Decodable Books for UFLI Foundations Lesson 55: i_e /ī/
We believe every child deserves access to quality reading materials that nurture a lifelong love of learning. Here you’ll find decodable books for UFLI Lesson 55, which focus on i_e, the silent e pattern that makes i say its name. Children read long i silent e words such as bide, bike, time and five, and notice how kit becomes kite.
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Can You Tell Yet?
Sam loves a game: draw something in a few careful steps, then make you guess what it is. Today’s drawing starts with a big black shape and two blinking eyes, then a box appears underneath with four matching legs. A wide smile gets added next, and everyone guesses cat. Could Sam really be drawing something else entirely? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘smile’, ‘wide’, ’line’, ’time’, ‘side’.
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The Book Said Dig
Ned builds a fine shovel to dig his very first hole, but soon meets a rock that his shovel just can’t crack. Can Ned craft a new tool strong enough to smash it? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ’time’, ‘wide’, ‘pride’, ‘smile’, ‘shine’.
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Do Not Drop That Prize!
Gran’s mango harvest is finally here, and everyone has a job to do. A girl carries a fat sack of mangoes without a single slip, while a boy up in the tree grabs too many at once! Will Gran’s basket catch every single one he drops? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘ripe’, ‘smile’, ‘glide’, ‘wide’, ‘prize’.
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Muck Is Fine!
Skel loves his tidy brick house, but Zom and Jack think muck is fine. When Skel finally quits cleaning and storms out, the pair flop on the grass in the sunshine, ready to enjoy a chore-free life. But as the mess grows thicker every day, what will they find hiding in the grime? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘slime’, ‘hide’, ‘glide’, ‘dive’, ‘smile’.
A Fresh Plate for Ash!
A boy grows every bite of dinner himself, digging straight lines, chasing off hungry birds, and watering his seedlings morning and night. A cow and a hen keep eyeing his crops over the fence, but he is not sharing. When the harvest is finally ripe, he and his mom cook it all up side by side for the whole family - but will everyone believe he really grew it all on his own? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘shine’, ‘smile’, ‘pride’, ‘ripe’, ’time’.
Fisi and the Prize
Fisi the hyena loves bones more than anything else, and when he finds a pile scattered near the rocky hillside, he can’t wait to grab them all. But when a strange voice starts answering him from a crack in the rocks, Fisi is sure he’s found something amazing. Could this rocky spirit really be about to help him win the biggest prize of his life? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘pile’, ‘slide’, ‘smile’, ‘prize’, ‘hillside’.
Ajapa Would Like to Dine
Ajapa the tortoise longs to taste the food at the sky-people’s feast, but tortoises cannot fly. When the birds agree to lend him feathers for wings, will his clever plan get him all the way to the sky-feast? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘fine’, ‘glides’, ‘pride’, ’time’, ‘wide’.
Ben and His Birds
Ben loves his one pet bird’s song so much that he begs his father to catch more birds from the forest, filling their house with cage after cage. But once every perch is full, something is wrong: not a single bird will sing. Can Ben figure out why his new pets have gone silent? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘fine’, ‘wide’, ‘smile’, ‘inside’, ‘quite’.
The Cursed Emerald Part 5
Alex wakes to find the cursed emerald glowing on the desk again, and this time she is determined to get rid of it for good. But a botched jump through the gate flings her into the desert instead, forcing a long trek home mile after mile before bedtime, with plan after plan falling apart. Can Alex and Jake find a clue on the old golem before the curse gets any stronger? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘hikes’, ‘shines’, ‘smile’, ’nine’.
My Cat Will Not Bite!
Dot’s new cat won’t eat bread, apples, eggs, or beef, and refuses every meal she brings home. He sits on the hillside looking sadder by the day, and Dot is running out of ideas fast. What could possibly make this fussy cat smile? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘bite’, ‘fine’, ‘dine’, ‘smile’, ‘sunshine’.
Yonas Will Not Dine
Yonas will not smile, and he will not dine with Saba, no matter how hard she tries. A wise healer says only a lion’s whisker can help, so Saba hikes to a hillside where a lion rests, offering meat every day while the villagers gasp at her risk. Will Saba’s patience be enough to reach a boy who has shut her out? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘smiles’, ’time’, ‘dine’, ‘wise’, ‘strides’.
Stop The Fox!
Fig Pig notices a strange hen inside the pen, and soon there are six under the sunshine, with Brat Cat all smiles about fresh eggs. Then a fox swipes a hen and strikes off fast, gliding past a fallen tree and its pile of logs like it’s nothing. Can anyone stop a fox that quite fast? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘fine’, ‘smile’, ‘wide’, ’time’, ‘while’.
Just a Bite, Ned
Ned has built the biggest, most beautiful beehive in the neighborhood, and the honey is just too good to stop eating. Jar after jar disappears, and even the pigs start giving him worried looks. Will Ned ever put down the spoon? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘hive’, ‘wide’, ‘smile’, ‘bite’, ’time’.
Who Painted My House?!
Pep the bird has huge plans for the village parade float, until every paint bucket crashes and spills at once. The mess on the wall looks strange and beautiful, so Pep gets a wild idea: why paint just one float when he could paint the whole village instead? He starts splashing color on every hut and rooftop he can reach, but will the other villagers love their new colorful homes as much as he does? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘shine’, ‘smile’, ‘wide’, ’time’, ‘inside’.
I Must Get That Shine
Frog has always dreamed of holding a star, so one night he climbs a giant plant, stretching for the twinkling lights above. But the higher he gets, the further away the stars seem, and getting back down looks a lot scarier than getting up. Will Frog find his prize, or is he stuck up top forever? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘shine’, ‘smile’, ‘glides’, ‘prize’, ‘mile’.
Fast, Not Last!
Mama Bear always loses the race to school pickup, panting in last while every other parent zooms past on bikes and trikes. When Baby Bear suggests she try a bike herself, she’s horrified, sure she’d crash and tip right into the river. But if a cat, a fox, and even an armless crocodile can ride, could Mama Bear really learn too? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘bike’, ‘ride’, ‘smile’, ‘glide’, ’time’.
Shade My Size!
On the hottest day of the summer, a goat is too hot and grumpy to think straight. She tries hiding by the stream and squeezing under bushes on the hillside, but nothing fits her right. Then she hikes into town and spots something that gives her a brand-new idea. Could building her own shelter finally give her shade the right size? Created to align with the UFLI Foundations scope and sequence (Lesson 55: i_e /ī/), this book practices words like ‘hide’, ‘wide’, ‘smile’, ‘size’, ‘hikes’.
Decodable Books Created to Align with the UFLI Foundations Scope and Sequence
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some i_e words?
Common i_e words include bike, bite, dime, five, hide, kite, line, mile, pine, ride, side, time and wide. They share one pattern: i, a single consonant, then a silent e that tells the i to say its name. Because the pattern is so regular, children who know it can read dozens of long i words without memorizing each one.
What is the difference between short i and long i?
Short i is the quick sound in pin, kit and rid, and long i says the letter’s name, as in pine, kite and ride. Adding a silent e is often all it takes to switch between them, which makes word pairs a simple practice game. Ask your child to read pin, then add an e card and read pine, noticing how the vowel changes.
Is five a long i word?
Five is a long i word, and it follows the same i_e pattern as bike and time: the silent e makes the i say its name. It is a good example to share because children already know the word well, so it helps them connect the spelling to a word they use every day. Other number words, such as nine, follow the same pattern.
How do you teach long i with silent e?
Start with words children can already read, such as kit, pin and slid, then add an e and show how each becomes kite, pine and slide. Next, read the books for UFLI Lesson 55 together and ask your child to point to the silent e before reading each word. The National Reading Panel (2000) found that explicit, systematic phonics instruction helps children learn to read, and decodable text is where that teaching turns into real reading.
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