Monster Maze ScriptReader's Theater Script Name: Date: MONSTER MAZE A Silent-E Mystery Sequel CAST OF CHARACTERS Mrs. Powers The clever teacher who loves word codes. Mariel A quick-eyed detective of desk monsters. Maria An eager helper who loves sweet treats. Scene Setup: Mrs. Powers' classroom is quiet. The kids are putting away their spelling pads. Suddenly, Mariel points to a tiny, chalky footprint winding near a tall yellow bookshelf. There is a tiny paper scroll rolled up like a mini pancake! MARIEL: Mrs. Powers! Look! I see another clue! The lost desk monster has left a tiny **note** by the chalkboard! MARIA: Oh! Is it Glimmer, the monster who loves to **hide**? I **hope** he did not **escape** into the hallway again! MRS. POWERS: Let us check the **note**, girls. If we read the words, we can decode the **maze** he left **inside** our classroom. MARIEL: (Unrolling the tiny paper scroll carefully) It has a riddle on it! It says: "To **make** a path to my **home**, follow the sound of the long vowels. Do not make a **mistake**!" MARIA: I **like** long vowel sounds! The silent-e at the end of the word **gave** the vowel its long sound, like a magic wand! MRS. POWERS: Exactly, Maria! It is a silent-e syllable. Look at this word: "m-a-k-e". The 'e' is silent, but it makes the 'a' say its **name**. Let us follow the silent-e **trail**! Silent-E Reading Series • Part 2 Page 1 Reader's Theater Script (Continued) Phonics Focus: Silent-E Syllables MARIEL: Look! Clue number one is sitting right on top of a red plastic **cube**! It says, "Search near the big **globe** to find the blue **tape**." MARIA: Oh, I found the **tape**! It is stuck on the metal stand of our class **globe**! There is another puzzle paper wrapped inside the sticky **tape**. Let's read it! MRS. POWERS: What does it say, Maria? Speak in a clear, **polite** voice so we can all hear the next clues! MARIA: It says: "A **cute** **reptile** is hiding near the **pine** branch in the science corner! Walk on a straight **line** to find it." MARIEL: A **reptile**! Let's walk over to our science desk. (Gasps) I see the plastic toy lizard under the fake **pine** branch! But look, there is a tiny locked box under its belly! MRS. POWERS: Look closely at the lid of the box. There is a small message written on a mini stone **slate**. It says: "To open Glimmer's **gate**, drop a shiny silver **dime** in the slot!" MARIA: A **dime**? I have a **dime** in my pocket! I can make it **glide** right into the slot. Let's see if it works! Silent-E Reading Series • Part 2 Page 2 Reader's Theater Script (Continued) Phonics Focus: Silent-E Syllables MARIEL: (Clicking sound) It opened! The lid popped right up! Look **inside**, Maria! Glimmer is sitting in the corner under the warm **sunshine** from the window! MARIA: Oh! He is eating a tiny toy **pancake**! That is his favorite snack. He looks so **cute** and happy in his small **home**! MRS. POWERS: You girls did a wonderful job. You decoded every silent-e word and solved the **maze**. This was a great phonics **game**! MARIEL: I am glad Glimmer is **safe**. It is almost **time** to pack our bags and take the bus **home**, but we saved the day first! MARIA: We sure did! Goodbye Glimmer! We will bring you some more **cute** paper toys tomorrow! RAPID FLUIDITY CHALLENGE! How fast can your group find and read these multi-syllable silent-e challenge words from the play? Read them together! 1. es • cape 2. in • side 3. rep • tile 4. pan • cake Silent-E Reading Series • Part 2 Page 3
Monster Maze WorksheetPhonics Decoder Worksheet Name: Date: SILENT-E DECODER Unlocking Two-Syllable Monster Secrets Part 1 Syllable Builder Puzzle Match the first syllable with the silent-e syllable. Then, write the complete word on the line! pan cake = es cape = rep tile = sun shine = Part 2 Clues from the Play Use the words in the bubble below to fill in the missing silent-e words from the scene. cute inside tape note Mariel found a tiny left on a small scroll near the chalkboard. The girls found a piece of blue on the toy gate. Glimmer was found hiding the small cardboard reptile box! Part 3 Word Detective Sorting Box Sort the words into the correct columns. Look at the spelling carefully! home escape pine reptile gate pancake Simple 1-Syllable Silent-E (CVCe) Complex 2-Syllable Silent-E Silent-E Reading Series • Student Decoding Sheet Worksheet Page 1
Monster Maze SlidesSILENT-E SERIES • PART 2 Ready to Decode MONSTER MAZE Join Mrs. Powers, Mariel, and Maria to find Glimmer using the power of the magic, silent-e! Syllable Type: Silent-E (CVCe) & Compounds Slide 1 of 5 PHONICS SECRETS Slide 2 of 5 What is the Silent-E Syllable? When a word or syllable ends in vowel-consonant-e, the final e is quiet. "It makes the vowel say its name!" Short Vowel cap Silent-E Long Vowel cape Short Vowel pin Silent-E Long Vowel pine Practice saying the long vowel sounds with your classmates! Try: tape • home • note • hide CHALLENGE WORDS Slide 3 of 5 Mastering 2-Syllable Compounds We can build bigger words by combining a simple closed syllable with a silent-e syllable! Let's slice them up: PANCAKE pan + cake A sweet, flat cake! ESCAPE es + cape To get away safely! REPTILE rep + tile A scaly, cute animal! Notice how the second syllable always has a silent, magic e! Ready to read the script! CHORAL PRACTICE Slide 4 of 5 Let's Read Together! Let's try a portion of our script. Be on the lookout for the bold, underlined silent-e words! MARIEL: Mrs. Powers! Look! I see another clue! The lost desk monster has left a tiny note by the chalkboard! MARIA: Oh! Is it Glimmer, the monster who loves to hide? I hope he did not escape into the hallway! MRS. POWERS: Let us check the note, girls. If we read the words, we can decode the maze he left inside our classroom. Read in your best reader's theater characters voices! Great reading fluency! BRAIN CHECK Slide 5 of 5 Monster Maze Discussion 1 Why does the magic-e stay silent at the end of words like note, home, and gate? 2 How did knowing silent-e rules help Mrs. Powers and the girls solve Glimmer's mystery clues? 3 Can you think of any other 2-syllable silent-e words you might see at home or school? (Hint: What do you eat on a campfire?)
Monster Maze Teacher GuideTeacher Support Document Grade level: 1st - 3rd Phonics MONSTER MAZE TEACHER GUIDE Instructional Roadmap & Answer Keys LESSON OBJECTIVES Students will read with fluency by recognizing and decoding **silent-e** (CVCe) syllables. Students will segment and decode two-syllable compound words containing a silent-e (e.g., pancake, escape). Students will collaborate via interactive Reader's Theater, practicing vocal expression and rhythm. Suggested Pacing (45 Minutes Total) 1. Warm-Up 10 Mins Review short vs. long vowels using Slide 2. Tap → Tape. 2. Teach 10 Mins Practice splitting compounds (pan • cake, rep • tile) using Slide 3. 3. Play Reading 15 Mins Students group in 3, assign roles, and perform Reader's Theater script. 4. Assessment 10 Mins Independent completion of Phonics Decoder worksheet. Target Vocabulary & Silent-E Features Simple CVCE (One-Syllable): note, hide, hope, like, gave, name, cube, globe, tape, cute, pine, slate, dime, gate, glide, safe, time, home. Highlight that 'e' transfer of energy makes the preceding vowel say its name. Two-Syllable Complex Silent-E: escape (es-cape), inside (in-side), pancake (pan-cake), reptile (rep-tile), sunshine (sun-shine), mistake (mis-take), polite (po-lite). Explain how the final syllable is closed off with a magic-e, while first is a closed syllable. Worksheet Answer Key Part 1: Syllable Builder Puzzle: pancake escape reptile sunshine Part 2: Clues from the Play: note 2. tape 3. inside Part 3: Word Detective Sorting Box: CVCe (1-Syllable): home, pine, gate Complex (2-Syllable): escape, reptile, pancake Silent-E Reading Series • Teacher Support Tools Teacher Guide Page 1
Nessy Parent LetterDouglas School LITERACY & PHONICS EXCELLENCE ACADEMY Douglas Administration office@douglasschool.edu Ph: (555) 019-3821 June 12, 2026 Dear Parents and Guardians, As part of our commitment to summer reading and preventing the "summer slide" at Douglas School, we are excited to introduce and provide home access to the Nessy Program for your child to use over the summer break! This is an acclaimed online reading, writing, and spelling program designed to support students with their literacy development, and is particularly good for students who benefit from explicit, multisensory learning pathways to boost their skills. "Nessy believes that if children have fun then learning becomes more memorable. Where children play games, the increased level of engagement leads to dramatic improvements." — Nessy Learning Website Since this program is designed for independent, home-based learning, your child will follow a pathway that is custom-tailored specifically to their needs. The system formats this path based on the answers that your child gives to some initial questions at the start of the program. This allows them to independently play games and complete targeted lessons from any computer or tablet over the summer break. At Douglas School, we are very excited about offering this summer opportunity to our students to keep their reading skills sparkling! We encourage your child to explore and play on Nessy a few times a week over the summer break to keep their learning active and fun. You will be receiving your child's personalized Nessy login badge and details with this letter. Warmly, Noel Powers Reading Specialist Unlocking Potential, One Word at a Time Douglas School © 2026
Summer Reading LetterDouglas School KINDERGARTEN TO 1ST GRADE TRANSITION Summer Reading Quest ☀️ READY, SET, READ! 🌊 Your Summer Fun-in-a-Bag Literacy Quest Hey there, Explorer! You are officially a **rising first grader**! To celebrate finishing kindergarten, we made you a little bag packed with magical games. Play with them in the yard, on the kitchen floor, or under a cozy blanket fort! Have a wonderful summer! Dear Families, Summer reading should feel like play! This bag has fun materials to build key reading skills. **You will also be receiving your child's personalized Nessy login badge and an explanatory letter alongside these summer materials.** Warmly, Noel Powers Reading Specialist What's inside your special Activity Bag? 🔤 Cut-Out Alphabet Letters Alphabet tiles to cut out and arrange to build, manipulate, and explore spelling simple words. Summer Reading Brochure Packed with curated book lists, library suggestions, and interactive summer reading challenges. Oral PA Activities Quick phonological awareness games! Practice manipulating spoken sounds together in the car or at play. Phonics Reading & Writing Features one fun phonic game using your letter tiles to read, spell, and write words. My Summer Quest Tracker Color in a sun ☀️ every time you play one of the bag activities or read a story together. Can you color all 20? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Have a wonderful summer! Douglas School © 2026
