Do you have students who have difficulty decoding multisyllabic words?
Words that contain multiple syllables can be difficult for students to read, especially if they don’t have strategies in their literacy toolbox to figure them out. These students often look at the word as a whole, or will focus on just the first syllable and guess at the rest. By teaching your students to decode words using syllables, not only will they have the tools to successfully read challenging words, but they’ll develop the confidence to navigate higher-level texts on their own.
Why + How of Syllable Types
Learning how to divide words into “chunks” (i.e., syllables) and knowing the common syllable patterns can help students decode and read with more accuracy; however, students need to be explicitly taught how to do this.
Before diving into syllable types, it’s important for students to know how to mark syllables and break words apart. (A blog post about this is coming soon!) Students can use a whiteboard to break apart a word, or they can use finger frames to do this as they read. By focusing on one chunk at a time, they can use their knowledge of phonics and common syllable patterns to decode each syllable, and then blend the syllables all together to read it “fast like a word.”
So, what are the common syllable patterns?
Six Syllable Types
There are six main syllable patterns students should learn. Understanding these can help them when coming across an unfamiliar word. Instead of guessing, they can divide the word into syllables and use these common syllable types to identify and decode it.
Closed (CVC) syllables are syllables that have only one vowel and vowel sound, and are always closed off by one or more consonants. As an example, the word hat is a closed syllable because it has a vowel, a, and ends with the consonant t.
Open (CV) syllables also have only one vowel and vowel sound. However, this vowel is found at the end of the word and closes it off. For example, the word table is made up of two syllables: ta and ble. Ta is an open syllable because it has only one vowel sound (long a) and it ends with the vowel a.
Consonant -le (C-le) syllables are found at the end of a word. Depending on what other type of syllable they are found with, a double consonant may be found. If it is with an open syllable, there will be no double consonant. For example, table is a C-le word and begins with an open syllable (ta). Therefore, there is no double consonant. When C-le is found with a closed syllable such as little (closed syllable: lit), there is a double consonant.
Silent E (VCe) syllables have a single letter vowel, followed by one consonant and a silent e. The silent e makes the vowel create a long vowel sound. Examples include take, ride and hope.
Vowel Team (VV) syllables have two vowels together that work to make one vowel sound. The vowel teams can make a long or short sound. For example the word boat has the vowels โoaโ together making only the long vowel /o/ sound. Other examples of vowel teams include rain and head. Diphthongs, which are two vowels that start as one vowel sound and transition into the other vowel sound, are also included as vowel teams. Examples of diphthongs include coin and loud.
R-Controlled (Vr) syllables are syllables with a vowel followed by the consonant r. The consonant r takes control of the sound and the vowel does not make a short or long sound. The R-Controlled syllables are -ar, -er, -ir, -or, and -ur. Examples include the words bird, star, and shark.
Practice Identifying Syllable Types
In order for students to identify syllables automatically and with accuracy, they need to practice! There are a few ways that I do this with my small groups.
Color-Coding Syllable Hunt– Using a word list of multisyllabic words, students can color-code each syllable type with a different colors. Students love using my collection of rainbow-colored highlighters to do this!
Clothespins – Using syllable word cards, students can mark each syllable using clothespins. Read more about how students can do this in my blog post: 3 Ways to Use Clothespins for Working With Sounds and Syllables.
Clip-It Cards – Students can identify and mark syllable types using clips, bingo chips, or or some sort of marker. Print it on card stock to use with word cards or laminate for students to write on with a dry-erase marker. You can also slide it into a sheet protector for students to keep in their reading folders for breaking words apart during small groups!
Free Clip-It Syllable Mats
Practice is a great way to help students identify and learn syllables and patterns, and decode challenging words . This free โClip-Itโ card resource is a helpful tool for students to utilize. It will allow them to visually divide each syllable and identify which type of syllable it is. Complete the form below to receive this FREE Syllable Clip-It Card!ย
Activity Directions:
- Print on cardstock and laminate
- Place a word card on the blank space in the middle, or record a word using a dry/wet erase marker
- Mark the word and divide the syllables
- Use a clip (paper clip, chip clip, clothespin, etc.) or some sort of marker (bingo chip, mini-eraser, etc.) to identify and mark the syllables that can be found within the word
Helpful Tips:
- Marking the vowels and dividing the syllables before trying to identify the syllables is helpful, but not 100% necessary. For students who struggle with decoding, this isolates the different word parts and makes it easier for students to โseeโ the syllables. For students who become more skilled with syllable division and can “finger frame,” or even divide the words in their heads, this step may not be necessary.
- If a word has two of the same syllable type, place two clothespins on that category.ย
- There are specific syllable types that can be categorized on their own, outside of the main syllable types, but to keep things simple for this activity, you can tell students to keep to the larger categories. For example, schwa could be open or closed, depending on the spelling pattern and where itโs located within the word. I usually have my students mark the syllable and record a schwa symbol over the schwa vowel. For syllables that contain diphthongs (gliding vowels like oy, oi, ou, ow), I have them place the clothespin on the vowel team category.
Additional Resources
Are you looking for additional resources to support your instruction of phonics and syllables? Check out the following resources from my website and shop.
- Learn about 3 Ways to Use Clothespins for Working With Sounds and Syllables for additional ideas and activities for identifying syllables.
- Explore my Daily Phonics activity pages for weekly practice with identifying sounds and syllables patterns within words. You can also check it out in my shop.
- Read about the Phonics + Spelling Word Work Mat or check it out in my shop. This activity mat can be used with ANY word you come across during your reading instruction and is perfect for breaking apart words that students get stuck on during small groups.
- Read about my Crunch + Munchโ strategy or check out the practice and assessment resource in my shop. (This doesn’t focus on syllable types, specifically, but supports the idea of reading words using “chunks.”)
- Loving the Clip-It card freebie included in this post? Read more about my entire Clip-It task card series or check them out in my shop. These cards focus on specific phonics and spelling patterns. (More syllable focused cards are coming soon!)
