The Strategies Your Student Needs Now

Do you have a struggling eighth grade student who feels they cannot read the words in their homework and feels inadequate in their attempt at school? This one is especially for you. I did not necessarily have language troubles in school. I had other struggles. But even for me this was mind blowing and made me a stronger learner (because I was not taught this way when I was young). This post will give you the why I use these strategies and the follow-up post will give you the how (and provide a few resource options).

So what is it? It is the tool of syllable combining and dividing.  I have discussed in another blog that our language is around 84% predictable.  Here is a good read on that!

Right under 50%  of these syllables are made up of closed syllables. Want a quick read on that? Here you go!

Meaning, if you know those syllables and how to combine and divide with them, you would have increased success with reading and spelling.  I know there is discussion around the idea of bypassing syllable division and combining to go straight to morphemes. I VALUE teaching morphology.  I get to it AS QUICKLY as I can with students (including my first graders).  However, it is my opinion and experience as a practitioner, that as students are building their bank of morphemes they feel success by quickly learning six syllable types and how to combine/divide them.  Keep in mind syllabication is a tool for reading and spelling and the study of morphology is a tool to build an understanding of the meaningful parts of words  (and so much more).  Will students eventually divide a word to read by morpheme - absolutely!  However, giving them the foundation of syllabication allows them to “attack” a word to read and spell as they learn morphemes. They have two tools in their toolbox! Yes, please! 

Let’s take the word electromagnetic.  At first glance, that word is a no go for someone who already feels less confident in their reading skills.  However, if they know how to break it into syllables, they can tackle it with ease!  Let’s take a look:

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Step 1: Give students a stack of syllables to code, sort, and read

 
 

Step 2: Give students time (directly and explicitly modeled at first, but eventually moving into the gift of time for them to try on their own) to combine the syllables to make a real word.

 
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When words, especially content area words, are broken into manageable parts students have success at reading and spelling them. When they can read and spell them, they have greater success at understanding and applying them.  

For example, try to solve this word problem.  Please show your work.

Sherry had a noitcelloc of 60 snottub.  She wants to edivid them into 10 spuorg.  How many spuorg would she have?   

What was your answer?  You had difficulty solving it?  Hmmm, I am not sure why you are having trouble.  We have gone over this vocabulary every day this week. And scene…. 

Cue capable math student unable to show you what they know because of the challenge with the language portion.

Now let’s look at it differently.  Please use the strategy of (btw: I do not recommend this - it is only for an illustration) reading the word backwards:

noitcelloc = collection

snottub = buttons  (or a word a middle school student would create and find hilarious - ha!)

edivid = divide

spuorg = groups

When I gave you a strategy, you had success.  That is what we are doing when we provide a way for students to approach a word systematically to break it apart to read and spell.  That is why I think syllable combining and dividing can be so impactful.  

You can read about the syllable types in a previous post. Your student will definitely need to know these before we begin to combine and divide. You can also pick up a *FREE* copy of my interpretation of the Syllable Clover in the Resource Center or on my Teachers Pay Teachers page. This is a graphic organizer to keep track of the syllable types. I begin with combining closed/closed and dividing closed/closed. I discuss that the prefix com- means with or together. When we combine syllables, we are putting them together.  Note - especially for more complex words students need to know the concept of schwa.  Keep it light and fun, but make sure they understand that vowels can have a schwa sound.

So let’s talk about syllable combining! 

I like to put my syllables on cards.  I have the student code the syllables in order to determine what the vowel sound would be.   

 
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After they have successfully read the cards of syllables, I set the cards up in two piles.  The stack on the right I lay out in a line.  The student then takes a card from the left stack and practices matching it to the line of syllables on the right to see if they can find a real word. If you would like to pick up the card set to complete the activity, it is the Ultimate Syllable Combining Set found in my Resource Center.

Here is a picture of what that would look like:

 
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Each time I teach a new syllable type, I go back and have the student practice combining (and dividing) with the other syllable types that they have learned. You can also do a simple matching exercise. That might look something like this:

 
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A strategy for spelling multisyllabic words can also be taught when working on combining.

You may hear practitioners say Echo! Clap! Tap! Write!

I do use that procedure.  I change it up a bit for my older learners so that it is not as obvious and one that they will apply even when they are not in session with me.  I have them echo the whole word. Next they squeeze the number of syllables with their non-writing hand. Then they  tap and write the first syllable and  tap and write the second syllable.  To begin with, I have them separate the syllables on different lines and then write the whole word at the end. You can see a picture of my page (below) I use when I first introduce this strategy.  You can also get this *freebie* in the Resource Center.  Eventually the student will use the same strategy and procedure, but will no longer need to break it down on separate lines.  Rather they can apply the strategy as they write the whole word.  You can also find a video of me modeling this on my YouTube page.

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Is this a student that an older student should use?  That is a big YES! I once tutored a high school who was having challenges with the biology vocabulary.  The reason being he could not read the word, and was not sure where to start to try.  Now when we discussed it verbally, he gave me all sorts of details.  So while I was providing systematic instruction in morphology (so he could quickly get to the meaningful parts of words), I taught him the syllable types and how to combine and divide them. Suddenly, mitosis and chromatid were no longer inaccessible. Can I tell you what they mean? I would probably Google them - not going to lie.  But he could tell you and now with a strategy he could read them! 

I hope you will grab a cup of coffee or sweet tea and keep reading!  Leave me a note below about any connections you have made.  Also, feel free to reach out using the contact page or button on the home page. Thanks for your time!


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