Tackling Tricky Sounds ~ Silent e & Bossy R

I introduce r-controlled vowels as "Bossy R" because the R always bosses the vowels around. In Kindergarten, this idea is much more fun than calling them r-controlled vowels. :) I found this video on YouTube by Preschool Prep Company called Controlling R Song. It's has a catchy tune for the kids to pick up on and remember what the job of Bossy R is. I use this video when introducing this concept. 

Since this is a difficult skill, especially in Kindergarten, I decided to make up my own Bossy R Bundle full of games. I used these cards in my pocket chart when working as a whole group on Bossy R.  I passed out the word cards, students had to read them, and come up and match it to the picture in the pocket chart. Now they can play this game independently at centers or they can turn it into a memory game. 

To see if my students are actually reading Bossy R words, I made up this worksheet so they have to draw the picture after they read the word. I have a lot of kids that love to draw, so this way I can incorporate that into their literacy time. 

I put this game in centers for students to practice reading the Bossy R word or saying what Bossy R sound they hear in the picture. They can then roll the dice and move around the game board. 

To work on filling in the correct sound, students would use these popsicle sticks and place the correct sound in the middle of the word. I put the answer on the back, so these can be self-checking. 

When introducing silent e (as I call it), I tell them that silent e has to remain quiet, gets mad that he can't talk, so he pinches the vowel and makes it say its name. I found this Silent e Song on YouTube also by Preschool Prep Company. It's another fun way to teach students that the e at the end of the word, makes the vowel say it's name.

I also made a Silent e Bundle to use in our literacy centers as well. Many of the games are very similar to the Bossy R Bundle, so students will already know the game format. For the game below, students have to read the word before they can roll the dice and move around the game board. 

We used these cards in our pocket chart as a whole group, just as we did for Bossy R. Now they are in centers as well.

My students have a lot of fun using these pointers to turn CVC words into CVCe words. 

To get some more practice with Silent e and Bossy R, I use Starfall's "Learn to Read" page that has games for both skills! These games have students fill in the missing sounds to spell the word that matches the picture shown. 

You can grab the Bossy R and Silent e Bundles in my TPT store by clicking the pictures below!