bike hike like kite bite hide ride side wide line mine pine

1 Decodable Reading Passage

A short, decodable story embedding silent e — long i words. Students read the passage then highlight all the target words.

Val's White Tape

Skill: Silent E — Long I • Sight Words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, she, he, they, said, have

Illustrated mini-book

Val had a big job. Mike and Jen were in a five-mile bike race on the wide lane by the pines, and Val had to tell who would win the prize.

Mike and Jen sped down the lane side by side. They crossed the line at the same time! "The prize is mine," said Mike. "No, it is mine!" said Jen. So they rode again. But it looked just the same to Val. Mike griped, and Jen griped too.

Then Val had a plan. She got a thin white tape and stuck it from one pine to the other, right at the end of the lane. "Ride one last time," said Val. "The first tire to hit this tape will rip it."

Mike and Jen rode as fast as they could. Rip! The tape split, and a long white stripe was stuck on Jen's bike.

"I can see it! Jen wins the prize," said Val with a smile. Mike smiled too. "That was a close race," he said. "Nice ride, Jen!"

Circle or highlight all the silent E words where the vowel says its name (long sound). How many did you find?

Download Mini-Book Passage sheet (for highlighting)

This story is part of Level 3. Get every Level 3 illustrated mini-book in one print-ready file ($14) →

2 Silent E — Long I Words

The words this story set practices, in the two groups used by the word sort.

Real Words (12)

bike, hike, like, kite, bite, hide, ride, side, wide, line, tine, zine

Nonsense Words (8)

zime, mibe, pive, fibe, dife, gipe, nive, rike

Phrases to read: ride a bike · a wide smile · five limes · hide the kite · hike a mile · a pine and a vine · time to dive · the dime is mine · drive five miles
RAN chart words: bike, bite, wide, vine, time
Sight words: the, is, a, and, to, was, it, she, he, they, said, have

3 Silent E Long I Picture Worksheets

Silent e long i words to read, match and write, with pictures. Each PDF has its answer key on page 2.

Find the Word

Look at each picture and circle the right word out of three.

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Circle the Picture

Read a word, then circle its picture out of three.

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Which Sentence?

Look at a picture and pick the sentence that matches it.

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Read and Fill In

Read a short story, then fill in the missing words.

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Sound Boxes

Say each picture and write its sounds in the boxes.

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Read and Match

Read each word, then draw a line to its picture.

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Level 3 Word Work pack: all 101 silent e worksheets in one file

The sheets above are free. The pack is every sheet for a_e, i_e, o_e and u_e, soft c and g, y as a vowel and the all, old and ind words in order, with all the answer keys, ready to print.

Get the pack for $7 See every kind of sheet

Teaching more than one level? All 6 levels, 600+ worksheets, for $19.

4 Story Worksheets

4 ready-to-print PDFs for this story's silent e — long i words. Each one opens as its own file.

Word Sort

Cut-apart word cards to sort: Real Words or Nonsense Words. Answer key on page 2.

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Phrasing Cards

Short phrases to cut out and read smoothly, for fluency.

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Word Search

Find 12 silent e — long i words in the grid. Answer key on page 2.

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RAN Chart

A grid of five words to read fast, with room to record three timed tries.

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📖 More Silent E — Long I Stories

A new decodable story with the same silent e — long i sounds — each comes with its own set of worksheets.

← ILD, IND, OLD and OST Words Worksheets View All Phonics Skills Silent E (u_e) Worksheets →

Free Printable Silent E (i_e) Worksheets

The long I sound, as heard in words like "bike" or "time," presents a crucial step in early phonics, often introduced after short vowels and consonant digraphs. This specific pattern, i_e, where a silent 'e' at the end of a word changes a short 'i' to a long 'i', can be particularly challenging for young learners. Children frequently misread "bike" as "bik" or "bite" as "bit," overlooking the transformative power of the silent 'e'. They may also struggle with knowing when to apply the long I rule versus a short I, especially when encountering new words. The visual cue of the 'e' at the end, despite not making its own sound, requires careful attention and consistent practice to master. Our Printable Scholar worksheets provide focused practice for the i_e long I pattern. Begin with the decodable passage from "Mike's Hidden Bike," encouraging children to identify and sound out words like "ride," "hide," and "mine." Follow up with the word sort, where students categorize words into long I (i_e) and other patterns, reinforcing the visual recognition of the silent 'e'. The phrasing cards help build fluency by grouping target words like "five bikes" or "wide smile," promoting natural reading rhythm. Finally, utilize the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) chart to build speed and automaticity, quickly identifying words such as "kite," "dive," and "line," solidifying their understanding of this important phonics rule.

For more early literacy resources, explore our sight word flashcards, tracing worksheets, handwriting worksheets, and coloring pages.