EFFECTIVE LITERACY DAY 8
Fluency, Word Study,
Vocabulary
PARTICIPANT MANUAL
1
Self-Extending Level Learner Behaviors
1
Adapted from Shaping Literate Minds, Fluent Level Behaviors Checklist: Teaching for SelfRegulation and Transfer, a Literacy Collaboration, Boone Park Elementary and Anecdotal Records,
Level 28, Reading First
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
PM
ELF Day 8 SE Level Learner
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Four Part Mental Processing
System
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Jager Jager
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Context Processor
Meaning
Processor
Orthographic
Processor
Phonological
Processor
Print
Speech
Model Instruction for Six Syllable Patterns
Six Syllable Patterns:
1.“The Closed syllable is the most common spelling in English.” Place Header titled Closed in the pocket
chart. “A closed syllable ends in at least one consonant and the vowel sound is short.” Take the Closed
Syllable pattern one-syllable words: bet, miss, print, and stack. Show one card at a time. Begin with bet.
“A closed syllable has one vowel and ends with one or more consonants. Let’s look at this word. The first
thing we will do is locate the vowel.” Point to the e. “There is one consonant after the e – that makes
this a closed syllable. Even if I cover the b and have only et left, it is still a closed syllable because it has a
single vowel followed by at least one consonant. I know that in a closed syllable pattern the vowel
represents the short sound so I know this word is bet.” Take the word miss. “Let’s try this word. First I
have to locate the vowel.” Point to the i. “I see an i in this word. Next, I’m going to look at what follows
the vowel. I have two consonants. I know that a closed syllable has a single vowel and ends with at least
one consonant. This is a closed syllable. Since a closed syllable indicates that the vowel will represent the
short sound, I think this word is miss.” Repeat with the words print, and stack with the participants
helping you. “It doesn’t matter what comes before the vowel, it is what follows that makes it the closed
syllable pattern. Teach your students to locate the vowels in a word when trying to decode an unknown
word. If students can read closed syllable words, they can begin to read two syllable closed syllable
words.” Show participants the word picnic and think aloud: “Put your fingers on the two vowels. What
is between the two vowels? Two consonants. Divide between the two consonants. Read the first part of
the word. Read the second part of the word. Put the syllables together. Does that word make sense?”
Cover the second syllable and read the first syllable; then cover the first syllable and read the second.
Uncover whole word and read as thinking aloud. Repeat with the words dentist and napkin. Go to
Syllable Generalizations Chart and have participants help you decide which generalizations you used
when dividing the syllables. Practice words for participants: cat, nest, tablet, absent.
2.“The second syllable pattern we are going to talk about is the Open Syllable pattern. An Open
syllable ends in one vowel and the vowel sound is long.” Note that single syllable words in the Open
Syllable pattern are taught as high frequency sight words. Place the Open syllable header in the pocket
chart. Take the Open Syllable pattern one-syllable word cards: we, by, no. Show one card at a time.
Begin by showing them the word we. “The first thing I’m going to do is locate the vowel.” Point to the e.
“Here is the vowel e. I notice that it’s at the end of the word. There is a consonant (w) right before the
vowel but no letters following it so I know this is an open syllable. In an open syllable, the vowel
represents the long sound so this word must be we. Let’s try another one.” Take the word by. “This
might be tricky because I have to think about all I know about how words and certain letters work. I
know that all words have at least one vowel. This word doesn’t have a, e, i, o, or u in it but, I know
something about the y. I know that, if y is at the end of a word, it can represent one of two sounds –
either /e/ or /i/ so y at the end of a word represents a vowel. That makes this an open syllable because it
ends in one vowel. So the word must be by.” Repeat with the word no as participants help you. “If
students can read one syllable words with the open syllable pattern, they can also read two syllable
words that contain the open syllable pattern.” Show them the word halo and think aloud. “ The first
thing I’m going to do is locate the vowels. There is one consonant between the vowels so I will try
dividing before the consonant and read the first part of the word. Ha is an open syllable so I am trying
the long a sound. /hay/ The second syllable is also an open syllable so I will try /low/. Put the syllables
together. The word is halo. Does that make sense?” Repeat the process with the word baby. NOTE:
Explain that in one syllable words ending in y, the y usually represents the /i/ sound and in two syllable
words, the y usually represents /e/. “Once students have an understanding of open and closed syllable
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
PM
ELF Day 8 SE Level Learner
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patterns, they can begin to read lots of words.” Show the word protest using the same procedure as the
open syllable with the second syllable being closed. Go to the Syllable Division Generalization Anchor
Chart and check off the generalizations that were used. Use the word rapid to demonstrate what
students should do if dividing before the consonant doesn’t result in a real word – try dividing after the
consonant and read to see if that makes sense. Practice words for participants: she, my, hobo, banjo.
3.“The Vowel Consonant e syllable is the easiest of the long vowel pattern syllable patterns.” Place
the Vowel Consonant e header card in the pocket chart. “The syllable ends in one vowel followed by one
consonant and an e. The final e is silent and the vowel that precedes the consonant usually represents
the long sound.” Take the Vowel Consonant e syllable pattern words: cube, probe, and scrape. Show
one card at a time. Begin by showing them the word cube. “The first thing I’m going to do to help me
figure out this word is locate the vowels. This word has two vowels. It has a u and an e.” Point as you
talk. “This word ends with the vowel u followed by the consonant b and has an e at the end. That tells
me it is a word with the vowel consonant e syllable pattern. I know that a word that ends in one vowel,
one consonant, and final e the final e is silent and the vowel represents the long sound. So, this word
must be cube.” Show participants the word probe and have them help you solve the pronunciation.
Show the words scrap and scrape. “What is different about these two words?” Have them answer.
“What can help us decide how to pronounce the vowel?” The e marker. “Once students have worked
with vowel consonant e pattern words, they need to practice flexing between the Closed syllable with the
short vowel sound and the new long vowel pattern (vCe). It is imperative that students become firm in
both patterns before moving into the more complicated patterns. When they are flexible with closed,
open, and VCe syllable patterns, they can begin to read lots of two syllable words.” Show the word card
inflate. Think aloud: “I’m going to locate the vowels. I see three consonants between the vowels. I am
going to divide between the first two consonants (n and f) and read the first part of the word. That is a
closed syllable so I’m going to try the short i sound – in. I see an aCe so I’m going to try the long sound
along with the fl blend - flate. Now I’m going to put the syllables together and read inflate.” Use the
same procedure with the word rebate. Take participants to the Syllable Division Generalization Anchor
Chart and check off the generalizations that were used. Practice words for participants: make, hope,
remote, stampede.
4.“The Vowel r syllable has an r that is preceded by a vowel and, as a result of the r, the vowel makes
an unexpected sound.” Place the Vowel r syllable pattern header card in the pocket chart. “The vowel r
syllable pattern contains the spellings ir, ur, er, or and ar. Auditorily students cannot discriminate
between ir, ur, and er because they make the same sound. The teacher cannot tell students to “sound it
out,” and expect to get correct results. The strategy must become “does it look right?” The teacher must
teach the spellings of r-controlled vowels as units and teach groups of words with each spelling pattern
while offering students much practice reading and writing the words in meaningful sentences.” (Speech
to Print, page 54) Take the Vowel R syllable pattern cards: torn, burn, her, first, carts. Show the word
torn. “The first thing I am going to do is locate the vowels. I see an o in this word. There is also an r right
after the o – that tells me that this is a Vowel r syllable pattern. I am going to have to use what I know
about o r spellings in order to figure this word out. When I see o r, I know it usually says /or/ as in the
word fort so I’m going to try that and see if it makes a real word. Torn – the word is torn. If this word
was in a sentence, I could read the sentence and see if that makes sense. You must teach students to try
pronouncing the word and then checking it in connected text to make sure they have decoded the word
correctly.” Take the words burn and first and repeat the process with participants helping you. NOTE:
Both ur and ir usually represent the /er/ sound as in hurt. “When students begin learning the Vr patterns,
they have to begin to depend on the context of the word to help determine pronunciation. Once students
can read words with the Vr pattern, they can begin to read multisyllabic words containing that and the
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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ELF Day 8 SE Level Learner
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previous syllable patterns.” Show the word card paper and think aloud: “I’m going to locate the vowels.
I see one consonant between the vowels so I will try dividing before the consonant. Pa is an open syllable
so I will try the long a sound /pay/. I see an e followed by an r in the second syllable. I know that
combination says /er/ so the second syllable is /per/. Now I will put the syllables together to see if they
make sense. Paper.” Repeat the process with dollar. NOTE: Try the /are/ first and when that doesn’t
make sense try /er/. Go to the Syllable Division Generalization Anchor Chart and check off the
generalizations that were used. Practice words for participants: market, partner. NOTE: if you want to
demonstrate an exception to the Vr pattern, erase is a good one.
5.“ A Vowel Team is a vowel spelling that uses two or more letters for a single speech sound.” Place
Header titled Vowel Team in the pocket chart. “Examples of vowel team spelling patterns are ee, ea, ai,
and oa. Remember diphthongs are included in this category. The Vowel Team syllable pattern consists of
two adjacent vowels and each vowel team must be learned individually.” Take the Vowel Team syllable
pattern one-syllable word cards: peach, beep, bay, and mouse. Begin by showing the word peach. “The
first thing I’m going to do is locate the vowel. I see two vowels in this word.” Point to the vowels, e and a.
“The two vowels are right beside each other. That tells me they are a vowel team. I know that most of
the time when there is a vowel team, the vowel represents the long sound of the first vowel.”
Demonstrate sounding out the word peach. “Peach. The word is peach.” Repeat with the words beep
and bay. Remind participants that y is a vowel at the end of a word. Take the word card mouse last.
“I’m looking at this word. The first thing I’m going to do is locate the vowels. I see o and u. They are
right beside each other so I know they are a vowel team. I know that ou sometimes represents the /oh/
sound in though and sometimes it represents the /ou/ sound as in ouch. I am going to try both sounds
and see which makes sense.” Pronounce mouse with the /ou/ sound in though and then try it with the
correct pronunciation. “I know that I have to memorize the patterns and the sounds they represent when
I am working with Vowel Team syllable patterns. Once students have become flexible with the first five
syllable patterns, they can read nearly any multisyllabic word they encounter.” Take the word raisin and
think aloud: “I am going to locate the vowels. I notice that the first two vowels form a vowel team so
they will stay together. I see a consonant between the vowel team and the final vowel so I’m going to
divide before the consonant. I know that the vowel team ai says the long a sound so the first part of the
word is /ray/. The second syllable is a closed syllable pattern so I will try the short i sound /sin/. Put the
two syllables together – raisin. Does that word make sense?” Repeat the procedure using the word
cartoon. Let participants know that, when decoding multisyllabic words, if a student instantly knows
how to pronounce a syllable they should spend their time decoding the syllables they don’t know. For
example, they will probably instantly know car once they divide the syllables. The student should say car
– not locate vowels, etc. and then work on the syllable “toon.” NOTE: The first syllable is a Vr pattern.
The second syllable is the vowel team pattern. Go to the Syllable Division Generalization Anchor Chart
and check off the generalizations that were used. Practice words for participants: fourteen, repeat.
6. “The Final Stable syllable pattern is different from the other patterns in that, it does not appear in
single syllable words.” Place the Final Stable syllable pattern header card in the pocket chart. “Every
syllable type is taught in single syllable words except for the Final Stable Syllable type. The Final Stable
syllable pattern has a final consonant plus le or it has a non-phonetic reliable unit such as tion or sion.
Every time you see Cle, it ends with the /l/ sound like the ending sound in table or shuffle. Every time you
see –tion at the end of a word, it will be pronounced /shun/. That’s why they are called the final stable
pattern because they are always at the end of the word and have a consistent sound.” Take the Final
Stable Syllable word cards: cackle, action, and tumble. Show the word ‘cackle.’ “I see a Cle at the end
of this word. I know that is a final stable syllable pattern. When decoding words with the final stable
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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ELF Day 8 SE Level Learner
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syllable, I don’t look for the vowels first. First I need to take off the Cle and locate the vowels.’ Cover the
‘kle’ in the word cackle. “I see one vowel, an a, followed by a consonant. I know that is a closed syllable
so I will try the short vowel sound first. Cac-kle, cackle, the word is cackle. Does that make sense?”
Repeat the process with action and tumble. Go to the Syllable Division Generalization Anchor Chart and
check off the generalizations that were used. Practice words for participants: candle, vacation.
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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Word Division Generalizations
1. Every syllable must have a vowel sound.
2. A prefix or suffix is a separate syllable.
3. Certain letter combinations at the end of words form a final stable
syllable.
4. Locate the vowels.
5. Vowel teams, digraphs, or dipthongs should not be separated into
different syllables. In all other instances, try dividing between the vowels.
6. When two consonants are found between two vowels, the word is
divided between the two consonants.
7. When one consonant is located between two vowels, the consonant is
usually attached to the second syllable making the first vowel sound long.
8. When that doesn’t work, divide after the consonant and give the vowel
the short sound.
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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ELF Day 8 SE Level Learner
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Word Study Lesson on Syllable Division Strategy: VCV
Display or make chart:
Steps for Syllable Division: VCV
1. Identify vowels
2. Look for consonants between the vowels
3. Divide the word using our generalizations
4. Determine the syllable type
5. Blend each syllable
6. Read the whole word
7. Check to see if it makes sense
Explicit instruction: Today we are going to learn how to read two syllable words using the steps in our
strategy charts. Following these steps will help you decide how to pronounce long words. You can
follow these steps whenever you are reading and come to a long word you don’t recognize.
Write the following sentence and model reading it, stopping before word ‘rodent’:
I saw a rodent through the crack in the wall.
Model: I don’t know this word. I’m going to use my chart to help me figure out what the word is. Step 1
says to identify the vowels. I see two vowels, an ‘o’ and a ‘e’. Step 2 tells me to identify the consonants
between the vowels. There is one consonant between the vowels, the letter ‘d’. Step 3 says to divide the
syllables using the word division chart. I see one consonant, d, between the vowels. I know when there
is one consonant between the vowels, the first thing I should try is to divide the word before the
consonant. When I do that, I see the letters r-o. Step 4 tells me to determine the syllable type. There is
no consonant following the ‘o’ so I know it is an open syllable. In an open syllable pattern, the vowel has
the long sound so this syllable says ‘ro’. Next, I need to look at the second syllable and determine its
type. The second syllable has the letters d-e-n-t. The vowel is closed in by consonants in this syllable so
it’s a closed syllable and the ‘e’ is probably going to have the short sound. This syllable says ‘dent’. Step
5 tells me to blend each syllable. The first syllable is ‘ro’ and the second syllable is ‘dent’. Steps 6 and 7
tell me to read the whole word and check to see if it makes sense. Ro-dent, rodent-I think the word is
rodent. Now I’m going to read my sentence to see if it makes sense. Read sentence. Yes, that makes
sense.
Write the following sentence on the board and model reading, stopping before ‘virus’:
I had a virus last week.
Guided Practice: I don’t know this next word. Let’s use our strategy chart to help figure it out. What
does step 1 tell us to do? What are the vowels? Yes, ‘i’ and ‘r’. What does step 2 tell us to do? What
consonant is it? Where would we first try to divide this word for step 3? Yes, before the consonant.
Step 4 is the syllable type. What is it? Yes, an open syllable. Let’s look at the second syllable. What type
is it? Yes, a closed syllable.
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Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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What does step 5 tell us to do? When we blend each syllable, what do we have?
(vi-rus) Let’s read the whole word for step 6. (virus) How can we check to see if it makes sense? Yes,
let’s read the sentence with the word in it. ‘I had a virus last week.’ Does that make sense?
Write this sentence and model reading it, stopping before the word gossip:
I don’t gossip, because it isn’t nice.
Let’s work through this word. (Let student’s take on more responsibility, giving more support when
needed.) Step 1? Yes, vowels. Step 2? Yes, there are two consonants, ‘ss’. What generalization will we
use for step 3? Yes, try dividing between the ‘s’ and ‘s’. What syllable type is the first syllable? The
second syllable? Yes they are both closed. Step 5? Step 6? Now let’s read the sentence with the word
‘gossip’ and see if it makes sense. Read sentence together. Does it make sense? You can use the
strategy chart in this same way anytime you come to a long word that you don’t know when you are
reading.
Word work: Display this list of words: (label, magic, open, cabin, metal, even, total, finish). We are going
to sort these words by their syllable patterns. Look at the first word. It has 2 vowels with one
consonant between them. I’m going to try dividing before the ‘b’. The first syllable will be open, ‘la’.
The second syllable will be a closed syllable, ‘bel’. When I blend the whole word, it is label. It goes with
the V/CV list. Let’s look at the second word. What are the vowels? Consonants between the vowels?
How should we divide it? What is the first syllable type? The second? Blend the syllables. Read the
word. Where does it go? Yes, with the VC/VC words. Continue sorting in the same way. After sort is
finished, read all of the words in the V/CV list. Do they all have the long sound in the first syllable and
the short sound in the second syllable? Now let’s read the words in the second list. What do you notice
about all of these words? Yes, they have the short vowel sound in the first syllable and in the second
syllable.
Encoding: You can use what you’ve learned about syllables to write unknown words also. We say the
word slowly and write one syllable at a time. Watch me.
I want to write the sentence “A gorilla is a large ape that lives in Africa.” I’m not sure how to spell gorilla.
I can say the word in syllables, gor-il-a. Let me try to write the word gorilla. “ gor”. The “or” will
probably be have the vowel consonant r pattern. Let me try writing it. G-o-r. The next part of the word,
“il”, has a short vowel sound, so I’ll try the closed syllable pattern. Add i-l. The last syllable is “a”
(pronounced uh). It sounds like a short u. g-o-r-i-l-u-h. That doesn’t look like a word I know.
Sometimes the letter a sounds like uh at the end of the word, like in banana. Let me try using an a.
g-o-r-i-l-a. That looks better, but let me try writing it with the l doubled, because I know sometimes the
consonant is doubled but only makes one sound. G-o-r-i-l-l-a. Let’s look at both ways. Gorila or gorilla.
I think the second word looks like one I’ve seen in a book before, so I’ll use it in my sentence. Write
sentence.
Let’s try one together. I want to write the sentence “We will play our rival in football on Thursday.” I
don’t know how to spell “rival”. What should I do? (segment into syllables). What is the first syllable
you hear? (ri) What syllable pattern would we use to spell this word? (open) So what letters do we
write? (r-i) What is the second syllable? (val) What pattern would we use? (closed) How would we
spell it? (Answers could vary-val, vul, vle may all be attempted. Write each suggestion on the board,
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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having student tell why. Then decide which one looks like a word they’ve heard before based on
previous phonics instruction).
Sentence Dictation: The pupil did not have a pencil.
After students write the sentence and teacher has walked around the room to see attempts, lead
discussion on why they used the syllable patterns that they did. Write it the correct way, explaining any
confusion they may have had.
Reading in connected text: Have students read “Paper Dreams”, p. 45 from A Kick in the Head. After
students have read and decoded unknown words, have them reread it for fluency.
Arkansas Department of Education
Effective Literacy for Grades 2-4, 2010-2011
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