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Lesson 109

Drop -e Rule

Rule for dropping the final -E before adding a suffix

Some words that end in silent E have irregular past tense spellings. Examples include drive/drove, make/made, give/gave, shake/shook, slide/slid, take/took, and write/wrote. The drop E rule does not apply to the -LY suffix (e.g., safe - safely).

Today's plan

about 15 min
  1. Step 1Warm up our ears (blend & segment)2 min
  2. Steps 2 & 3Look & Say / Listen & Spell4 min
  3. Step 4Blending drill3 min
  4. Step 5New concept + read/spell6 min
Step 1

Warm Up Our Ears

Say the sounds; students blend them into a word. Then say a word; students break it apart.

Blend it (teacher says sounds → you say word)

use · -ingusing
smile · -ingsmiling

Break it (I say word → you say sounds)

Steps 2 & 3

Flashcard Drills

Full-screen cards for the class. Tap a card to check the answer, or press Hear the words to hear the example words read aloud.

Step 4

Blending Drill

Change one part at a time and read the new word.

Step 5

New Concept

Today we learn another spelling rule for when we add suffixes -ER, -EST, -ED, and -ING to words that end in silent E.

Highlighted words are the ones to show and practice reading — tap one to hear it.

Today we will learn another spelling rule for when we add suffixes -ER, -EST, -ED, and -ING to words. If the word with a silent E, we drop or take away the E before we add the suffix. For example, if I want to add -ING to the word I take away the E then add -ING: hoping. Another example, if I want to add -ER to nice I take away the silent E and add -ER: nicer. Remember, in words that end with silent E the first vowel usually makes a long sound.

Drop -e Rule

If a word ends with a silent E, we drop the E before adding a suffix that begins with a vowel, such as -ER, -EST, -ED, or -ING.