other with beginning blends and more complex vowel sounds. The additionof 3 types of Action Cards—the Pirate, the Anchor, and the SunkenShip—creates an element of surprise that makes learning fun.

Managing the Pirate Card Game: Short to Long Vowel Silent e• Should you need this or any other Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide,

download them from our Web site at www.reallygoodstuff.com.• Photocopy the Pirate Card Game instructions. Laminate the

instructions for repeated use.• When using the game at a literacy center, be sure to show students

how to store the playing cards and tidy the center when the activityis complete.

Introducing the Pirate Card Game: Short to Long Vowel Silent eThe Pirate Card Game includes two sets of color-coded cards, each with31 short and long vowel pairs. The red-bordered set is simpler in that thepronunciation of the vowels change from short to long, but the consonantsounds remain the same. The green-bordered set includes words withbeginning blends and more difficult short to long vowel switches, such asstag/stage and cub/cube. On each card, there are two words that playersmust read—one that is a short vowel word, such as cap, followed by thethat same word with an e added to the end—cape.

The Pirate Card Game is fun and easy to play. The game starts with onecolor-coded set of cards face down on a table. Players turn cards overand, depending on what is on the other side, they either read the words orfollow one of the Action Cards. At the start of each turn, players decide

Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good Stuff® Pirate CardGame: Short to Long Vowel Silent e, a fun learning game that developsyour students’ short and long vowel reading fluency.

ObjectiveStudents will read short and long vowel silent e words.

Meeting Common Core State StandardsThis Really Good Stuff™ Pirate Card Game: Short to Long Vowel Silent eis aligned with the following Common Core State Standard for EnglishLanguage Arts:Phonics and Word RecognitionR.F. 1.3b Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words.R.F. 1.3c Know final -e and common vowel team conventions forrepresenting long vowel sounds.

This engaging pirate-themed game is a great way for young learners tobuild reading fluency with short vowel (CVC) and long vowel (CVCe) words.There are two color-coded sets of cards, one more advanced than the

Pirate Card Game:Short to Long Vowel

Silent e

All teaching guides can be found online.

This Really Good Stuff® productincludes:• 76 Short to Long Vowel

Silent e Pirate Game Cards• This Really Good Stuff®

Teaching Guide

© 2013 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920www.reallygoodstuff.com #305638

Made in Guangzhou, China

Pirate Card Game: Short to Long Vowel Silent e InstructionsPlayers: 2 to 4Object: Read short and long vowel wordsMaterials: one color-coded set of Pirate Cards1. Shuffle the cards and place them all face down on the table or floor.

Decide on the order of play.2. Player 1 announces how many cards he or she will attempt to turn

over—1, 2, or 3 cards—and turns the first card over. If there is arewords on the other side, the player reads them, keeps the card, andcontinues with his or her turn. If the player incorrectly reads thewords, he or she returns the card to the table and the turn is over.If there is an anchor on the other side of the card, the player gets tokeep it but the turn is over. If there is a Pirate on the other side, the player must return all of hisor her cards face down to the table and the turn is over. (All theplayers try to remember the location of the Pirate Cards that werereturned face down to the table.) If there is a Sunken Ship on theother side, the game is over and all players count their cards. Theplayer with the most cards is the winner.

3. Play continues with players taking turns in this way. Players continueuntil all the Word Cards are turned over and in the players’ winningpiles. This means that there are only three remaining cards face downon the table—the Sunken Ship Card and the two Pirate Cards.The player with the most cards is the winner.

4. When all the Word Cards are used, the game is over and players counttheir cards. The player with the most cards is the winner.

Variations:• To play a longer game, take out the Sunken Ship Card and play until all

the Word Cards have been read.• At the end of the game, have students read the words in their winning

piles aloud.

Related Really Good Stuff® Products:Pirate Card Game: Uppercase and Lowercase Letters (#305628)Pirate Card Game: Beginning Sounds (#305631)Pirate Card Game: CVC Word Families (#305640)

how many cards they will attempt to turn over—from 1 to 3 cards at atime—and announce that number to the other players. If they turn over aWord Card and can correctly read the words, they keep it and start theirindividual winning piles. The object of the game is to end up with the mostcards, which makes turning over more cards per turn appealing; however, italso increases the likelihood of revealing a special card that requires acertain action. Players must decide how much of a risk they want to take,as each card has a consequence:

A.)Word Card: The player reads the words on the card andkeeps it to start his or her winning pile.

B.)Anchor Card: Stop! The player keeps the card but theturn is over.

C.)Pirate Card: Argh! The turn is over and the playermust return all of his or her cards to the table.This is the card to avoid! Once a player selects andturns over the Pirate, he or she must return all of hisor her winning pile to the table, including the PirateCard itself. It is a best to remember the location ofthe Pirate Card to avoid having to return cardsanother time.

D.)Sunken Ship Card: No! The game is over. All playerscount their cards. The player with the most cards isthe winner.

Players continue until all the Word Cards are turned overand in the players’ winning piles. This means that there are only threeremaining cards face down on the table—the Sunken Ship Card and thetwo Pirate Cards. The player with the most cards is the winner.

Model the game using the instructions until students are familiar withthe rules and procedures, and then allow students to play the gamesindependently or at a literacy center. Keep the Instructions nearby duringplay. Remind students to play close attention to the location of thePirate Cards once they are revealed. Assign an aide or student volunteerto set up and oversee the game.