Week 1
DECODING
V-C-V: (Vowel-Consonant-Vowel) Syllables
Monday-Tuesday
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
Consonants: all other alphabet letters.
V-C-V patterns can be divided into syllables..
Review word cards (half) and let students discuss where and why to divide
syllables.
Remind students that if they recognize syllable patterns, it can help them know how
to divide a word and help them to pronounce an unknown word.
The most common V-C-V pattern is divided after the first vowel. This vowel pattern
always makes the vowel sound long.
Example: pi/lot mu/sic.
Therefore, the students should first try to divide after the first vowel and use the
long vowel sound to see if it sounds like a word they know.
If this doesn’t work, students should divide the word after the consonant and use
the short vowel sound.
Example: bat/on shad/ow
Monday:
Review the above rules about C-V-C vowel patterns. Use two of the word cards as
examples. Using the first half of the words, call out the word and have students write
the word down. Then ask students to divide the word into syllables. When all
students are finished, show the word card and discuss where and why it should be
divided after the vowel or the consonant. Make two columns on the blue sorting
board to sort the cards.
Tuesday:
Call out the remaining words one at a time and ask students to write the words on a
dry erase board. Then have them divide the word into syllables. Ask students to
justify their answers. Sort the cards by the two vowel patterns on the blue sorting
board.
NOTE: This activity is limited to 7-8 minutes. You may not have time to get to
all the word cards. When your time is up, stop.
VOCABULARY: Greek and Latin Prefixes
Wednesday-Thursday-Friday
re (to do it again), un(not, the opposite of ) dis(not)
Focus: If students know the meaning of the prefix, it will help them
understand an unknown word.
Affix: A prefix or suffix attached to a base word or root word that changes the
meaning of the word.
Prefix: an affix attached to the beginning of a base word or root word that changes
the meaning of that word. A prefix is one kind of affix.
Base word: A word to which affixes (prefixes or suffixes) are added and is a
complete word on its own.
Root Word: A word part to which affixes are added to make a complete word. A
root word cannot stand alone as a word.
Wednesday: Introduce two or three words with each prefix. Discuss how the
prefixes affect the meaning of the words. Ask students to give oral sentences to
demonstrate the word meanings.
Thursday: Repeat the process with the next two or three words for each pattern.
Friday: Repeat the process with the next two or three words for each pattern.
Week 2: DECODING: Open and Closed Syllables
Monday, Tuesday
Open/Closed Syllables: Note: These are for words that have more than one
syllable. (more than one word part)
Open Syllables: If a word has the V-C-V pattern, first divide it after the first vowel
and use the long sound for the vowel. (Pi/lot) This is called an open syllable because
the vowel is open (not closed up by the following consonant).
Closed Syllable: If you divide a word after the first vowel (ha/bit) and it doesn’t
make sense with the long vowel sound for a, then divide after the consonant
(hab/it). When the vowel is closed up on the other side by the consonant (hab/ it)
is called a closed syllable.
These words are divided correctly:
Open Syllable Examples:
a/gent
co/zy ea/ger (ea makes one sound long e)
fla/vor
gli/der
i/tem
mi/grate
pro/file
se/quel
spi/cy
tu/lip
va/cant
ea/ger (ea makes one sound)
Closed Syllable Examples
dec/ade
ed/it
mod/el
cam/el
leg/end
par/ent
hab/it
prom/ise
wiz/ard
sliv/er
lim/it
Monday: Discuss open and closed syllables. Use two of the word cards as examples.
Use the first half of the word cards provided. Call out the words one at a time and
asked students to divide the word into syllables. Decide if it is an open or closed
syllable. Then sort the card on the blue sorting board into two columns: open/or
closed syllables.
Vocabulary: Prefixes in, im, il, and ir
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
The prefixes in, im, il, and ir all mean “not”.
Wednesday: Discuss prefixes in, im, il, ir. All of these prefixes come from Latin
prefixes that mean“not.”
Focus on the meaning of the prefix and how that affects the meaning of the word.
Also point out that if you take the prefix away, the base word can still stand alone.
Focus on two or three word cards for each prefix. “in” Talk about the meaning of the
words. Ask students to use words orally in a sentence. Sort the cards on the blue
word study board sorted by prefix.
Make note of those words that are unfamiliar and review during the week.
Thursday: Repeat process with the next two or three word cards for each prefix.
Friday: Complete the rest of the word cards following the above routines. Review
words that were difficult for the students during the week.
Week 3: Decoding: VCCV syllable patterns
Each vowel sound in a word is in a separate syllable. Looking for the vowel
patterns can help readers decode unfamiliar words. This week, you will be
studying the V-C-C-V syllable patterns. (vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel)
Examples:
VCCV: canvas: The n and v are the consonants in the pattern so you would
divide the word between the two consonants.
can/vas).
VCCV pattern can also be doublets (two of the same consonant). The rule
works the same.
bubble: The bb is the consonant doublet so divide the word between the two
b’s. bub/ble
Monday: Review the VCCV rule. Tell students that this can help them to divide a
word into syllables if they don’t know the word. Review several word card examples
with the group, then call out several words for students to write on dry erase
boards and have them divide correctly into syllables.
Tuesday – Friday: Following the same routine, complete 8-10 words each day.
(or as many as you have time for).
NOTE
This concept should be fairly simple for most students. Expand the lesson by
exploring word meanings. Do not assume that they know the meanings or multimeanings of the words.
Example: Who can find a multi-meaning word? Who can add a prefix or suffix to a
word to form a new word(ing, ed, s, ly, ful, y, er, or est)? Is there a synonym or
antonym for any of these words?
VOCABULARY
This week’s vocabulary focus is on context clues. As you are reading the text
selections in small group, point out context clues where appropriate.
Week 4: (edited)
Decoding: Syllable Patterns VC/CV, V/CV, VC/V
Monday
Review basic syllable patterns
Examples:
VCCV- (vowel-consonant-consonant-vowel) ad/ver/tise
VCV- pi/lot (0pen syllable)
VCV- prom/ise (closed syllable)
Sort the first half of the word cards on the blue board based on syllable patterns.
Ask students to justify their answers.
Tuesday: Complete a Spell Sort (3 boxes)
Complete a spell sort using the rest of the word study cards. Give an example
pattern in each box.
VC/CV
Com/post
V/CV open
Pi/lot
VC/V
closed
Prom/ise
VOCABULARY FOCUS: Prefixes non and mis
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Wednesday: Review the prefixes: non (not, badly) and mis (not, badly)
Focus on whether the meaning is “non” or “badly” for each prefix in the word.
Example: He was misjudged. It wouldn’t mean not judged but badly judged.
Review two or three examples of each prefix with the word study cards and discuss
the meaning of the words based on the prefixes.
Have students verbalize sentences that show the correct meaning of the word.
Thursday: Repeat the routine with the next word study cards.
Friday: Review the routine with the rest of the word study cards. Review words
that were difficult for the students.
Week 5:
DECODING: Homophones
Homophones: Words that sound the same but are spelled differently and
mean different things.
Monday: Introduce first set of homophones. Discuss meaning of each word.
Tuesday: Use homophones correctly in a sentence. Ask students to write the correct
homophone on dry erase boards as you read a sentence with the homophone.
Example: Listen for the homophone “rain” in this sentence.
The king reigns over all the land. Write the word reigns.
Wednesday: Introduce the next set of homophones. Discuss each word meaning.
Thursday: Follow instructions from Tuesday.
Cheat Sheet: (Examples) Students ONLY write the correct homophones-NOT
the sentence.
Please wait for me.
The weight of the box was too heavy for the boy.
I heard a good joke.
A herd of cattle crossed the road.
My mother was sick for many days.
I was in a daze after I fell off the swing.
I injured my heel when I ran the race.
Jane’s arm healed quickly from her accident.
The scent of the roses filled the house.
Laura sent me a birthday present.
The weather vane was on top of the barn.
Our veins carry blood to the heart.
She was so vain about her hair that she looked in the mirror for hours.
Mom only received minor injuries in the wreck.
A coal miner has a very dangerous job.
We all took a peek at the new baby.
After many hours, we reached the peak of the mountain.
VOCABULARY FOCUS: Reference materials
Friday
Friday: Use Reader’s workbook p. 51 to discuss and fill in together. Focus on:
What are reference materials?
What information can be found in a dictionary entry?
Week 6:
DECODING: Common Consonant Digraphs: th, ch, sh, wh, ph, ck, ng
Diagraph: Two consonant pairs that make one sound.
Monday: Discuss with students that when some pairs of consonants come together
they make only one sound. This will help students decode unknown words. Call out
the first half of the word cards. Ask students to write the word and underline the
consonant digraph(s) in each word.
Tuesday: Repeat routines from Monday with the remainder of the word cards.
Vocabulary: suffixes y/ous
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Review meanings of:
Suffix: an affix added to the end of a word that changes the meaning of the word.
Affix: A word part that is attached to a base word, or root word that changes the
meaning of the word.
Base word: a word to which prefixes and/or suffixes are added but can stand alone
as a word.
Wednesday: Discuss the meaning of the suffixes y and ous. (means like, having, to
some degree, somewhat, or full of).
Introduce three or four example word cards for each suffix. Discuss the meaning of
the words with and without the suffix. Ask students to give oral sentences with the
words to demonstrate meaning.
Thursday: Introduce three or four more example word cards for each suffix.
Discuss the meaning of the words with and without the suffix. Ask students to give
oral sentences with the words to demonstrate meaning.
Friday: Complete word cards for the suffixes y and ous. Discuss the meaning of
each word and how the suffix affects the base word. Why are some words changed
when ous is added.? (when it ends in y you must change the y to I and add ous.)
Week 7
DECODING:
Common Consonant Clusters: cr, pr, ct, pl, nd, st, gr, pr, ct, fl
Monday only
Common Clusters: Two or more consonants that come together without vowels in
between. The consonants retain their sounds and blend together.
Monday: Explain to students that when two or more consonants come together they
retain their sounds but blend together.
Call out words to students and ask them to write them down. Then, the students will
underline the consonant clusters in each word. Place the word cards on the blue
sorting board to check and discuss.
NOTE: You many not have time to get to all the words.
VOCABULARY: Greek and Latin Word Parts:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
phon, photo, graph, auto, tele
Root: a word part that cannot stand alone as a word without other word parts to
make a word.
Affix: a word part added to the beginning or end of a word or word part to make a
new word.
If students know the meaning of these word roots or affixes, it will assist them
in understanding an unknown word.
Root/Affix
Meaning
Phon
Photo
Graph
Auto
Tele
“sound”
“ light”
“write” or “recording”
“self”
“far” or “distant”
Tuesday: phon and photo: Introduce word cards with the word parts phon and
photo. Discuss the meaning of each word and how the word part helps us
understand the word. Ask students to use each word in an oral sentence.
Wednesday: graph: introduce word cards, discuss meanings, and how the word
part helps us understand the word. Ask students to create sentences orally to
demonstrate understanding.
Thursday: auto: introduce word card, discuss meanings, and how the word part
helps us understand the word. Ask students to create sentences orally to
demonstrate understanding.
Friday: tele: introduce word cards; discuss meanings, and how the word part helps
us understand the word. Ask students to create sentences orally to demonstrate
understanding.
Week 8
DECODING: Stressed and unstressed syllables
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Monday: Tell students that one syllable in a word is spoken louder than the others.
This is called the “stressed” syllable.
The vowel sound in the stressed syllable is clearly either long or short.
Show these word cards:
a/WHILE (long vowel sound in stressed syllable) (schwa sound in first syllable)
col/LECT (short vowel sound in stressed syllable) (schwa sound in first syllable)
dis/GUST/ed (short vowel sound in stressed syllable)
Schwa: the symbol for the schwa sound is an upside down lowercase e. It is found
only in unstressed syllables. It makes the sound of short u said very quickly.
Using the first third of the word cards, call out the words and have students write
the word down. Ask students to divide the words into syllables and circle the
stressed syllable. Identify the vowel sound in the stressed syllable. Determine if
there is a schwa sound in any of the unstressed syllables.
Tuesday: Repeat the above routine with another third of the word cards.
Wednesday: Complete the word cards following the above routines.
VOCABULARY: IDIOM (Figurative Language)
Thursday, Friday
Idiom: a group of words with a meaning that cannot be understood from the
individual meanings of each word.
Author’s use idioms to make the language more like everyday conversations as well
as making the writing more colorful.
Thursday: Read the following sentences. Ask students to listen to the sentence to
identify the idiom.
Discuss the meaning of the idiom. Ask students to use the idiom in a different
sentence.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I got slowly into the car and my mom said, “ A penny for your thoughts.”
To add insult to injury, my sister ruined my new sweater!
The presidential election is a real hot potato.
My family only has steak for dinner once in a blue moon.
I looked out the window and it was raining cats and dogs.
Show the idiom phrase cards and ask students to use them in a sentence.
Friday: : Read the following sentences. Ask students to listen to the sentence to
identify the idiom.
Discuss the meaning of the idiom. Ask students to use the idiom in a different
sentence.
1. My memory is a little cloudy about the day I wrecked the car.
2. Keep your eyes peeled for the lost dog.
3. The beautiful sunset took my breath away.
4. Laura had to come to grips with the loss of the ballgame.
5. My grandmother has really gone downhill since her illness.
Show the idiom phrase cards and ask students to use them in a sentence.
Week 9
Decoding: Common Beginning Syllables
a(schwa sound), be, de, pre com, con,
Monday, Tuesday
Objective: students should recognize beginning syllables in words to decode longer
words.
Call out half of the word cards. Ask students to write each word and then underline
the common beginning syllable for part of the words. You could also let the students
identify the beginning sound orally if time runs short.
Vocabulary: Antonyms
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
Antonyms: words that have the opposite or very different meanings.
Synonyms: words with almost the same meaning.
Call out the word card. Ask students to write the antonym for each word. Check after
each word. There could be more than one antonym. Use the words in oral sentences
so that students can demonstrate meaning.
Suggested Antonyms
Wednesday
absent/present
abundant/scarce
against/for
bent/straight
captive/free
empty/full
gentle/rough
narrow/wide
permanent/temporary
rapid/slow
Thursday
shallow/deep
tame/wild
vanish/appear
wide/narrow
victory/defeat
thick/thin
simple/hard
real/fake
polite/rude
melt/freeze
Friday
friend/enemy
guilty/innocent
tight/loose
misunderstand/understand
noisy/quiet
smooth/rough
straight/crooked
strong/weak
sweet/sour
foolish/wise