Videos are an excellent way to teach and practice the trickiest of phonics rules. I rounded up the best silent e words videos so that you don’t have to!
That Magic, Sneaky, Super, Silent E
Whether you call it the “magic e,” “sneaky e,” or the “super e,” sounding out silent e words can be confusing, especially for new readers!
I have compiled a list of my favorite silent e words videos that explain the CVCe phonics rule.
Bonus: there are many opportunities to practice the skill while watching the videos.
You can be a (sneaky e) hero when your students beg to watch them again and you say “I guess we could watch them one more time…” 😉
Learning Videos for the Classroom
While I personally believe these videos are appropriate for preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms, remember that there can often be inappropriate ads before and after YouTube videos.
I always recommend previewing the full video before showing it to your class.
If you plan to show YouTube videos in your classroom, I highly recommend that you read this blog post by Catherine, the Brown Bag Teacher. She shares three ways to eliminate YouTube video ads so that you can safely play these learning videos in your classroom.
Best Videos to Teach the Silent E
Jack Hartmann’s Silent E Phonics Song
This song explains how the “silent E” works and gives many examples. I especially like how he shows the CVC word, emphasizes the sound the vowel makes then adds the E. He shows how the vowel sound actually changes!
It’s set to a catchy tune in Jack Hartmann fashion but is only a song for a little “chorus” portion. Most of it is an explanation or chance to practice the skill
“Super E!” by Mark D. Pencil
This is one of my student’s FAVORITE videos. (They would beg to watch it! #winning)
It explains how the E changes the sound the vowel makes. The chorus says “He can jump over one letter to make the vowel say it’s name” which helps students make that very important phonics connection.
He even does examples of words that are nonsense words without the “e” (like game). It makes a funny sound that the students think is hilarious while driving this important point home. The chorus is really fun and catchy, too, so you’ll probably hear your kids singing it all day long!
The Bazillions’ “Silent E”
This song has a chorus that explains how a silent e works. The verses show words that change when the “e” is added (ex: pan to pane) with fun animation and examples. This is sure to be a student favorite!
Something to note about this video: it does include several words that don’t use silent e to make the short vowel say the long vowel sound. This would be a great time for a teaching moment (yay!) to your students about how silent e can make the vowel say the long vowel sound or it really is silent at the end of a word. Here are some of the words that aren’t part of the “rule”: love, store, little, shuttle, etc.
The Bossy E
This video has such a fun groovy tune to it. It’s super catchy! What I love about this video, not only does it show examples, but it is something the kids can refer back to when learning about bossy e! The video really catches the students attention with the graphics and fast moving tune.
Manny’s Silent ‘e”
This video always makes my kids and myself giggle. Manny the Prankster talks about how the letter e is the ninja of the alphabet. He gives examples of how silent e is a ninja and makes the vowel say its name. This is a quick video, which is good for a review or a fun introduction to silent e.
Learn Long Vowels with Silent e
This animated video is a great way to introduce silent e and how it makes the short vowels say their long vowel names. It even goes into explaining how the letter e can make c and g say different sounds as well!
Nessy Reading Strategy: Magic e
This is an animated video that shows the “e” as a superhero. It explains how the “e” changes the vowel sounds with a little story.
This video uses a story to show the change in vowel sounds. The vowels gain confidence with the power of the “e” which is something your visual learners will be able to remember as they see it in the video.
Alphablocks: Magic
Alphablocks show how the vowels change with the silent e with a super fun song and matching animation. All of the words are shown using the alphablocks so kids see and hear many examples of the words before and after the e is added.
This a short video that I can almost guarantee that your kids will love (and beg to watch again)!
I hope your kids love these videos as much as my students do (and they become super, silent e words readers)! Are there any of your favorites that I missed? Let me know in the comments below 👇
Learning to Blend & Read words with CVCe
Since this can be such a tricky concept, we like to take it slow with these blend-and-read CVCe worksheets.
We practice blending the words with the long vowel sound and a silent e, matching the pictures to show comprehension, and then practice reading CVCe words in a fluency table.
This really sets my students up for success with a skill that can often be a source of struggle!
