Silent e PowerPoint Flashcards: Phonics Presentations

This set of Silent E PowerPoint Flashcards has been created to help pupils differentiate between long and short vowel sounds.

Many pupils, especially those with a processing difficulty, struggle to swap quickly from one to another, and therefore, much practice is needed.

Aim and objective

Once I start to teach Powerful ‘e’, I incorporate these flashcards into my daily lesson starter. My aim is that the child internalises the sounds so that on seeing a powerful ‘e’, they can say the right vowel sound and vice versa. This enables accurate blending and reduces frustration for the child caused by choosing the wrong vowel sound.

How to use the Silent 'e' PowerPoint flashcards

1. Work through the slides one by one. Teach the child to say the name made by the letters, followed by the word. They can use the picture as a cue. Do not underestimate the role of the picture to help the child give the correct sound. The more the correct sound is given, the sooner the child will internalise the sounds.

2. Once the pupil seems confident, try using the set of slides without pictures! This can be done in stages, removing the pictures for the short vowel sounds first. Always return to the pictures if the child begins to choose the wrong vowel sound. We do not want them to struggle, even though we want to help them recall the correct sound. A balance must be found.

What is included:

1. Five vowel flashcards with picture cues

2. Four Silent 'e' flashcards with picture cues (I do not teach E_E in the early stages as the few words with this sound that a child needs are best taught as sight words (e.g. here).

3. Five vowel flashcards without picture cues

4. Four Silent 'e' flashcards without picture cues

5. An activity

An Activity:

The activity involves words appearing on the screen one by one. The child is asked:

Does it have an ‘e’? Yes, or no.

What sound will the vowel make? (short sound, or long name)

Can you sound out the word using that vowel sound?

Click for the next word.

The words can be edited to change the activity.

The PowerPoint is A4 format, so the slides can be printed out to form physical matching flashcards.