Long I Spelling Patterns

We know that the long i sound says its name. But how many ways are there to spell this long vowel sound? There are FIVE different ways to spell the long i sound. (I include 6 examples in the chart below because of the two different spelling rules — or generalizations — about the i spelling pattern.) Knowing these different spelling patterns for this one sound is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the five spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

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I

Can spell the long i sound at the end of a syllable or when followed by two consonants. Ex: lion; child

I_E

Can spell the long i sound when the silent final e makes the i say its name. Ex: lime

IE

Native English words cannot end in i, and so requires a silent final e to be added. The word pie ends in an ie and makes the long i sound because a silent final e must be added after the i. ie also spells the long i sound when the tense or form of the word is changed. Ex: fry to fries; cry to cried

IGH

Can spell the long i sound in the middle or at the end of a base word. Ex: light; sigh

Y

Can spell the long i sound at the end of mostly  single syllable words. Ex: cry.

* y can also spell the long i sound in the middle or at the end of a few multisyllabic words (ex: cycle; supply; apply), or when the verb suffix fy is added to a word (ex: solidify). This is not to be confused with the adjective suffix fy (ex: goofy; stuffy), which then makes a long e sound. 

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long i sound, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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Long E Spelling Patterns

We know that the long e sound says its name. But how many ways are there to spell this long vowel sound? There are NINE different ways to spell the long e sound. Knowing these different spelling patterns for this one sound is vital in developing phonemic awareness that will support students on their journey of becoming strong, confident, and fluent independent readers. As students move from picture-heavy readers to more text-heavy books, they need to be equipped to confidently tackle words without guessing or using pictures. Targeted phonics instruction will not only help students decode more fluently, but students who have strong decoding and fluency skills also comprehend what they read more efficiently. In this post, I list each of the eight spelling patterns as well as when each spelling pattern is most likely to be used.

e

Can spell the long e sound at the end of a syllable. Ex: equal; we

e_e

Can spell the long e sound when the silent final e makes the e say its name. Ex: athlete

ea

Can spell the long e sound at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Ex: eat; dream; tea

ee

Can spell the long e sound at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word. Ex: eel; feed; bee

ei

Can spell the long e sound the beginning or in the middle of a word. Ex: either (dependent on geographic location); receive

ey

Can spell the long e sound, often at the end of a word. Ex: honey

i

Can spell the long e sound when followed by a consonant and silent final e, at the end of a syllable followed by a vowel, or at the end of foreign words. Ex: submarine; radio; spaghetti

ie

Can spell the long e sound in the middle or at the end of a word. Ex: piece; movie

y

Can spell the long e sound at the end of a multisyllabic word. Ex: jelly

For targeted practice with the different spelling patterns of the long e sound, check out this decodable reading resource in my shop.

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Making Sense of the Silent Final E

The silent final E may sometimes cause quite the conundrum. WHY is that E there? English makes no sense! Right? Well, that final silent E wears quite a few hats, and I’m going to use this post to explain those hats in a way that makes sense. 

  1.  It makes the vowel say its name.

    This is the most commonly known reason as to why the silent final E exists. It makes the vowel immediately preceding the consonant(s) before the E say its long vowel sound. When you add an E to the end of the word tap, you get tape.

    More examples: cap + E = cape; kit + E + kite; & past + E + paste

  2. Every syllable must have a written vowel — even if it cannot be heard.

    Would you write the word puzzl ? No way! It would be puzzle, with a silent final E. That’s because the word puzzle is two syllables: puz-zle, and if that silent final E were missing, there would be no written vowel in the second syllable.

    More examples: little (lit-tle); pickle (pick-le); & giggle (gig-gle)

  3. C and G can soften to /s/ and /j/ when followed by an E (I or Y, too).

    Have you ever noticed that when you add a silent final E to the word hug to make huge, the short U transforms to a long U, but the sound of the G changes from a /g/ to a /j/? This is because when a G (or C) comes before an E, I, or Y, the sound can soften.

    More examples: practice & garage

    (In these examples, see how the same letter can appear twice in the same word, but because of the silent final E, the second time the same letter appears, it is pronounced differently.)

  4. English language words do not end in I, J, U, or V.

    If you’re like me, you are trying very hard right about now to think of any and all exceptions that you can. “What about hi, flu, sushi, and ski ?” you may ask. Hi and flu are abbreviations for hello and influenza. Sushi is a Japanese word and ski is Norwegian. The true exceptions are the pronouns I and you.

More examples: olive, tie, & blue.

I hope that these examples of the many hats that silent final E wears make at least one part of the English language seem a bit less illogical. When these general rules of thumb are better understood, the English language will seem just a bit less confusing!

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January is Braille Literacy Awareness Month

Did you know that January is Braille Literacy Awareness Month? It honors Louis Braille and recognizes the important role that the Braille alphabet system plays in the lives on many who are blind and visually impaired.

Who Was Louis Braille?

Louis Braille was born in France on January 4, 1809.  Braille himself became blind as a little boy after a horrific accident in his father’s workshop. As an older child, he received a scholarship to study in Paris at the National Institute for Blind Children, and later became a teacher there. There was no method by which the blind could read or write at the time. As a teenager, he was inspired by French army officer Charles Barbier’s invention of night writing to create a six-dot cell system eventually known as Braille to enable the blind to read using their fingers.

Bringing Braille into the Mainstream Classroom

If you have a classroom of students who are sighted, why introduce the concept of Braille?

Braille is a tool that enables inclusion and empowerment for those who are unable to see, and to participate alongside their peers in everyday activities and tasks. When those who are sighted recognize the existence and importance of a different way to read, learn, and communicate, the door is opened to better understanding and greater acceptance of others who have different abilities. It also invites the conversation of accessibility, and when society recognizes what accessibility looks like, it becomes more and more obvious when it isn’t visible.

In the past, I have introduced my students to the text (affiliate link) Louis Braille: The Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind by Margaret Davidson. We spent a few weeks on this text, while also bringing Braille products into the classroom to make a real-life, text-to-world connection.

The first step was introducing my sighted students to everyday familiar objects and games that feature Braille. We went on to discuss where in the outside world they would see Braille, and their assignment over the course of the next week was to keep alert and look out for any Braille displays. As New York City kids, this wasn’t a hard task, and suddenly, they were observing Braille just about everywhere they went. Many exclaimed that they hadn’t ever noticed that Braille was in their apartment building elevators that they rode EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Ultimately, while all of my students were sighted, the introduction to another way to read brought them to a new level of awareness.

VOCABULARY

Following are words to include in your discussion / unit on Louis Braille:

  • acceptance (and how this is different from tolerance)

  • accessibility

  • inclusion

resources

Some of the items I brought into my classroom included:

  • Braille dice

  • Braille playing cards

  • A Starbucks card with Braille writing (This inspired another thoughtful discussion on the important, and unfortunately limited retailers providing gift cards with Braille.)

We completed our study of Louis Braille and his invention by doing a hands-on fine motor craft activity. Using puffy paint, beads, or rhinestone stickers, students created a tactile replica of their names or the entire alphabet in Braille.

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A TACTILE CRAFT

“I love,love the puff paint braille paper. We have so much fun with it and I also use it as a data sheet too. Thank you so much for making this.”

“I used this activity on my school's annual "dot day." We read "Six Dots" (about Louis Braille) then completed this activity. My kids were so interested and engaged and loved learning that some students read with their hands! Their name tags have been displayed in the hallway and students always stop to "feel" their names. Love, love, love!”

Learn More

Before I sign off, I also have to (HIGHLY) recommend an introduction to Helen Keller as part of the National Geographic series and how Braille’s invention played a role in her ability to achieve such greatness despite her disability.

If you can locate a copy, Jeremy’s Dreidel by Ellie B. Gellman, this one is also a wonderful addition to any library. The setting is the Jewish Community Center during Hanukkah, and is written from the point of view of a boy whose father is blind. In this sweet story, Jeremy wants to find a way to help his visually impaired father enjoy a popular Hanukkah game that involves reading specific letters from an object - the dreidel. But when he succeeds and his prize-winning Braille dreidel is put on display, Jeremy teaches us all an important lesson about inclusion.

How will you and your students partake in Braille Literacy Awareness Month?