English Language Arts and Reading.5.2.B.i

The student is expected to

demonstrate and apply spelling knowledge by:

 

spelling multisyllabic words with closed syllables; open syllables; VCe syllables; vowel teams, including digraphs and diphthongs; r-controlled syllables; and final stable syllables;

beginning reading writing teks talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Developing and sustaining foundational language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking--beginning reading and writing. The student develops word structure knowledge through phonological awareness, print concepts, phonics, and morphology to communicate, decode, and spell.

Task students with identifying and listing multisyllabic words with the different syllable types while reading a self-selected text. After students have finished reading the text, have them create sentences using the words they found.

The syllable types include the following:

  • Closed syllable: a syllable with a vowel followed by a consonant
    The vowel is usually pronounced with the short vowel sound such as /cell/ in cellist and /pic/ in pickle.
  • Open syllable: a syllable that ends in a single vowel
    The vowel is usually pronounced with the long vowel sound such as /mu/ in music and /ba/ in bacon.
  • VCe syllable: a syllable with a vowel followed by a consonant and the letter e
    The vowel is usually pronounced with the long vowel sound such as /ame/ in became and /ale/ in exhale.
  • Vowel team/digraph syllable: a syllable with two vowels together that make one vowel sound such as /oi/ in rejoice and /ou/ in cloud
  • Vowel team/diphthong syllable: a syllable with two vowels together that make a new vowel sound formed by the combination of both vowel sounds such as /ow/ in allowed and /ou/ in around
  • R-controlled syllable: a syllable with the letters er that is pronounced /er/ such as /er/ in concert and /er/ in served
  • Final stable syllable: a syllable at the end of a word with a consonant followed by the letters le and that has a silent e such as /ble/ in audible and /ple/ in people

 

Further Explanation

This assessment requires students to understand how word parts support decoding and spelling of multisyllabic words. As multisyllabic words can be long and difficult to spell, students must learn how to break down words into smaller parts. Knowledge of sound-spelling patterns in the six syllable types is acquired through practice and experience with decoding and spelling and is built upon as students become proficient in decoding and spelling single-syllable words.

Both decoding and encoding skills are needed to build a foundation in reading. Decoding is sounding words out according to letter-sound relationship conventions. Encoding is the process of using letter-sound knowledge to write or spell words. Students must understand the various spelling patterns and rules of the English language to correctly construct words in their written products. It is important that students apply these rules consistently instead of using invented spelling because they may unknowingly write a word that is real but that they did not intend, causing confusion for their reader.
a syllable that ends with a consonant (e.g., the words tan, am, and left)
two successive letters that represent a single speech sound (e.g., oo in moon and ow in how)
Note that there are both vowel digraphs and consonant digraphs.
also known as vowel blend, the combination of two vowels in one syllable where two sounds are heard (e.g., /ou/ in cloud, and /oi/ in boil); please note that the ou combination can function as a diphthong or digraph depending on the sound: it is a diphthong in the word couch /ou/ and a diagraph in the word cough /aw/
a syllable that occurs in the final position of a word and has an unexpected but reliable pronunciation
a syllable that ends with a vowel (e.g., the words we and go)
a syllable that includes a vowel followed by the consonant r so its pronunciation is influenced by the /r/ and is neither a long or short vowel sound (e.g., farm, her, first)
Students must be able to spell words with multiple syllables. There are a variety of different types with which students should be familiar and be able to spell: closed syllable (e.g., dapple, hospital), open syllable (e.g., program, table, recent), vowel-consonant-e or VCe (e.g., compete, despite, conflate), vowel teams (e.g., awful, trainable, congeal, spoil), r-controlled or vowel-r syllable (e.g., intern, report, starter), and final stable syllable , or consonant-le syllable (e.g., beagle, little, uncle).
a unit of oral language in which a vowel sound is heard that may or may not contain a consonant sound
a syllable that includes a vowel followed by a consonant followed by a silent e; in this type of syllable, the first vowel is usually long
two vowels that together represent one phoneme or sound (e.g., ea, ai, oa, ou)
Two types of vowel teams are vowel digraphs and diphthongs.

Research

1. Ehri, L. C., & Rosenthal, J. (2007). Spellings of words: A neglected facilitator of vocabulary learning. Journal of Literacy Research, 39(4), 389–409. doi:10.1080/10862960701675341

Summary: The topic of this study is the importance of spelling in retaining the meaning and pronunciation of words. The authors review theory and evidence, which reveals that spelling is routinely overlooked as a critical element in learning vocabulary.

2. Simmons, K. D., & Carpenter, L. B. (2010). Spelling and assistive technology: Helping students with disabilities be successful writers. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, 29(2), 5–19. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?q=spelling&ft=on&id=EJ955433

Summary: In this study, the researchers focus on spelling supplements and assistive technology devices that may be used to support students with disabilities. The primary skill gained is spelling. Three examples illustrate how these devices can improve the student's ability to spell.