First Grade · Reading · week 23

Igh and Y Say Long I

Read words with the igh pattern and a final y, two more patterns that make the long i sound without a silent e.

Long i has two more patterns to learn. Igh makes the long i sound in words like "night" -- three letters, one long sound. At the end of a short word, y can also say long i, like in "my" and "fly."

These do not look like the other vowel teams, but the job is the same: they give you the long i sound without using a silent e.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Point out igh is unusual -- three letters for one sound -- but it shows up in common words like night and light.
  • Show that y only says long i at the END of a short word; in the middle of a word y usually acts as a consonant, as in "yes."
  • Read a few igh and y words side by side so the shared long i sound is obvious.
  • Keep a running list of every long i pattern learned so far: i_e, igh, and y.
Talk about it:
  • What sound does igh make, even though it has three letters?
  • When does y say long i, at the start of a word or the end?
  • Can you name all three ways to write long i that you know now?

Mastery looks like: They read igh and final-y words with the correct long i sound and can name the long i patterns learned so far.

Common stumbles: Trying to sound out igh letter by letter instead of reading it as one long i sound.

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Silent EAdd a silent E and watch the vowel say its name — cap → cape.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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