Long Vowels
Long vowels are generally more complicated to learn because a long vowel sound is made using many more letter patterns and there are many exceptions to the rules. When teaching long vowels, many educators tell students that a long vowel "says its name".
Rules:
-a word with two vowels side by side normally makes the long vowel sound of the first vowel in the word (vowel digraph/ ex. heat, rain)
-when a word has one vowel that comes at the end of a syllable, the vowel is usually long (ex. we, she)
-when a vowel is followed by a consonant and a silent e, the vowel would most likely make a long sound. Educators sometimes call this the "magic e" or they tell students that the e tells the vowel to say its name. (Blevins, 2006)
Y is sometimes a vowel when it makes the long e or long i sound
Rules:
-a word with two vowels side by side normally makes the long vowel sound of the first vowel in the word (vowel digraph/ ex. heat, rain)
-when a word has one vowel that comes at the end of a syllable, the vowel is usually long (ex. we, she)
-when a vowel is followed by a consonant and a silent e, the vowel would most likely make a long sound. Educators sometimes call this the "magic e" or they tell students that the e tells the vowel to say its name. (Blevins, 2006)
Y is sometimes a vowel when it makes the long e or long i sound
This is a lesson to help you better understand long vowel sounds.
The video is long and most likely intended for ELLs, but it contains helpful information
This video has a cute song that describes the silent e.
Composition of long vowel sounds
Long a
-The long a sound can be produced in six different ways.
1. a-consonant-e as in cake and face
2. ay as in hay and play
3. ai as in rain and aim
4. eigh as in eight and weigh
5. a as in April and apron
6. ei as in vein and rein
Long e
-There are four ways to produce the long e sound.
1. ee as in knee and wheel
2. ey as in key and monkey
3. ea as in leaf and pea
4. e as in zebra and he
Long i
-Here are six ways to make the long i sound.
1. i-consonant-e as in hide and kite
2. i as in kind and hi
3. igh as in might and high
4. y as in my and fly
5. ye as in bye and dye
6. ie as in lie and pie
Long u
-The long is produced if three different ways.
1. u-consonant-e as in tube and mute
2. ue as in cue and due
3. ui as in juice and suit
Y as a long vowel
1. y is a vowel when it makes the long i sound as in why and by
2. y is a vowel when it makes the long e sound as in baby and hairy
* Many of these combinations are vowel digraphs.
(Blevins, 2006)
-The long a sound can be produced in six different ways.
1. a-consonant-e as in cake and face
2. ay as in hay and play
3. ai as in rain and aim
4. eigh as in eight and weigh
5. a as in April and apron
6. ei as in vein and rein
Long e
-There are four ways to produce the long e sound.
1. ee as in knee and wheel
2. ey as in key and monkey
3. ea as in leaf and pea
4. e as in zebra and he
Long i
-Here are six ways to make the long i sound.
1. i-consonant-e as in hide and kite
2. i as in kind and hi
3. igh as in might and high
4. y as in my and fly
5. ye as in bye and dye
6. ie as in lie and pie
Long u
-The long is produced if three different ways.
1. u-consonant-e as in tube and mute
2. ue as in cue and due
3. ui as in juice and suit
Y as a long vowel
1. y is a vowel when it makes the long i sound as in why and by
2. y is a vowel when it makes the long e sound as in baby and hairy
* Many of these combinations are vowel digraphs.
(Blevins, 2006)
Online games with long vowels