E is for Elephant and Eagle: Exploring the Letter E Sounds!

English Language Arts Grades Pre-K 5:29 Video
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Lesson Description

Let's learn about the letter E! We'll discover its two special sounds: the long 'E' like in eagle and the short 'e' like in elephant, through fun stories and activities.

Video Resource

Vowel "e" - Long and Short Sounds | by Phonics Stories™

PhonicsStories

Duration: 5:29
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Vowels: Understanding that 'e' is a vowel.
  • Long 'E' sound: Recognizing the 'e' sound that says its name.
  • Short 'E' sound: Recognizing the 'e' sound like in 'elephant'.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to identify the letter 'E' as a vowel.
  • Students will be able to differentiate between the long and short 'E' sounds.
  • Students will be able to give one example of a word with a long 'E' sound and one with a short 'E' sound.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Greet the students and introduce the letter 'E'. Ask if anyone knows what a vowel is. Explain that 'E' is a vowel and vowels are special letters that make different sounds.
  • Video Viewing (7 mins)
    Play the "Vowel 'e' - Long and Short Sounds" video by Phonics Stories. Tell the students to watch carefully and listen for the two different sounds the letter 'E' makes.
  • Discussion (5 mins)
    After the video, ask the students what they learned about the letter 'E'. Discuss the long 'E' sound (like in 'eagle') and the short 'E' sound (like in 'elephant').
  • Activity: Sound Sorting (8 mins)
    Show pictures of words with long E (e.g., eat, see, bee, feet, tree, seat) and short E (e.g., egg, elephant, bed, net, ten, set) sound. Ask students to identify each picture and then say whether it has the long or short 'E' sound. Sort the images into two piles: 'Long E' and 'Short E'.
  • Activity: E Writing Practice (5 mins)
    Have the children practice writing the letter E on paper. You can provide a worksheet with dotted letters to trace. Focus on both uppercase and lowercase E.
  • Wrap-up (5 mins)
    Review the long and short 'E' sounds. Ask students to say one word they learned with a long 'E' and one with a short 'E'. Sing a simple vowel song that includes the letter 'E'.

Interactive Exercises

  • 'E' Sound Hunt
    Hide pictures of objects around the room, some starting with the letter 'E' and some not. Have students search for the pictures. When they find one, they must say the name of the object and identify if it has the 'E' sound at the beginning.
  • Elephant Trunks!
    The students will put one arm in front of their face to act like an elephant trunk and make the short E sound (/e/) when the teacher says the letter E, and put the arm down when the teacher says a different letter.

Discussion Questions

  • What are the names of the five vowels?
  • Can you name a word that starts with 'E'?
  • Can you make the long 'E' sound? Can you make the short 'E' sound?

Skills Developed

  • Phonological Awareness
  • Letter Recognition
  • Listening Comprehension
  • Fine Motor Skills

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

Is 'E' a vowel?

Correct Answer: Yes

Question 2:

Which picture starts with a short 'E' sound like elephant?

Correct Answer: Egg

Question 3:

Which word has a long 'E' sound, like you say the letter's name?

Correct Answer: Eat

Question 4:

What animal did 'E' pretend to be in the video for its short sound?

Correct Answer: Elephant

Question 5:

A long 'E' sound sounds like...

Correct Answer: eee

Question 6:

Which of these words has a long E sound?

Correct Answer: tree

Question 7:

How many sounds can the letter E make?

Correct Answer: Two

Question 8:

Which object starts with a short 'E' sound?

Correct Answer: elf

Question 9:

A short 'E' sound sounds like...

Correct Answer: ehh

Question 10:

Which word does NOT start with E?

Correct Answer: Bed

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

The letter 'E' is a _________.

Correct Answer: vowel

Question 2:

A short 'E' sound is like in _________.

Correct Answer: elephant

Question 3:

A long 'E' sound says its _________.

Correct Answer: name

Question 4:

Another word for a long E sound is _________.

Correct Answer: eee

Question 5:

The story said that the letter E liked to do _________ things.

Correct Answer: weird

Question 6:

The vowel E has a __________ and short sound.

Correct Answer: long

Question 7:

There are __________ vowels in the alphabet.

Correct Answer: five

Question 8:

The long E sound is like in the word _________.

Correct Answer: bee

Question 9:

The short E sound is like in the word _________.

Correct Answer: bed

Question 10:

E is the _________ letter in Mrs. Smarty's name.

Correct Answer: second

Educational Standards

PK.2.PWS.3:Students will produce some sounds represented by letters. PK.2.PA.4:Students will isolate the common initial sound when given a set of alliterative spoken words (e.g., the puppy pounces). PK.3.R.2:Students will answer basic questions (e.g., who, what, where, and when) about texts, photographs, or illustrations during shared reading or other text experiences with prompting. PK.1.L.1:Students will actively listen using agreed-upon rules with prompting.

Teaching Materials

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