You Gotta Keep Them Separated

Drum roll please,  Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr 
Today is the day I am sharing with you how we teach your children to separate words into syllables by using their "eyes".  My children think that its like magic.
If you read my previous two blogs about syllables you are ready for the next step. If you haven't check those out first: 

What is a Syllable

Syllable Types


So I am going to start you off slow and talk  about the first rule in syllable separation.  This rule is called the, WAIT FOR IT...... Rabbit Rule.   Doesn't that sound so cute?  The reason why it's called the Rabbit Rule is because the word rabbit is a great example for this rule.  

When you have two vowels (This is one reason why we teach what vowels are) separated by two consonants. You split the word in between the two consonants.  I like to karate chop them with my kids and yell "High, Ya!" 

• First have your child find the vowels-a and i.  I ask them to put a dot on top of the vowel until they get used to seeing whats in between them. 
• Ask them what letters do they see in between the two vowels. 
• Tell them that when you see two vowels separated by two consonants, we split the word in between the two consonants (b and b).
• You can scoop the two syllables with lines or curved lines
• These two syllables are CLOSED syllables -Remember a closed syllable has only one vowel, closed in with a 'backdoor' and the vowel is short. 
• RAB         BIT

Sound Boxes

Ready to learn a new word? Elkonin boxes or sound boxes are just as simple as; boxes that represent sounds in words. They are used to build phonological awareness skills by segmenting words into individual sounds, or phonemes. To use Elkonin boxes, a child listens to a word and moves an object into a box for each sound. You can then have your child write the letter that matches the sound they just said. 


How to use them....

• Pronounce a  word slowly, stretching it out by sound
• Ask the child to repeat the word.
• Draw "boxes" or squares on a piece of paper, chalkboard, or dry erase board with one box for each syllable or phoneme.
• Have your child  slide one colored circle, cube, or other object in each box as they say the sounds of the word again. 

I like to use colors to represent where sounds fall in words. We think of a stoplight. In a stoplight the color green means GO, like the beginning of the word. Yellow means slow, you are in the middle of the word. Red means to stop, you are at the end of the word.

Below you will find colored sound boxes to use at home.  These boxes are for CVC words, consonant-vowel-consonant words.

Here is a sample list of words you can use:

sun

bug

cat

mat

ship*

math*

chop*

big

*words with digraphs. Digraphs are two letters that make only one sound. These two letters will go in only one box, because it makes only one sound.   

Beginning Middle and End boxes

Multisyllabic Words Part II-Syllable Types

Once children understand the concept of syllables they are ready to learn the syllable types. There are are six syllable spelling patterns.  You may not have learned this a kid yourself because it either came naturally to you or it just wasn't taught.

The Six Common Syllables

1.  Closed Syllable:This syllable contains one vowel that is closed in with what I call a 'backdoor' that generally makes the vowel short. (Examples: in, cat, nap-kin)
2. Silent e Syllable (Vowel Consonant E Syllable): This syllable contains a vowel, a consonant and an e, The e is silent and the vowel is long.  Growing up you may remember these words as silent e words or magic e words. (Examples: cake, up-state)
3. Vowel Team Syllable: This syllable has two vowels smack right next to each other.  The vowel team appears in the same syllable-ai, ay, ee, ea, oa, oo, oi, oy, ou (ow), ie,  and  ei (Examples: tree, sai-lboat)
4. Open Syllable: These syllables end in a vowel.  The vowel generally makes the long sound.  (Examples: my, by, ti-ger)
5. R-Controlled:You may remember this as Bossy R.  When a vowel is followed by the letter r, the vowel sound changes. -ar, or, ur, ir, er (Examples: car, tur-tle )
6. Consonant -le: When the letters le appear at the end of a word (Examples: lit-tle, able)

Download a great cheat sheet 

Learning these syllable types will provide children will an insight to spelling patterns and how words are put together.  

Once children understand the concept of a syllable they can begin to learn how to divide the words into syllables using their EYES!  I tell my students that its like MAGIC! Check out Part III for syllable division rules.