane
cap: changes to cape
not: changes to note

There are many more words you can use, but I find that just a few examples during our group lesson are perfect to set the tone. After we’ve had a chance to go over this lesson, I have the kiddos break off into small groups and centers for more in-depth practice.

Working with Magic E in Small Groups

When it comes to the primary classroom, we all know how important practice is for mastery of grammar and spelling. I love diving into the majority of this practice in small groups. It allows me to help guide, redirect, and provide more examples to my kiddos as they put their new skills into practice.

Utilize magic e wands in your classroom during small groups.

When it comes to teaching “Magic E”, there is one hands-on activity I use time and time again. To keep in line with the “magic” theme, I make “magic wands” for my kiddos out of popsicle sticks.

To do this, I just write the letter “e” on simple star cutouts. I glue the stars to the top of the popsicle sticks. Then, I use flashcards with common CVC words that we can add “Magic E” to. For each word, we say it aloud. Then, hold our magic wands down to the end of the word to “magically” change it into a new one!

This activity is great for illustrating how the letter e does all the work in changing the vowel sound in the CVC word. My kiddos LOVE this activity and it’s a great way to get plenty of practice in building CVCe words. You can mix this by using letter tiles or magnetic letters to build CVC words as well. All of these options are a great way to practice CVCe words and get familiar with “Magic E”.

Use Decodable Texts for Teaching CVCe Word Patterns

After a great introduction, it’s time for some deeper work with new CVCe words. I have a system that I use for this that’s worked so well in my room and makes it really easy to introduce new words. For each vowel, we use Decodable Texts to really dig in. My kids love being able to read these decodable passages and I love the many purposes they serve. You’ll find that these help:

This photo showcases simple reading passages that can be used to target phonics skills.

teach CVCe word patterns
promote fluency
enhance reading comprehension
build confidence as readers

The texts we use often build upon each other, so we can focus first on “long a” CVCe patterns, for example, and then gradually add more vowels as students are ready. Each one uses a 3-step process that will help you effectively teach new spelling patterns. You’ll start with whole class reading, then move on to comprehension activities, and finish up with cloze reading. We use these activities over the course of 3 days for each new spelling pattern.

To learn more about how to use these activities, make sure to read this post next! It walks you through the exact process I use to teach magic e spelling patterns with decodable reading passages.

Follow Up with Magic E Word Searches

Word searches can be a great tool to use when targeting spelling patterns like cvce.

Another way I like to target magic e in our lessons is with fun Phonics Word Search Activities. These are so great to weave into your day because they’re low-prep and super simple to use. I use them as morning work activities, center time options, independent desk work, and even homework!

Inside this resource, you get 42 different word searches. Each one includes a focus skill, a word bank, a place for students to write the words, and a word search. Once students understand how to use these pages, they can be fully independent, making these great for additional follow-up practice.

Best of all, you’ll be able to go beyond CVCe words as your students progress in ability. There are 9 word searches for CVCe words, 12 word searches for r-controlled vowels, and 21 word searches for vowel teams. I love having these on hand for quick and easy practice in my room!

Make CVCe Word Crowns

Looking for a fun way to review the magic e words you’re learning? I know you and your students will love these CVCe Word Crowns! Every time we focus on a new spelling pattern, I like to have my students make one of these crowns. They’re a perfect option to add to your center time and students will love putting them together. Inside the resource, I have included the following spelling patterns:

These crowns are a fun way to practice magic e words in the classroom.

a_e
e_e
i_e
o_e
u_e
Mixed CVCe Words

Each one includes 3 different options so you can choose what works best for your students. The easiest option includes pictures to color and written words for that skill. The next level includes pictures with handwriting lines for students to trace. The final option is a blank crown that students will need to cut and paste the correct words to. No matter which one you choose, I know your students will love coloring and assembling these crowns as they review important CVCe words!

Practice Spelling CVCe Words with Engaging Activities

Another way I weave CVCe word practice into our routine is with our spelling lessons. I find that the more my kids work with these words, the better they get at recognizing them, reading them, and using them in writing. My favorite way to do this is with my Editable Spelling Activities for the whole year. These were such a game changer in my room because they can be used with any word list!

Editable phonics pages can be used month after month to target key skills like cvc words, vowel teams and of course magic e!

There is a set of pages for each month of the year that includes fun, seasonal themes. Select the month you’re currently in and then add your CVCe word list (or any desired spelling words) to the editable sections of the PDF and ta-da! You’ve got a custom set of spelling activities for your kiddos! Each monthly set includes:

Editable PDF to add your words
20 worksheets that will be filled in with any words you choose
2 word list options to print and send home for more review
2 spelling test options

I love using these to practice words in a fun way each month. Since the pages relate to the current month and season, these activities feel fresh each month! The editable option is so great because it means you can go way beyond magic e activities. You’ll be able to use this resource all year long, for any words you’re targeting. What’s better than that?! Be sure to check out this post if you want to learn more about how we use those in my room.

Work on Magic E During Centers

In my classroom, the typical instruction framework I use includes, starting with a whole group lesson, practicing in small groups over a few days, and then practicing more during center time. Center time is where students can really practice and get the repetitions they need to master the skills we worked on during small groups.

Target magic e in centers using Boom Cards.

When it comes to teaching “Magic E” or “Silent E”, there’s one resource that’s always a huge hit in our classroom!

These Magic E Spelling Boom Cards are one of my favorite ways to help my students master CVCe words.

If you’re new to Boom Cards, be sure to check out this post detailing everything you need to know about Boom Cards.

In short, they are a digital activity that feels more like a game than school. You can project them during a whole class or small group lesson, or let students use them with an individual device.

Each set of my Boom Cards comes with sound so that the directions can be read aloud before the students complete the task. Boom Cards are also self-correcting which allows students to work independently. And. . . they collect data so you’ll be able to see the progress each student is making over time.

More Ways to Use Boom Cards for Magic E

Boom Cards can be used to teach just about anything, but they are especially great for tricky topics like “Magic E”-words.

This image highlights another magic e Boom Card activity.

Each card in the “Magic E” deck reads the name of each picture on the card. Students can click the speaker to hear it again if they missed it.

After they’ve heard the word, they use the drag and drop function on the Boom Cards to move the letters and spell a word. These Boom Cards mirror the activities we used in small groups to practice “Magic E” in a new, interactive way!

We use these Boom Cards during centers, and independent learning time, but I also love to assign them for homework to help my kiddos get continued practice with CVCe words. And. . . parents love that at-home screen time has a learning objective.

I like to revisit our whole group lesson after my kiddos have a firm grasp on “Magic E” for one last check-in as well. This time around though, I project the Boom Cards up on the Smart Board and call kiddos up to help solve each one. This is a fun way to check on student understanding or offer a quick review later in the year.

Bring Some Fun CVCe Words Activities to Your Classroom

Help your students master silent E with these fun activities. Try out these Magic E Boom Cards and see what your students think! Enter your email below and I will send you a FREE deck of Boom Cards that focus on CVCe words. This is a great opportunity to test out my method for teaching silent e in your classroom!

And if you’re looking for even more activities to practice CVCe words, be sure to check out all of these fun and engaging activities in my TPT store.