How Can You Make It Happen?
As with all phonemic awareness activities, these syllable awareness activities should be seen as one of many literacy components and should take only a small amount of time in the reading instruction block. Other components should include reading aloud, shared reading, reading in small groups, writing, and independent reading.
Syllable Blending and Segmenting
Choose words students are familiar with, and have students clap for each word part or syllable in the word. Ask how many times they clapped, and state the number of syllables or word parts in the word. For example, using the word hotdog, say /hot//dog/, and clap for each of the two syllables.
Sample Student Activity
The following sample lesson on counting syllables can also be found by clicking the link below.
Objective: Students will count the number of syllables in words.
Materials: Magnet board, basket filled with pictures that have magnets on the back.
- Ask a volunteer to take one item out of the basket and place it on the magnet board.
- Ask, "What did you put on the magnet board?"
- After students say the name of the item, say the word again and clap for each syllable.
- Ask, "How many syllables does it have?"
- Say, "Now let's all say the word and clap the syllables for it."
Syllable Deletion
Choose words students are familiar with, and have students clap for each word part or syllable in the word. Ask students take away one part of the word and state the word that is left. For example, using the word hotdog, say, "What is hotdog without the 'hot'?" Be sure to vary the deleted syllable.
Sample Student Activity
The following sample lesson for teaching onset and rime blending can also be found by clicking the link below.
Objective: Students will name the remaining word of a compound word when the other word is taken away.
Materials: Picture cards that could be part of a compound word.
- Seat students at a table.
- Say, "Let's clap the syllables for snowman. Snow . . . man. How many syllables do you hear? That's right, snowman has two parts, or syllables. In fact, snowman is made up of two words. What are they?"
- Ask, "If I take 'snow' away from snowman, what word is left? If I take 'man' away from snowman, what word is left?
- Say, "Let's clap out the syllables for football. Foot . . . ball. How many syllables do you hear? What two words do you hear?"
- Ask, "If I take 'foot' away from football, what word is left? If I take 'ball' away from football, what word is left?"
- Continue around the table. "If we have the word ______, and we take away _______, what will we have left?"
Interventions for Older Students
In small groups, have students define a syllable. If they have trouble hearing syllables, have them put their hands under their chins and count the number of times their chins move when they say a word. Students should also understand that there is a vowel sound in every syllable. Have them listen for the vowel sound to determine a syllable.
To teach syllable segmenting, use words with short vowels and have students write compound words and separate them by drawing a line between the syllables. Students can also circle the vowels in a word and count them to determine the number of syllables in a word. You could use paper or sticky notes to cover parts of words and have students practice syllable deletion.
After students have mastered short vowels, progress to other vowel patterns, making sure they realize that more than one letter may determine the vowel sound.
As with all skills, be sure to have students use this one in context. Present students with texts that have two syllable words, and have them blend the syllables to read the words.
Students can also look for syllables within a writing context. Have students look in texts to see where words have been divided at the end of a line. Have students practice decoding the segmented words.
How Can You Measure Success?
Assessing students individually on their phonological awareness is ideal, but assessing students in small groups can be more practical and efficient.
To assess syllable awareness, have students respond to a prompt such as:
How many word parts do you hear in the word ___?
If I say ___ and take away the ___, what is left?
Assessments are vital to catch students who are not acquiring skills as they are being taught. Because these skills are so important in learning to read, these students, once they are identified, can be given alternative, more explicit, or intensive instruction.
