A Cake for Jake

Phonics and phonological awareness (silent-e words), Fluency

name, five, cake, side, time, bike, ride, kite, game, cute, plane, smile, hope, these, bite, use

my, this, when, will

nice, blow, candles, huge

Small Group

• This fun phonics text is controlled for a specific phonics pattern—words with the silent-e spelling pattern. Match students who might need practice with this pattern for small-group reading.

Pairs, Independent Reading

• For children who have moved beyond this pattern, “A Cake for Jake” can serve as a spiral review of silent-e words. It is also a fun story to read independently with a partner. Have children read it multiple times to practice fluency and comprehension.

Preview letter sounds and high-frequency words (15 minutes)

• Do a mini phonics lesson to review words with a silent-e spelling pattern. In this vowel- consonant-e pattern, the vowel is long and the e is silent. A good way to reinforce this for children is to remind them that silent-e makes the vowel say its name.
• You can practice the silent-e pattern through the use of minimal pairs, which help to contrast words with and without the silent-e spelling pattern. For example: tap/tape; pet/Pete; hid/ hide; mop/mope; us/use.
• Use the online Word Sounds Slideshow to help children sound out and listen to silent-e words from the story. (Be sure to turn your volume up!)
• Review high-frequency words from the story, such as my, this, when, and will. You might encourage advanced readers to do a fast read of this word list.

Set a Purpose for Reading (3-5 minutes)

• Let children look at the pictures. Tell them this is a silly story about a boy and his birthday wish. Read to find out what he wishes for.

• As children read, check comprehension. What is Jake thinking about wishing for? What does his dog Pete want?
• The end of the story features an inference. Can students infer from the words and pictures what Jake wished for? (He wished for a doggie cake for Pete.) How do they know?
• Have children review the story and highlight words with the silent-e spelling pattern: a_e; e_e; i_e; o_e; u_e. They can practice by reading words aloud.

• Make New Words with Silent E! gives students the opportunity to practice reading, blending, and writing words with a silent-e pattern.

Reading Focus: Phonological Awareness (10 minutes)

• Students can color in words that make the long /a/ sound with the Sound it Out skills page.