Should I Teach Syllable Division?
Long blog post alert - but I PROMISE - it will be worth it. Do you have a bright student who has trouble accessing “long words” when reading? Do you want to give your child a tool to be successful on their own? Then onward we move to syllable division! Grab a snack, your cozy socks (or if you're like me and hate socks - just a cozy blanket will do) and let’s power through it. Also, I tried to put in several pictures because (if you are also like me) my over-active mind needs a visual to help me navigate a gumbo of words.
This is where I often begin to see a lot of excitement build with my students, specifically my older students. This is a tool that will also allow for you to move forward in reading “big words” or words that they are seeing in their content area studies, classrooms, PSAT prep, or other areas beyond the reading/spelling portion of your instruction. If you are working with a mid to upper elementary (and certainly older), try to get here as quickly as you can. See the example below.
This is a second grade student who has some learning differences. The student dots the vowels, labels all of the consonants, and then moves one pair of vowels at a time to see what is between them and then knows where to divide the word…..because they have been taught syllable division. You might say my student is a natural reader and reads most words they come across. This can be true. My respectful suggestion would be to take the time to teach the patterns anyway. There may come a day where they are in biology class or trigonometry (I’m going to need a trick to spell that correctly without spellcheck - how about you?) and need a tool to help them read (or spell) an unfamiliar word. I use this same tool for students who need extra support and those who would be considered gifted (and sometimes they are one-in-the-same. More on that in another post).
Remember, students will need to have a firm grasp on the types of syllables and the patterns of these syllable types. You can begin to teach syllable division as soon as you teach closed syllables and how to combine closed syllables. From there, you would revisit the concept with each new syllable type. Students will need to be secure in their knowledge of the concepts of vowels and consonants. It is also helpful if the student understands the concept of schwa. I said it in the previous blog, but keep this concept light and fun. Just make sure they understand the sound and when it would occur.
A resource for reviewing the syllable types can be found in my resource center HERE.
An important point to make is to be sure to tell students: find the vowels and work what is in between. They do not need to label every consonant in the word. Just work what is between the vowels in the word. I also tell them the number of vowels gives us a clue as to the number of syllables in a word. You will see in this picture that the student coded all the vowels and the consonants in between. However, they took one step at a time to divide the word.
Side note - For younger learners, I have a *freebie* in my Resource Center called the Syllable Ninja. They get to check off “skills” as they learn each division pattern. We talk about how like a ninja, we use discipline, problem solving, and strategy to “break” a word. It is just a fun way to show them that they are making progress. Check out the freebie HERE.
Rabbits and Monsters - Nope, we aren’t traveling to Wonderland
The first pattern you will come to is VCCV. Some teachers refer to this as the “rabbit” division pattern. I do use the animal names, BUT in my opinion, the NON - NEGOTIABLE piece is that the student needs to remember the pattern over the animal name. When in doubt, pick the student remembering the pattern. Here are the steps for the VCCV pattern.
Label underneath your vowels with a V or a dot
Label the consonants between the vowels with a C (this will make the VCCV pattern)
Divide between the two consonants
Read the first syllable
Read the second syllable
Read the whole word
What is important to note is that you will first come to this type after you have put two closed syllables together. However, you will revisit this pattern when you have taught other syllable types such as the r-controlled syllable. You will want to revisit re-teaching, practicing, or emphasizing correct syllable division practice after you have taught new syllable types.
Some practitioners take the categories a step further and break them into groups such as reptile words (these include silent e syllables) and hornet words (these words contain r-controlled syllables). If you need to break it up that specifically, you can.
However, it is my opinion, general practice, and experience (especially when working with older learners or learners who already struggle with recall of information) that if we can streamline it to
1. Find the VCCV
2. Divide between the consonants
and most importantly
3. ANALYZE the syllable types so you can read each one….. then knowing just the VCCV will be fine.
What do I mean by most importantly... analyze?
The step that I feel is most often forgotten is to guide the learner to pause after they divide and look at the first syllable. Decide what type of syllable it is and read it based on the vowel sound that is expected with that syllable type. Then look at the next syllable. Decide what kind of syllable it is and then read based on their knowledge of the expected vowel sound. When completing this on a whiteboard or with a model, I have the student use their hand to cover one syllable at a time.
When completing this on paper, I have the student use their pointer finger to cover up one syllable at a time. For those with visual and spatial concerns, this also allows them to focus on one piece of the puzzle more clearly.
The next pattern you would come across is the VCCCV pattern or the “monster” pattern. The difference in this and VCCCV is that the student will need to be able to find a digraph (think h brother ch, sh, th, wh) or a blend. When they see a blend or digraph, they should suspect that it will stay together. If they are not sure, have them try combining each of the consonants to decide. For example, if you keep the p and k together in the word pumpkin it is easy to know that we do not have a word pum-p-k-in. If we keep the m and p together, you can easily divide and read it pump-kin. I guide my students to circle the blend or digraph that stays together and then “divide between that and the consonant that is left.”
Here are the steps for VCCCV.
Label underneath your vowels with a V or a dot
Label the consonants between the vowels with a C (this will make the VCCCV pattern)
Find a blend or digraph that need to stay together
Divide between the blend or digraph and the remaining consonant
Read the first syllable
Read the second syllable
Read the whole word
I have a set in my Resource Center with 15 practice pages for the previous two types of syllable division. You can find that HERE.
Lions and Tigers and Camels and a Few Turtles- Oh My!
After you have taught your student open syllables, you can begin to move into teaching the V / CV division pattern. Sometimes these are referred to as “tiger words.”
The first syllable of this division pattern is open, so they will need to know open syllables.
Here are the steps:
Label underneath your vowels with a V or a dot
Label the consonant between the vowel
Divide after the first vowel
Read the first syllable
Read the second syllable
Read the whole word
After students know V / CV, they can begin to work with VC / V. Although they look like the same thing with a VCV, the way you divide the word is actually different. For this pattern you divide after the first VC. This pattern is often referred to as “ camel words.” The previous pattern is more common. I use the story to remind my students, if a tiger and a camel were in a fight, the tiger will probably win. Try to divide it like a “tiger word” or after the first vowel first. If that doesn’t work, divide it like a camel word or after the VC. All of these words, animal references, and patterns make my brain hurt. If you are like me, visuals are a must have! So make sure to look at the pictures, check out my YouTube page for model videos, and check out my Resource Center for materials.
The picture below was from a session where my student had been introduced to both the V/CV and the VC/V division patterns. The student dotted the vowels, labeled the consonants, and then practiced dividing by V/CV first and then if that did not work, they tried VC/V.
They then sorted it into the correct category.
But what if my student does not have the vocabulary and background knowledge to know what is a real word? This is often the case. I do my best to use familiar and obvious word choices when I first introduce the topic. Then I work in new words as not only practice for division but for vocabulary moments as well. A virtual field trip to explore the Amazon river BA-SIN to learn a new word - sign me up!
In the meantime, HERE is a freebie in my resource center.
Consonant -LE Count Back 3!
When you teach the final syllable type, consonant -le, it comes with its own division pattern. This syllable type is a final stable syllable, and that means it's in the final position and it is stable. It can be combined with all of the other syllable types BUT silent e, so you will have a lot of new words you can make with this one. You teach the student to find the consonant, the l, and the e, count back three from those and divide the word. They can then analyze the first syllable type and then add it successfully to the consonant -le. Ta-Da!
Some practitioners call these turtle words. I again just want to emphasize the pattern and the important step of going back and looking at the types of syllables to be successful at reading it.
Here are the steps:
Label underneath your vowels with a V or a dot
Find the consonant, l, e and count back three
Read the first syllable
Read the consonant -le syllable
Read the whole word
Let’s take the word tumble. Find the b,l,e, count back three and you can read tum. Add this to -ble and you have got it! One reason for the double consonants in words like bubble….if we didn’t….you would divide the word and have /b/ /u/ -ble. Then we get into a conversation about sparkling water and a Canadian crooner.
Will there be exceptions? Aren’t there always one in a group? Ugh! -stle as in castle is a real party pooper and doesn’t follow the rule. Some categorize -ckle in that same group….however I tend to flex just a bit on this one and let students divide between the c and k for ease of reading. That is my personal instructional preference - so you may see it advised differently elsewhere.
LION WORDS!
These words are rare but do exist. The pattern is VV (vowel/vowel). This is the last division pattern that I teach because the students will need to have an understanding of vowel pairs and which ones stay together. These words are often in more complex vocabulary words. Students certainly need to know schwa by this point (and earlier) and this division pattern often overlaps with a student beginning to learn prefixes and suffixes. Still, it is one to know.
Here are the steps:
Label underneath your vowels with a V or a dot
Divide between the vowels
Read the first syllable
Read the second syllable
Read the whole word
Hopefully this was not more than a two cups of coffee read. Hopefully, this is a tool that you can use right now with your child. I am working with a homeschool student currently and the mom made a comment that she wasn’t really sure why I would send homework for the student to practice these division patterns. Then she saw the student begin to divide words in other places like her picture books and the value became clear. You may not find this in many curriculums homeschool or otherwise, but I think it is totally worth it and now I hope you do as well!
This information is the intellectual property of ©2021 The Instruction Hub. Do not use or repurpose without expressed permission from The Instruction Hub. Please give The Instruction Hub an attribution if you choose to use, reference, or quote/paraphrase copyrighted materials. This includes but is not limited to blogs, social media, and resources.