Building Skills
Multiple-Syllable Words
To decode multisyllabic words, children must be able to divide words into recognizable chunks. Some readers develop a sense of syllabication breaks independently through their exposures to print, while others have great difficulty and need instruction. Consequently, children need training in dividing words according to syllables. They must understand how to figure out the vowel sound in one-syllable words, understand that a syllable has only one vowel sound, but that a vowel sound may be spelled using more than one vowel letter. Begin by teaching children known words and then provide ample opportunities for children to apply each strategy in context.
Explain that a syllable is a unit of sound in a word. A syllable contains a vowel and possibly one or more consonants. The word long contains one syllable. The word Monday contains two syllables. Explain that many words have multiple syllables like the name Jonathan or the word chemotherapy from the Lance Armstrong story. Tell children that knowing how to break words into syllables can help them read and spell longer words.
Write several known words on the chalkboard or chart paper, such as unhappy, cheerful, tremendous, huge, Elizabeth, John, Wednesday, etc. Now say the words, stretching them out so children can hear the sounds/syllables in the words. Say the words again, asking children to clap on the syllables. Next, write the following on the chalkboard or chart paper: 1 Syllable Words, 2 Syllable Words, 3 Syllable Words, 4 Syllable Words, etc. Ask volunteers to look at the words on the chalkboard or chart paper that you have pronounced and have them tell you under which number/heading they go. Rewrite the words in their appropriate spot.
Now use words from the Lance Armstrong story that may be unknown to children to see if they can apply the same strategies they used from known words—for example, cycling, surviving, cancer, athleticism, Triathlon, intensified, developmental, rigorous, amateur, competition, determination, limitations, surgeries, aggressive, chemotherapy, miraculously, accomplishment, etc. In addition to introducing children to multiple syllables in known and unknown words, you will also be developing vocabulary and increasing comprehension of the story.
Word Work
Mechanics: Commas, parentheses, hyphens, bullets
Explain to children that they are going to learn about using commas, parentheses, hyphens, and bullets—punctuation marks used in the Lance Armstrong story. Ask: What is a comma? What are parentheses? What is a hyphen? What is a bullet? Discuss these terms, and write a brief description of each on the board.
Have children work with a partner and reread the story. Ask them to look for punctuation marks and note the page number and type on a sticky note. Then ask them to choose two types of punctuation marks and write new sentences using the punctuation marks correctly. Monitor their work to check for understanding.
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