Word Analysis:
Two-Syllable Words

Introduction:

Two strategies are provided to teach and assess the student’s ability to divide and read two-
syllable words. The first strategy teaches the student how to recognize one of the six kinds of
syllables and how they are combined in longer words. The second strategy teaches a related
rule for syllable division.

____________________________________________________________________________

Materials Needed:

Say:    It’s easier to read long words when you can break them into syllables. A syllable is  
           a word or word part that has one vowel sound.

Show the student Word Card 1.

Say:    Here are some words with only one syllable. Read these words.

After the student reads,

Say:    What vowel sound do you hear in pet? (/e/) In cat? (/a/) In pin? (/i/)

After the student responds,

Say:    There is one vowel sound for one syllable in each of these words.

There are different kinds of syllables, and when you know how to recognize them
in words, it’s much easier to read the words. We’ll begin by looking at one kind of
syllable now.

The first kind of syllable is called a closed syllable. A word like pet or cat or pin is
a closed syllable. We call it closed because it has a consonant on the end that
“closes” off the vowel. The consonant makes the vowel in the middle have its short
sound.  

What consonant do you see at the end of pet? What vowel sound do you hear?

What consonant do you see at the end of cat? What vowel sound do you hear?

What consonant do you see at the end of pin? What vowel sound do you hear?

Point to the syllables below pet, cat, and pin on Word Card 1.

Say:    Pet and cat and pin are words as well as closed syllables, but the others here are  
           just closed syllables. Try reading these closed syllables.

Be sure that the student pronounces each of these syllables with a short vowel sound. Then
show the student Word Card 2 with concert and gossip.

Say:    Closed syllables often go together to make longer words. Here is a word made of  
           two closed syllables: concert.

Draw a line between the syllables in concert. (con/cert)

Say:    What two closed syllables do you see in the word? (con/cert) Read the word.

Look at the second word. See if you can find two closed syllables in that word and
draw a line between them, just as I did with the first word. Then tell me the word.

Show the student Worksheet A (Levels 3 and 4) or Worksheet B (Levels 5 and 6). Point to the
first section.

Say:    Here are some closed syllables that can go together to make longer words. For  
           each, read the two syllables to me. Copy them together as one word on the line,   
           then tell me the word.

Help the student with the first word. Give aid as needed with the others.

On the Student Record Form, note whether aid was needed.
____________________________________________________________________________

Materials Needed:

Say:    We just learned about closed syllables. Now I’m going to show you how to break  
           long words into closed syllables so that they will be easier to read.

Can you tell me again what a syllable is?

Can you tell me again what happens to the vowel sound in a closed syllable?

Show the student Word Card 3.

Say:    These words have two syllables. If we divide the words between their syllables,  
           they will be easier to read. We have a rule that can help us do that. The rule is:  
           when you see two consonants that come together in a word, divide between them.  
           Do you see two consonants in the middle of each of these words?

Draw a line between the consonants in puppet. (pup/pet)

Say:    I saw two p’s between the two vowels in this word, so I divided between them.  
           When I divided between the two consonants, I made two closed syllables. How  
           should I pronounce the first syllable? (pup) What about the second? (pet)

Now let’s read the word together: puppet.

Let’s try the second word. First tell me the rule for dividing words into syllables.
Then divide the word and read it.

Give aid as needed with recalling the rule and with dividing the word.

On the Student Record Form, note whether the student was able to recall the rule unaided
and whether he or she was able to use the rule successfully to read the word.

Follow the same procedure with the third word on the card.

Show the student Worksheet A (Levels 3 and 4) or Worksheet B (Levels 5 and 6). Point to the
second section.

Say:    Now I’d like you to try reading each of the words in the bottom section. First look  
           for the two consonants. They don’t have to be the same consonants. Divide the  
           word into syllables with your pencil, and then read the word to me.

On the Student Record Form, record the student’s responses and note whether the student
needed help to read the words.
________________________________________________________________________

 Interpreting and Using TTS Results: 

Use the above procedures to teach other syllable types and rules for syllabication. The
following are the most important to teach:

For students who have difficulty dividing words, use cards with one syllable each on them for
practice both with pronouncing single syllables and with putting them together to make real
words. Construct board games and other card sets for practice dividing words that fit the
syllabication rules that have been taught.