SC ELA Standard Learning to Read Part 3

Let’s continue to tackle that very important question—how to break a word into syllables. It’s more than just clapping out the parts of a word. It’s about understanding how to unlock those magically gatekeepers of words, VOWELS. What sound does the vowel make and why?

Be sure to check out Learning to Read part 1 and 2. Learning to Read Part 1 summaries the foundational skills needed for learning to read, and Learning to Read Part 2 explains three of the six syllable types, open syllables, closed syllables, and silent e. This blog covers two additional syllable types, r-controlled and final stable syllable. 

I know my child has mastered this 2nd grade ELA standard if they can 

• Use knowledge of the individual sounds of letter to read
• Use knowledge of how syllables work to read multiple-syllable words
• Context to confirm or correct word recognition and understanding
• Use more types of punctuation (ex. commas and apostrophes)
• Read more independently, with increasing accuracy and understanding of the meaning for longer periods

R-Controlled Vowel: R is the boss and it changes the vowel sound in ar, or, er, ir, ur,

This is the perfect time to practice your pirate lingo because the ar combination makes the sound of /ar/ just like a pirate. Practice saying the words, barn, park, farm, dart, and tart while exaggerating the ar sound.  This will help to remember the sound, and also, give you a good chuckle.

Or combination as in the words fort, forget, order, sworn, and torch all have a clear, distinct /or/ sound. Knowing this rule will help to spell and decode multisyllabic words, such as forsake and ripcord.

The letter combinations of er, ir, and ur all make the same sound. This can get a little tricky when trying to spell a word, so a good rule of thumb is er is used most frequently, followed by ir and ur is used rarely.

Activities and Multimedia

Try this racing game from All About Reading and use these premade cards from the Florida Center for Reading Research. This is a fun way to practice and reinforce the bossy-r. 

Final Stable Syllable: Count back three, consonant -le

Words like pickle, tumble, and befuddle all have one thing common, a final stable syllable. A final stable syllable is when a word ends with a consonant and the letters –le.  Once a reader is able to spot a final stable syllable, it’s easier to divide and sound-out unfamiliar words.

Let’s take the word, tumble, for example.

Start at the end of the word and count back three letters. 

Next, divide the word. 

There are two syllables in the word tumble, first syllable tum and second syllable  -ble. The first syllable has a short vowel sound because it’s a closed syllable (locked in by a consonant), so it’s marked with a smiley face or breve. Sound out each syllable seperately, then put them together. 

Activities and Multimedia 

This Reading Mama’s blog has great activities and tutorials for teaching consonant –le.

In addition to learning more of the syllable types, 2nd graders will also refine their writing skills and learn more about punctuation. Check out the SC Standards page to learn how to teach writing and punctuation. 

Books to Read

The titles below will help you teach the 6 syllable types. Want us to pull books for you? Contact us at 803-799-9084 and request to have books sent to your nearest Richland Library location.