ELA G1:S4:C25:L126

Decoding: Two-Syllable Words

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Daily Learning Targets

Opening A: I can identify different spelling patterns that represent the /ō/ and /ē/ vowel sounds. (RF.1.2)

I can listen to a single-syllable word and identify the long vowel sound it contains.

Opening B: I can count the number of syllables in a printed word by identifying the vowel sounds in the word. (RF.1.3)

I can identify vowel sounds in the spelling of a multisyllabic (more than one syllable) word and identify how many syllables are in the word.

Work Time A: I can break a word into two syllables, identify the type of syllables use, and use that information to read the word. (RF.1.3)

I can count the number of syllables in a printed word by identifying the vowel sounds in the word.
I can use what I know about the types of syllables to decode (read) a two-syllable word.

Ongoing Assessment

Observe students during Work Time. Determine whether they can identify vowel patterns, divide the word into syllables, and decode each syllable to read the word.

Agenda

Agenda
1. Opening (3-5 minutes) A. Vowel Sounds: Identifying Vowel Sounds in Words to Determine Number of Syllables ("candy," "beanbag," "mistake") B. Vowel Patterns: Identifying the Vowel Pattern (i.e., Syllable Type) in Two-Syllable Words: "candy," "beanbag," "mistake" 2. Work Time (10 minutes) A. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth ("carpet," "invite") B. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth Practice ("ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate") 3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes) A. Reflecting on Learning 4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

1. Opening (3-5 minutes)

A. Vowel Sounds: Identifying Vowel Sounds in Words to Determine Number of Syllables ("candy," "beanbag," "mistake")

B. Vowel Patterns: Identifying the Vowel Pattern (i.e., Syllable Type) in Two-Syllable Words: "candy," "beanbag," "mistake"

2. Work Time (10 minutes)

A. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth ("carpet," "invite")

B. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth Practice ("ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate")

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

Prepare:

Work Time Word List
Snapshot Assessment (optional)

Review the Syllabication Guide if needed (see the K-2 Skills Block Resource Manual).
Write the words "carpet" and "invite" on index cards or sentence strips for use in Work Time A.
Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

decode, divide, syllable, proficient (L)

Materials

Words "carpet" and "invite" (written on index cards or sentence strips)
Work Time Word List inside clear sheet protectors (one per student or pair)
Whiteboard markers (one per student)
Whiteboard erasers (or tissues, socks, etc.; one per student)
Clipboards (unless working at a table; one per student or pair)
Syllabication Guide (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual)
Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

Opening	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Vowel Sounds: Identifying Vowel Sounds in Words to Determine Number of Syllables (“candy,” “beanbag,” “mistake”) (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”): “Sit down and come together, together, together. Sit down and come together, together, right now. Open up your ears now, and listen for the vowel sounds. It’s time to hear the vowel sounds we’re making right now.” Begin the Vowel Sounds instructional practice: 1. Teacher says the word: “candy.” 2. Students repeat. 3. Teacher asks: “How many vowel sounds do you hear in the word ‘candy’?” (two) “What vowel sounds do you hear in the word ‘candy’?” (/a/ and /ē/) “How many syllables are in the word ‘candy’?” (two) “How do you know?” (hear two “beats”; hear two vowel sounds) 4. Repeat steps 1–3 with the words “beanbag” and “mistake.” 5. Teacher says: “In each of these words, we heard two vowel sounds and two syllables. There is one vowel sound in each syllable.”
B. Vowel Patterns: Identifying the Vowel Pattern (i.e., Syllable Type) in Two-Syllable Words (“candy,” “beanbag,” “mistake”) (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”): “Now it’s time to match these vowel sounds to their letters and read them. Now it’s time to match these sounds to their letters, let’s go!” Begin the Vowel Patterns instructional practice: 1. Teacher says: “candy” and writes it on the board. 2. Teacher says: “We said that the word ‘candy’ has the vowel sounds /a/ and /ē/. Let’s examine this word to see how those vowel sounds are spelled.” 3. Teacher says the word: “candy.” 4. Students repeat. 5. Teacher asks: “What is the first syllable in the word ‘candy’?” (can) “What is the second syllable in the word ‘candy’?” (dy) 6. Teacher draws a line between the letters “n” and “d” to divide the syllables. 7. Teacher asks: “How is the vowel sound /a/ sound spelled in this first syllable?” (The letter “a” is closed by a consonant.) “How is the /ē/ sound spelled in the second syllable?” (the letter “y” at the end of a two-syllable word) 8. Repeat steps 1–7 with the words “beanbag” and “mistake.”	Consider reminding students of the work they did in Cycle 22 with the “-y” at the end of a two-syllable word, making the /ē/ sound. Consider reminding students that the two-syllable word “beanbag” is a compound word.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Vowel Sounds: Identifying Vowel Sounds in Words to Determine Number of Syllables (“candy,” “beanbag,” “mistake”)

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”):

“Sit down and come together, together, together. Sit down and come together, together, right now. Open up your ears now, and listen for the vowel sounds. It’s time to hear the vowel sounds we’re making right now.”

Begin the Vowel Sounds instructional practice:

1. Teacher says the word: “candy.”

2. Students repeat.

3. Teacher asks:

“How many vowel sounds do you hear in the word ‘candy’?” (two)

“What vowel sounds do you hear in the word ‘candy’?” (/a/ and /ē/)

“How many syllables are in the word ‘candy’?” (two)

“How do you know?” (hear two “beats”; hear two vowel sounds)

4. Repeat steps 1–3 with the words “beanbag” and “mistake.”

5. Teacher says: “In each of these words, we heard two vowel sounds and two syllables. There is one vowel sound in each syllable.”

B. Vowel Patterns: Identifying the Vowel Pattern (i.e., Syllable Type) in Two-Syllable Words (“candy,” “beanbag,” “mistake”)

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of “The More We Get Together”):

“Now it’s time to match these vowel sounds to their letters and read them. Now it’s time to match these sounds to their letters, let’s go!”

Begin the Vowel Patterns instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: “candy” and writes it on the board.

2. Teacher says: “We said that the word ‘candy’ has the vowel sounds /a/ and /ē/. Let’s examine this word to see how those vowel sounds are spelled.”

3. Teacher says the word: “candy.”

4. Students repeat.

5. Teacher asks:

“What is the first syllable in the word ‘candy’?” (can)

“What is the second syllable in the word ‘candy’?” (dy)

6. Teacher draws a line between the letters “n” and “d” to divide the syllables.

7. Teacher asks:

“How is the vowel sound /a/ sound spelled in this first syllable?” (The letter “a” is closed by a consonant.)

“How is the /ē/ sound spelled in the second syllable?” (the letter “y” at the end of a two-syllable word)

8. Repeat steps 1–7 with the words “beanbag” and “mistake.”

Consider reminding students of the work they did in Cycle 22 with the “-y” at the end of a two-syllable word, making the /ē/ sound.
Consider reminding students that the two-syllable word “beanbag” is a compound word.

Work Time

Work Time	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth ("carpet," "invite") (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The More We Get Together"): "We've be workin' on some long words, sound by sound, by sound. We've been workin' on some long words, so we can read more words aloud. We take a word like candy and break it into parts. 'Can' plus 'dy' makes 'candy,' and now it's time to start!" Begin the Syllable Sleuth instructional practice: 1. Teacher says: "Today we are going to be syllable sleuths again. We are going to find some clues to help us figure out how to break longer words into parts so we can read them. Let's start with a new word." 2. Teacher displays the word "carpet" on an index card or sentence strip. 3. Teacher models the Syllable Sleuth practice aloud: "Look for the vowels and put a dot below each." "Look for the consonants between the vowels." "Divide the word (in this case, between the two consonants)." 4. Teacher draws a swoop under the first syllable and asks: "What do we notice right after the letter 'a'?" (the bossy "r") "What does that tell us about the sound of the 'a'?" (The "r" controls it, making it say /ar/.) "So how do we pronounce this first syllable?" ("car") 5. Teacher draws a swoop under the second syllable and asks: "How do we pronounce this syllable?" ("pet") "How do you know?" (The "e" says /e/ in this syllable because it is closed by a consonant.) 6. Repeat the process with the word "invite."	When working with words such as "invite" where two vowels are used to indicate one sound (in this case, the magic "e" making the "i" long), continue to remind students that every syllable has one vowel sound (as opposed to one vowel letter). Consider annotating the letters in a vowel team by placing a dot under each and drawing a straight line between the dots. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the fact that while there are two vowels, they make just one sound. Consider annotating the magic "e" by drawing an arrow from below the magic "e" back to the vowel it gives its voice to. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the role of the magic "e" and the fact that even though there are two vowel letters in that syllable, there is just one vowel sound. The Work Time B Word List includes 11 words, which is more than the usual number, to provide you with the option of choosing two-syllable words that best meet your students' needs for this lesson. Consider working with any remaining words during differentiated small group time.
B. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth Practice ("ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate") Continue the Syllable Sleuth instructional practice: 1. Teacher says: "Remember, a 'sleuth' is a detective. When you're a syllable sleuth, your job is to search for the clues that let you know you have found a syllable. As a syllable sleuth, you will look for vowel sounds to see how to divide the words into syllables to read them." 2. Teacher distributes materials: Work Time Word List in transparent sleeve, whiteboard markers, whiteboard erasers, and clipboards (if not working at a desk/table). 3. Teacher reminds students (if needed) of the steps in the Syllable Sleuth practice that were just modeled: Locate the vowels and put a dot below them. Look between the vowels. Divide the word into syllables. Pronounce each syllable according to the spelling pattern (i.e., closed, open, magic "e," r-controlled, and vowel team). 4. Teacher guides students as they apply the steps described above to divide the words into syllables to decode them: "ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate."	Step 5 in this lesson can be done in a variety of ways, including: Students apply Syllable Sleuth steps to one word at a time. After each word, the teacher models the division and decoding and students check their work. Students work through the list independently or with partners. After a set period of time, the teacher models the division and decoding of each word while students check their work. See Syllabication Guide (K-2 Skills Resource Manual) as needed. Below is the syllable division for words used in Work Time B: "tick-et," "be-side," "beav-er," "can-dy," "re-plies," "rail-road," " ex-plain," "night-time," "a-gree," "pa-per," "play-date." Remind students that the letters "ck" in the word "ticket" are a vowel digraph. Together, these letters make one sound, so the word is not divided between those two consonants.

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth ("carpet," "invite")

(Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "The More We Get Together"):

"We've be workin' on some long words, sound by sound, by sound. We've been workin' on some long words, so we can read more words aloud. We take a word like candy and break it into parts. 'Can' plus 'dy' makes 'candy,' and now it's time to start!"

Begin the Syllable Sleuth instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "Today we are going to be syllable sleuths again. We are going to find some clues to help us figure out how to break longer words into parts so we can read them. Let's start with a new word."

2. Teacher displays the word "carpet" on an index card or sentence strip.

3. Teacher models the Syllable Sleuth practice aloud:

"Look for the vowels and put a dot below each."
"Look for the consonants between the vowels."
"Divide the word (in this case, between the two consonants)."

4. Teacher draws a swoop under the first syllable and asks:

"What do we notice right after the letter 'a'?" (the bossy "r")

"What does that tell us about the sound of the 'a'?" (The "r" controls it, making it say /ar/.)

"So how do we pronounce this first syllable?" ("car")

5. Teacher draws a swoop under the second syllable and asks:

"How do we pronounce this syllable?" ("pet")

"How do you know?" (The "e" says /e/ in this syllable because it is closed by a consonant.)

6. Repeat the process with the word "invite."

When working with words such as "invite" where two vowels are used to indicate one sound (in this case, the magic "e" making the "i" long), continue to remind students that every syllable has one vowel sound (as opposed to one vowel letter).
Consider annotating the letters in a vowel team by placing a dot under each and drawing a straight line between the dots. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the fact that while there are two vowels, they make just one sound.
Consider annotating the magic "e" by drawing an arrow from below the magic "e" back to the vowel it gives its voice to. This can serve as a visual, reinforcing the role of the magic "e" and the fact that even though there are two vowel letters in that syllable, there is just one vowel sound.
The Work Time B Word List includes 11 words, which is more than the usual number, to provide you with the option of choosing two-syllable words that best meet your students' needs for this lesson. Consider working with any remaining words during differentiated small group time.

B. Decoding: Syllable Sleuth Practice ("ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate")

Continue the Syllable Sleuth instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "Remember, a 'sleuth' is a detective. When you're a syllable sleuth, your job is to search for the clues that let you know you have found a syllable. As a syllable sleuth, you will look for vowel sounds to see how to divide the words into syllables to read them."

2. Teacher distributes materials: Work Time Word List in transparent sleeve, whiteboard markers, whiteboard erasers, and clipboards (if not working at a desk/table).

3. Teacher reminds students (if needed) of the steps in the Syllable Sleuth practice that were just modeled:

Locate the vowels and put a dot below them.
Look between the vowels.
Divide the word into syllables.
Pronounce each syllable according to the spelling pattern (i.e., closed, open, magic "e," r-controlled, and vowel team).

4. Teacher guides students as they apply the steps described above to divide the words into syllables to decode them: "ticket," "beside," "beaver," "story," "replies," "railroad," "explain," "nighttime," "agree," "paper," "playdate."

Step 5 in this lesson can be done in a variety of ways, including:

Students apply Syllable Sleuth steps to one word at a time. After each word, the teacher models the division and decoding and students check their work.
Students work through the list independently or with partners. After a set period of time, the teacher models the division and decoding of each word while students check their work.

See Syllabication Guide (K-2 Skills Resource Manual) as needed. Below is the syllable division for words used in Work Time B: "tick-et," "be-side," "beav-er," "can-dy," "re-plies," "rail-road," " ex-plain," "night-time," "a-gree," "pa-per," "play-date."
Remind students that the letters "ck" in the word "ticket" are a vowel digraph. Together, these letters make one sound, so the word is not divided between those two consonants.

Closing & Assessments

Closing	Meeting Students' Needs
A. Reflecting on Learning Emphasize that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Point out that they are doing this each time they consider how what they did today helps them become more proficient readers. Invite students to reflect and share with a partner (or whole group). Ask: "What did you do today that is helping you become a more proficient reader?" (Responses will vary. Example: "I thought about the way vowel sounds are spelled and looked for those spellings when I divided the words. That helped me know how to decode the word.")	For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples: "When I made the sounds for the word _____, I _____." "When I wrote the letter _____, I _____." "When blended the sounds _____, I _____."

Closing

Meeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

Emphasize that successful learners keep track of and reflect on their own learning. Point out that they are doing this each time they consider how what they did today helps them become more proficient readers.
Invite students to reflect and share with a partner (or whole group). Ask:

"What did you do today that is helping you become a more proficient reader?" (Responses will vary. Example: "I thought about the way vowel sounds are spelled and looked for those spellings when I divided the words. That helped me know how to decode the word.")

For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Examples:

"When I made the sounds for the word _____, I _____."
"When I wrote the letter _____, I _____."
"When blended the sounds _____, I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Partial Alphabetic groups. Teacher may meet briefly with the Full and Consolidated groups to provide a weekly Word List and exit ticket or possibly set up a management system allowing these students to find the list and exit ticket and begin work independently.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work Guidance document for more details (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual).

Pre-Alphabetic:

Aim small group instruction at building students' knowledge and skills of letter identification and phonological awareness.
Use the Assessment Conversion chart to determine appropriate Kindergarten lessons and Activity Bank ideas to use in daily small group instruction.

Partial Alphabetic:

Consider continuing the Opening A instruction with one-syllable words, reviewing the vowel spellings worked with to this point.
Consider using the Assessment Conversion chart to determine whether there is a previous cycle(s) that needs to be revisited. If so, consider using lessons from that cycle to develop mastery before moving on to open-syllable words.
Related Activity Bank suggestions:

An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable Pattern category (SP)

Full and Consolidated Alphabetic:

Establish weekly Word Lists and exit tickets for independent work time (see supporting materials).
Additional Supporting Materials:

Word List Guidance (for teacher reference)
Word List (one per student or per pair)
Word Card Template (one per student or per pair)
Sorting Words Template (one per student or per pair)

EL Education Curriculum

ELA G1:S4:C25:L126

Decoding: Two-Syllable Words

In this Lesson

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Daily Learning Targets

Ongoing Assessment

Agenda

In Advance

Vocabulary

Materials

Opening

Work Time

Closing & Assessments

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

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