SPIRE Resources

Quick Drill

We will use the quick drill to gain fluency with identifying letters and common sounds. You can also write the letters with your fingers in the sky ("skywrite") or on the table to practice letter formation.

Quick Drill.mov

SPIRE: About the program brochure for families

The Six Syllable Types

SPIRE teaches students the six syllable types for decoding (reading) & encoding (spelling). Closed and VCE Syllable types account for over 80% of typical words.

When reading with your child, look for words with the syllable types they have already learned and let them "tap" or sound out those words!

SPIRE Level 1: Closed Syllables

SPIRE Level 2: VCE Syllables

SPIRE Level 3: Open Syllables & Closed Syllable Exceptions

SPIRE Level 4: Consonant-LE Syllables & Vowel Team "D" Syllables

SPIRE Level 5: R-Controlled Syllables

SPIRE Level 6 - 8: Prefixes & Suffixes

Keywords & Picture Cues

Consonants, Short Vowel Sounds, Digraphs

In Level 1, we are learning the common sounds for all letters. Have your student use this page to practice!

Closed Syllable Exceptions

Many words don't "follow the rules" and are difficult to sound out correctly. These exceptions follow their own rules and must be memorized. We work on these in SPIRE levels 1, 2 & 3.

Vowel Sounds

SPIRE Level 1: Short Vowels for Closed Syllables

SPIRE Level 2: Long Vowels for VCE Syllables

SPIRE Level 3: Long Vowels for Open Syllables

SPIRE Levels 4-6: Long Vowels for Vowel Teams

Spelling Rules

In addition to decoding, or sounding words out to read, SPIRE also teaches encoding, or spelling. We do dictation 2-3 times per week, and a spelling test on Friday. Here are the spelling rules we will learn throughout the program:

Word Marking

For students learning how to decode, there are many rules to remember. "Marking" words can help students recall the rules and is the step we practice before we begin reading fluently. Here are some of the marks we use:

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