Learning vowel patterns it the most difficult part of the English language and is very challenging for our young readers. Vowels can make a short sound such as /a/ in cat or a long sound such as /a/ in cake. Readers must identify which sound the vowel is going to make. There are several ways that vowels make the long sound, and one of these is adding an e to the of a word. For example: bake, cake, rake, ripe, kit, and rope all end in -e. I call this the MAGIC E! The Magic E makes the vowel say its name. Teaching your child this rule is a helpful way for them to read a long vowel sound.