Bright Flight Slides UFLI Foundations • Lesson 87
Long /ī/ Patterns
Spelling /ī/ with
igh and ie
Today we will learn how the trigraph igh and the vowel team ie both represent the long /ī/ sound.
igh
Trigraph Pattern
light • night • bright
ie
Vowel Team Pattern
pie • tie • cried
Step 1: Phonemic Awareness
Sound Isolation & Blending
Listen to the sounds. Tap your fingers, then blend the word together:
Sound Sequence 1
/n/ + /ī/ + /t/
→ "night"
Sound Sequence 2
/p/ + /ī/
→ "pie"
Sound Sequence 3
/f/ /l/ /ī/ /t/
→ "flight"
Sound Sequence 4
/t/ + /ī/
→ "tie"
What sound do you hear in the middle of flight and at the end of pie ? That's right: /ī/ !
Step 2: Explicit Instruction • Pattern 1
Trigraph igh
igh
Sound: /ī/
3 Letters = 1 Long Vowel Sound
What is a Trigraph?
Three letters that work together to make one sound . In igh , the 'gh' is silent!
Where do we see it?
Almost always followed by the letter t at the end of a syllable or word: -ight !
h-igh l-igh-t br-igh-t
Remember: When you see i - g - h together, say /ī/ !
Step 2: Explicit Instruction • Pattern 2
Vowel Team ie
ie
Sound: /ī/
2 Vowels = 1 Long Vowel Sound
What is the ie Team?
Two vowels side-by-side. The 'i' says its long sound /ī/ and the 'e' stays quiet.
Where do we see it?
Usually at the end of short base words (pie, tie, lie ) or in past tense/plural endings (cried, tied, flies )!
p-ie t-ie cr-ie-d
Rule of thumb: End of base word? Check for ie . Followed by a 't'? Look for igh !
Step 3: Blending Board • igh Pattern
Tap & Blend
Touch each card, make the sound, and sweep to blend:
Onset n
Vowel /ī/ igh
Coda t
"NIGHT"
l + igh + t = light
s + igh + t = sight
m + igh + t = might
fl + igh + t = flight
Step 3: Blending Board • ie Pattern
Tap & Blend
Touch each card, make the sound, and sweep to blend:
Onset p
Vowel /ī/ ie
"PIE"
t + ie = tie
l + ie = lie
d + ie = die
cr + ie + d = cried
Step 4: Word Work Chain
One Sound Changes!
Watch the word transform as one sound or spelling changes:
Start
night
Change /n/ to /l/
light
Change /l/ to /t/
tight
Change /t/ to /r/
right
Add /b/ blend
bright
Start
pie
Change /p/ to /t/
tie
Change /t/ to /l/
lie
Add /d/ suffix
tied
Change /t/ to /cr/
cried
Notice how preserving the vowel team lets us read long vowel chains quickly and accurately!
Step 5: Irregular & Sight Words
Heart Word Check
Learn the decodable parts, and memorize the heart parts:
thought
/th/ is regular • ough makes the /aw/ sound by heart! • /t/ is regular.
"Dwight thought the light was bright."
through
/th/ /r/ is regular • ough makes the /oo/ sound by heart!
"The plane flew through the midnight clouds."
Heart words require extra practice because part of the word does not follow the standard rule yet!
Step 6: Connected Sentence Reading
Read with Expression
Sentence 1
The stars gave off a bright light in the night sky.
Sentence 2
He ate a slice of peach pie with his bow tie on.
Sentence 3
The knight held on tight during his bold flight.
Great job! Now you are ready to read our decodable stories and complete your fluency check!
Three Decodables Packet UFLI Lesson 87 Decodable • Story 1
The Midnight Flight
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Focus Pattern Trigraph igh = /ī/
Word Count: 142 words • Target Words: 16
It was a deep, quiet night at the airfield. The moonlight shone down on the tarmac with a cool, bright beam. Pilot Dwight sat inside his small silver craft. He checked every dial to make sure all parts were right. He held the steering stick tight in his hands.
50
Dwight felt a sudden spark of fright, but he took a slow breath and let out a soft sigh. He gave the engine full gas, and the plane sped down the strip. With a swift lift, the plane rose high up past the trees. What a grand sight it was from the sky!
104
Dwight saw town lights blink like tiny gold sparks far below. The smooth flight felt just like a dream. Dwight smiled with delight. His night flight was a grand thrill, and he felt light as a feather in the dark sky.
142
Word Bank: Spot & Read Target /ī/ Words
night bright Dwight right tight fright sigh high sight lights flight delight
Quick Comprehension Check: Why did Dwight let out a sigh before takeoff, and how did he feel after?
Read 1: _____ WCPM
Read 2: _____ WCPM
Read 3: _____ WCPM
Goal: Accurate & Expressive
UFLI Lesson 87 Decodable • Story 2
The Apple Pie Contest
Name: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________
Focus Pattern Vowel Team ie = /ī/
Word Count: 148 words • Target Words: 15
It was the day of the grand county bake off. Jack put on his best silk bow tie and tied his apron snug. He had baked a hot apple pie with sweet brown crust. He fried up fresh cinnamon spice to sprinkle right on top. Jack wanted to win the big blue ribbon.
53
As Jack walked up the hill, a buzzing black fly spied the warm crust. Jack tried to swat the pest, but his shoelace untied! He tripped on a stone and fell flat. The pie slid out of his hands and dropped onto the grass. Jack almost cried when he saw the mess.
110
Jack dried his eyes with a clean rag. "I will not tell a lie," Jack said. "My pie fell, but I have a second pan at home!" He sprinted back, grabbed the extra pie, and tied for first place. Jack beamed with pride.
148
Word Bank: Spot & Read Target /ī/ Words
tie tied pie fried spied tried untied cried dried lie pies pride
Quick Comprehension Check: What problem did Jack face on the hill, and how did he solve it?
High Kite Fluency Reader UFLI Lesson 87 Fluency Reader • Form A
The High Flying Kite
Student Name: ___________________________
Date: _______________ Grade: _________
Teacher Directions: Time the student for 60 seconds as they read aloud. Mark uncorrected errors with a slash (/).
Target: /ī/ (igh, ie)
Mike had a brand new kite. It was bright red and shaped like a swift jet. 15
He tied the tough string tight around a thick wooden stick so it would not slip. 31
Mike walked up the high grassy hill where the breeze was strong and cool. 45
He held the kite high in the air and waited for the right time to release it. 62
A sudden gust caught the kite and pulled hard. Mike cried out in pure delight! 77
The red kite rose high above the treetops, swooping left and then swinging right. 91
It was quite a sight against the bright blue afternoon sky. Mike gave a sigh. 106
He thought the kite might touch the fluffy clouds floating past the sun. 119
Soon, the wind died down, and the bright kite dipped gently back toward the grass. 134
Mike reeled in the line, untied the knot, and packed his gear with pride. 148
He walked home just as twilight fell, eager to eat peach pie for dinner. 162
Fluency Scoring Tracker (Words Correct Per Minute) Formula: Total Words Read - Errors = WCPM
Read 1 (Cold) 1 min
Words: _____
Errors: _____
WCPM: ______
Read 2 (Practice) 1 min
Words: _____
Errors: _____
WCPM: ______
Read 3 (Hot) 1 min
Words: _____
Errors: _____
Final WCPM: ______
Expression & Phrasing:
[ ] 1: Word-by-word [ ] 2: Two-word phrases [ ] 3: Mixture with pauses [ ] 4: Fluid & expressive
UFLI Lesson 87 Fluency Reader • Comprehension
Comprehension Check: The High Flying Kite
Score: ______ / 5
Directions: Fill in the bubble next to the best answer for each question based on the passage you just read.
1. Why did Mike tie the kite string tight around the wooden stick?
A So it would not slip
B To make the kite heavier
C Because the wind was too hot
D To tie a peach pie to it
2. Where did Mike go to fly his new kite?
A Inside a stone castle
B Down near a wet pond
C Up a high grassy hill
D Across a busy highway
3. How did Mike feel when the gust pulled the kite high into the air?
Verbal Check Exit Ticket UFLI Lesson 87 Diagnostic Assessment
Verbal Check Exit Ticket
Student: ___________________________
Date: ____________ Score: ___ / 10
Student Reading Card (Point and read aloud across)
5 Real Words • 5 Nonsense Words
1 (Real) night
2 (Real) pie
3 (Real) flight
4 (Real) cried
5 (Real) tight
6 (Nonsense) vigh
7 (Nonsense) clie
8 (Nonsense) zight
9 (Nonsense) spigh
10 (Nonsense) blie
Teacher Diagnostic Record & Phoneme Breakdown
Check (✓) if correct • Note phonemic errors
# Word Type Pattern Accurate? Phonetic Target / Student Error Notes 1 night Real Trigraph -ight /n/ + /ī/ + /t/ 2 pie Real Vowel Team -ie /p/ + /ī/ 3 flight Real Blend + -ight /fl/ + /ī/ + /t/ 4 cried Real Blend + -ied /kr/ + /ī/ + /d/ 5 tight Real Trigraph -ight /t/ + /ī/ + /t/ 6 vigh Nonsense Trigraph -igh (/vī/) Isolates igh without coda 7 clie Nonsense Blend + -ie (/klī/) Tests -ie at end of syllable 8 zight Nonsense Trigraph -ight (/zīt/) Tests igh+t chunking 9 spigh Nonsense Blend + -igh (/spī/) Tests s-blend + long /ī/ 10 blie Nonsense Blend + -ie (/blī/) Tests l-blend + final -ie
Bright Flight Teacher Guide UFLI Foundations • Lesson Facilitation Guide
Lesson 87: Long /ī/ (igh, ie)
Grade 1-2 Tier 1 / Tier 2
Suggested Pacing: 30–45 Mins
Target Phoneme: /ī/ (long i)
Graphemes: igh (trigraph), ie (team)
Prerequisite: CVCe, common vowel teams
1 Step 1: Phonemic Awareness (Phoneme Isolation & Blending) 3-4 Mins
Teacher Script: "Listen as I say sounds. Tap your arm for each sound, then sweep to say the word: /n/ - /ī/ - /t/ → night ; /p/ - /ī/ → pie ; /f/ - /l/ - /ī/ - /t/ → flight ; /t/ - /ī/ → tie ; /s/ - /ī/ - /t/ → sight ."
Key Question: "What vowel sound did you hear in every word?" (Students: /ī/!)
2 Step 2: Visual Drill (Flash Cards) 3 Mins
Flash cards with previously taught graphemes: ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, ow, oe, i_e, o_e. Students state grapheme and phoneme chorally (e.g., "ai says /ā/"). Fast pace, 100% accuracy.
3 Step 3: Auditory Drill (Sound to Letter Dictation) 4 Mins
Say the target sound; students repeat and write all known spellings on whiteboards:
Say: /ā/ → Write: a, a_e, ai, ay
Say: /ē/ → Write: e, e_e, ee, ea
Say: /ō/ → Write: o, o_e, oa, ow, oe
4 Step 4: Blending Drill (Pocket Chart or Digital Board) 5 Mins
Build and blend review words to reinforce automaticity before introducing the new concept:
boat → coat → coach rain → grain → groan toe → foe → float
Step 5: New Concept Instruction Preview
Explicitly explain: Trigraph igh has 3 letters working together to make 1 vowel sound /ī/ (silent 'gh' historically represented a guttural sound). Vowel team ie appears at the end of base words (pie, tie) or in inflected verbs (cried, fried).
UFLI Foundations • Lesson Facilitation Guide
Lesson 87: Steps 5–8 & Application
Page 2 of 2
5 Step 5: Teach New Concept (igh, ie /ī/) 5-6 Mins
Pattern 1: Trigraph igh • 3 letters, 1 sound: /ī/light, night, fight, sight
Pattern 2: Vowel Team ie • 2 letters, 1 sound: /ī/
