Words like rat/rate, shin/shine, rob/robe can be tricky for students because both the long and the short vowel sound make real words. So they can’t just rely on trying it both ways and seeing which one works. Here is a great tool for helping them practice reading these types of words.
fold the flaps under to change from silent-e to closed
change it up by folding different flaps under
Each sheet has a list of words that work as real words with both vowel sounds. However, the end of each word is cut so that the silent-e is on a flap that can be folded under to show the short-vowel version of the word. By folding or unfolding the various e-flaps, you can provide lots of variations for your student to practice their vowel discrimination skills.
What I like about doing it this way is that you can change the words back and forth simply by folding the e-flap, so that unlike a list of printed words on a page, your students can’t just memorize and repeat back when you do the exercise multiple times in a row. The letter size and spacing also help students clearly see whether there is a final e.
Here is a free download of the pdf file for the long and short fold-e flap. To use, print out each sheet, and cut them in half length-wise. This should give you a half-sheet with a-silent-e words, one with I-silent-e words, one with o-silent-e words, and one with a mixture. Fold the silent-e columns back, so that you see the words with no ending e. After you have made the fold, unfold and cut along the black lines so that each e will fold back independently. (It’s easier to fold first, otherwise you are having to fold back each of the small flaps individually. Says the voice of experience.)
Free download: long and short fold-e flap