Long E Teacher Guide
Structured Literacy • 3-Day Plan
Long E Vowel Teams: ee, ea, ey
40-Minute Daily Structure
Grades 2–3 Phonics & Intervention
00:00 – 08:00 (8m) 3-Part Phonics Drill
08:00 – 18:00 (10m) Concept & Sound Mapping
18:00 – 26:00 (8m) Spelling Dictation (SOS)
26:00 – 34:00 (8m) Decodable Literature
34:00 – 40:00 (6m) Game & Wrap-Up
Universal Phonics Error Correction Routine (Praise & Prompt)
1. Visual Drill Error: Immediately tap card. Prompt: "Team letters? Sound?" Model: "ee, /ē/." Student repeats 3x.
2. Blending Error: Stop student. Touch target vowel team. Prompt: "What team is in the middle? Sound? Now blend through."
3. Dictation Error: Don't erase. Prompt: "Tap sounds: /g/ /r/ /ē/ /n/. What two letters make /ē/ in this pattern?"
DAY 1 Target Focus: Digraph ee (Long /ē/ in Middle and Final) Objective: Accurately decode & encode words with 'ee'
1. Three-Part Drill (8 min) 00:00–08:00
- Visual Drill (2m): Flash cards: sh, th, ch, a_e, i_e, ai, ay, ee. Students say: letter name + keyword + sound ("ee, sweet, /ē/").
- Auditory/Kinesthetic (3m): Teacher says /ē/. Students write 'ee' in sand tray / gel board saying: "e-e says /ē/" (x3).
- Blending Board (3m): Blending deck: s-ee-d, f-ee-t, gr-ee-n, sp-ee-ch, + nonsense: zeep, treen, gleem.
2. New Concept & Mapping (10 min) 08:00–18:00
Explicit Script: "Today we meet vowel team 'ee'. When two e's walk together, they make the long /ē/ sound."
Single-syllable: feed, keep, green, sleep, freeze, screech
Multisyllabic: sixteen, chimney-sweep, sunscreen, chimpanzee
Routine: Tap phonemes → Box ee together → Blend.
3. Spelling Dictation (8 min) 18:00–26:00
1. Sounds: /ē/ (students write ee), /sh/, /ch/
2. Single-Syllable: meet, steep, freeze
3. Multisyllabic: fifteen, screeching
4. Sentence: "Three green bees sleep by the tree."
Protocol: Teacher says → Students echo → Pound syllables/tap → Write → COPS check.
4. Literature & Game (14 min) 26:00–40:00
Literature (8m): Decodable passage "Queen Bee's Sweet Tree". Students highlight ee words before whisper reading.
Game (6m): Beehive Roll & Read. Students roll dice, read word row (accuracy check), partner marks green check.
Teacher Prompt: "Check vowel sound before moving token!"
DAY 1 TEACHER OBSERVATIONS & INTERVENTION NOTES Record students needing blending / dictation reteach
Structured Literacy • 3-Day Plan
Day 2: Vowel Digraph 'ea'
40 Minutes Instruction
Medial & Final Long /ē/
Spelling Concept: Vowel team ea most often says long /ē/ in the middle of words (steam, peach) and end of base words (tea, plea).
Cumulative Review: ee + ea
Day 2 Targeted Prompts & Contrast Scaffolding
Confusion between ee & ea: "Both 'ee' and 'ea' make /ē/. If you aren't sure which one to spell, remember: 'ea' is frequently found in eating and nature words (meat, stream, leaf). Let's check our spelling anchor!"
Multisyllabic Blending Stall (peanut, teapot): "Cover the second syllable. Read syllable 1: /pē/. Now syllable 2: /nŭt/. Put them together: peanut!"
1. Three-Part Drill (8 min) 00:00–08:00
- Visual Drill (2m): Card deck includes ee, ea, ai, ay, oa, igh. Rapid choral response: "ea, eat, /ē/".
- Auditory/Kinesthetic (3m): Dictate /ē/. Students trace & write both patterns: "e-e says /ē/, e-a says /ē/" on tactile cards.
- Blending Board (3m): t-ea-m, d-r-ea-m, sp-ea-k, f-l-ea; Nonsense words: zeap, steach, bleat.
2. Concept & Sound Out (10 min) 08:00–18:00
Explicit Model: Introduce keyword card TEA / LEAF. Model mapping stream (5 phonemes, 4 boxes: s-t-r-ea-m).
Single-syllable Bank: reach, steam, treat, peach, clean, squeak
Multisyllabic Bank: peanut, teapot, daydream, undersea, mislead
Syllable Scoop Routine: Divide compound / prefix words before reading.
3. Spelling Dictation (8 min) 18:00–26:00
1. Sounds: /ē/ (student writes ee, ea), /ch/, /tr/
2. Single-Syllable Words: leap, clean, treat
3. Multisyllabic Words: peanut, teapot
4. Dictated Sentence:
"Dean will clean the steam from the hot tea pot."
Prompt: "Count words on fingers (10 words). Check capital 'D' and period."
4. Literature & Game (14 min) 26:00–40:00
Decodable Connection (8m): "The Sea Team's Big Leap". Partner echo read & comprehension check: "Why did the team leap across the stream?"
Phonics Game (6m): Leap Across the Stream. Students decode target 'ea' stepping stones to reach the prize finish line.
Teacher Prompt: "Code the vowel team before you step!"
DAY 2 TEACHER OBSERVATIONS & ERROR PATTERNS Note students mixing short /ĕ/ in 'ea' (head/bread) vs long /ē/
Structured Literacy • 3-Day Plan
Day 3: Digraph 'ey' & Master Review
40 Minutes Instruction
Final Unstressed /ē/ & Contrast
Orthographic Generalization: ey makes /ē/ almost exclusively at the end of two-syllable words (turkey, chimney, donkey, alley), plus single-syllable sight word key.
Sorting ee • ea • ey
Day 3 Error Prompts: Position-Based Spelling Clues
Spelling /ē/ at word end: Prompt: "Is the sound in the middle or end? If it's a 2-syllable animal or landscape word ending in /ē/, consider 'ey' or open 'y'. Let's check the word pattern!"
Short vowel vs long vowel confusion: Prompt: "Look at the vowel team. What two letters are working together? ey says /ē/, not short /ĕ/."
1. Cumulative 3-Part Drill (8m) 00:00–08:00
- Visual Drill (2m): ee, ea, ey, ai, ay, oa, igh, ar, or. Rapid automatic naming.
- Auditory/Kinesthetic (3m): Dictate /ē/. Students write three columns:
ee, ea, ey.
- Blending Board (3m): k-ey, d-o-n-k-ey, v-a-l-l-ey, t-u-r-k-ey; Contrast: b-ea-n vs b-ee-n vs b-l-ey.
2. Concept & Tri-Sort (10m) 08:00–18:00
Explicit Instruction: Introduce ey keyword card KEY / DONKEY. Teach position chart: Initial/Medial (ee/ea) vs Final (ee/ey/y).
Single-syllable: key
Multisyllabic: donkey, chimney, valley, hockey, parsley, kidney
Orthographic Tri-Sort: Students categorize ee, ea, and ey cards.
3. Cumulative Dictation (8m) 18:00–26:00
1. Sounds: /ē/ (students record all 3 spelling choices: ee, ea, ey)
2. Single-Syllable Words: street, steam, key
3. Multisyllabic Words: chimney, valley
4. Dictated Sentence:
"The brown donkey found a silver key in the green valley."
COPS Self-Check: Capitals, Organization, Punctuation, Spelling.
4. Literature & Game (14m) 26:00–40:00
Decodable Connection (8m): "Journey Through Peace Valley". Highlighting multi-team words, timed fluency pair-read.
Phonics Game (6m): Vowel Team Tri-Match Showdown. Fast card flip game sorting words into EE, EA, or EY baskets.
Day 4 Prep: Review target probe expectations for tomorrow.
DAY 3 OBSERVATIONS & DAY 4 ASSESSMENT ROSTER NOTES Flag tier 2/3 students requiring 1-on-1 assessment time
Long E Student Worksheet
Student Practice • Day 1
Double E Phonics Lab: ee
Name:
Date:
1 Sound It Out & Map It: Phoneme-Grapheme Boxes Tap each sound, write 1 spelling per box, blend the word
Word: feet (3 sounds) /f/ /ē/ /t/
ee
Word: green (4 sounds) /g/ /r/ /ē/ /n/
Word: freeze (4 sounds) /f/ /r/ /ē/ /z/
Multisyllabic Scoop: fifteen Syllable 1 + Syllable 2
fif
teen
2 Spelling Dictation: Listen, Pound, & Write Teacher dictates sounds, words, and sentence
1. Sound:
2. Sound:
3. Sound:
Word 1 (Single):
Word 2 (Single):
Word 3 (Multisyllabic):
Word 4 (Multisyllabic):
Dictated Sentence:
[ ] Capital [ ] Spaces [ ] Punctuation [ ] ee Spelled Correctly
3 Connection to Literature: Decodable Reading Passage Highlight 'ee' words & read with phrasing
Queen Bee's Sweet Tree
Queen Bee made her home high in a sweet green tree. Three little bees would meet each week to keep the queen fed. When cold winds freeze the street, the queen bees sleep deep inside the sweet wood until spring.
Comprehension: Where do the bees sleep when cold winds freeze the street?
4 Partner Game: Beehive Roll & Read Roll a die, read the row, score 1 point per correct word
| Die |
Word 1 |
Word 2 |
Word 3 |
Multisyllabic |
| ⚀ 1 |
see |
keep |
street |
thirteen |
| ⚁ 2 |
feed |
sleep |
screech |
sunscreen |
| ⚂ 3 |
deep |
queen |
freeze |
chimpanzee |
Target Digraph: ee = /ē/ Day 1 Phonics Practice Complete
Student Practice • Day 2
Digraph Explorer: ea
Name:
Date:
1 Sound It Out & Syllable Scoops: ea Write 1 phoneme per box • Scoop 2-syllable compound words
Word: team (3 sounds) /t/ /ē/ /m/
ea
Word: reach (3 sounds) /r/ /ē/ /ch/
Word: stream (5 sounds) /s/ /t/ /r/ /ē/ /m/
Multisyllabic Scoop: peanut Compound word break
pea
nut
2 Spelling Dictation: Listen, Pound, & Write Record sounds, words, and sentence
1. Sounds (/ē/ choices):
2. Blend /ch/:
3. Blend /tr/:
Word 1 (Single):
Word 2 (Single):
Word 3 (Multisyllabic):
Word 4 (Multisyllabic):
Dictated Sentence:
[ ] Capital [ ] Spaces [ ] Punctuation [ ] ea Spelled Correctly
3 Literature Connection: Decodable Story Highlight 'ea' words & read with fluency
The Sea Team's Big Leap
Dean and Jean led the track team down to the clear blue stream. Each kid had to leap past the wet rocks to reach the finish line. After a neat leap, the coach gave each runner a sweet peach and cold tea as a treat.
Comprehension: What neat treat did Dean and Jean get after they leaped the stream?
4 Phonics Game: Leap Across the Stream Read each stepping stone word to leap across safely
1. steam
2. beach
3. treat
4. clean
5. squeak
FINISH!
Target Digraph: ea = /ē/ Day 2 Phonics Practice Complete
Student Practice • Day 3
Digraph Mastery: ey & Team Review
Name:
Date:
1 Sounding Out: Final Digraph ey in 2-Syllable Words Divide syllables • Box the final vowel team 'ey'
donkey
don + key
valley
val + ley
chimney
chim + ney
2 Cumulative Spelling Dictation: ee, ea, ey Choose the correct long e vowel team
1. /ē/ spellings (all 3):
2. Single-Syllable:
3. Single-Syllable:
Word 4 (2-Syllable with 'ey'):
Word 5 (2-Syllable with 'ey'):
Dictated Sentence:
[ ] Capital [ ] Spaces [ ] Punctuation [ ] COPS Self-Checked
3 Literature Connection: Decodable Story Read fluently • Circle ee, underline ea, box ey
Journey Through Peace Valley
Ned led his gentle donkey down the deep green valley. Near the stone chimney, he found a shiny key under a sweet peach tree. "This key will keep my dream safe," beamed Ned as he reached the stream.
Comprehension: What did Ned find near the chimney in the green valley?
4 Phonics Sort Game: Vowel Team Tri-Match Sort words into their team basket
Double EE Basket
Team EA Basket
Final EY Basket
Word Bank to Sort: freeze, stream, hockey, sixteen, peanut, chimney
Ready for Day 4 Progress Assessment! Day 3 Phonics Practice Complete
Long E Progress Assessment
Day 4 Mastery Assessment • 10–12 Min
Long E Progress Monitoring Probe
Student:
Date:
Score:
Administration: Present student reading list. Mark ✓ for correct, record phonetic error phonetically. Allow 3 sec per word.
Target Mastery: ≥ 80%
Part A: Single-Syllable Decoding (Real & Nonsense) Score: ___ / 15
| Target 'ee' Words |
Target 'ea' Words |
'ey' & Nonsense Words |
| [ ] 1. meet |
[ ] 6. team |
[ ] 11. key |
| [ ] 2. street |
[ ] 7. peach |
[ ] 12. *feep (pseudoword) |
| [ ] 3. freeze |
[ ] 8. stream |
[ ] 13. *zeam (pseudoword) |
| [ ] 4. keep |
[ ] 9. clean |
[ ] 14. *bley (pseudoword) |
| [ ] 5. screech |
[ ] 10. squeak |
[ ] 15. plea |
Part B: Multisyllabic Decoding (Syllable Chunks) Score: ___ / 10
1. chim•ney (ey) [ ] ✓
6. six•teen (ee) [ ] ✓
2. pea•nut (ea) [ ] ✓
7. val•ley (ey) [ ] ✓
3. screech•ing (ee) [ ] ✓
8. tea•pot (ea) [ ] ✓
4. don•key (ey) [ ] ✓
9. day•dream (ea) [ ] ✓
5. un•der•sea (ea) [ ] ✓
10. chim•pan•zee (ee) [ ] ✓
Part C: Encoding & Dictation Check Score: ___ / 10
1. green:
2. treat:
3. valley:
4. freeze:
5. peanut:
6. donkey:
Dictated Sentence: "The team will meet near the chimney."
[ ] Cap 'The' [ ] team (ea) [ ] meet (ee) [ ] chimney (ey) [ ] Period
DAY 4 DIAGNOSTIC ERROR PROFILE & TEACHER NOTES Check primary error type & record next steps
[ ] Digraph confusion (ee ↔ ea)
[ ] Multisyllabic breakdown
[ ] Short /ĕ/ substitution
Formative Data & RTI Tracker
Daily Phonics Progress Tracker
Days 1 – 4 Class Roster
Long E Mastery Matrix
Benchmark (≥ 80%) Ready for next vowel team (ai/ay)
Strategic Tier 2 (60–79%) 10-min small group blending booster
Intensive Tier 3 (< 60%) Daily multi-sensory sound mapping
Student Progress Tracking Matrix (Days 1–4) Record daily scores & Day 4 composite
| Student Name | Day 1 'ee'
/10 | Day 2 'ea'
/10 | Day 3 'ey'
/10 | Day 4 Single
/15 | Day 4 Multi
/10 | Day 4 Spell
/10 | Target Action Plan |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1. | | | | | | | |
| 2. | | | | | | | |
| 3. | | | | | | | |
| 4. | | | | | | | |
| 5. | | | | | | | |
| 6. | | | | | | | |
| 7. | | | | | | | |
Diagnostic Decision Framework & Responsive Prompts:
• Misses Single 'ee'/'ea': Return to 2-sound Elkonin boxes with tactile tracing. Focus on visual anchor cards (tree vs tea).
• Misses Multisyllabic: Teach syllable scooping. Prompt: "Find the vowels. How many syllables? Scoop & read 1 chunk at a time."
• Spelling Substitution: Reinforce positional clues: ee (middle/final base), ea (middle/food/nature), ey (2-syllable final).
SMALL GROUP DIFFERENTIATION & RETEACHING ROSTER Action notes for next instructional cycle
