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Step 3: Open and Closed Syllables, Y at the End of Words

Open Syllable Header
Open Syllable
Closed Syllable Header
Closed Syllable

Learning the one syllable words (i.e. be, go, fly) is enough to move on. More advanced readers can practice the multiple syllable word resources (labeled as “advanced”).


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Definitions


Open and Closed Syllable Definitions:
CV stands for Consonant Vowel, which is an open syllable (be, go, no).
CVC (or VC) stands for Consonant Vowel Consonant, which is a closed syllable (bet, got, not).
Short Vowel refers to a vowel saying its short sound (not its name) as in hat, bed, sit, off, up. Short vowels are represented:  /ă/  /ĕ/  /ĭ/  /ŏ/  /ŭ
Long Vowel refers to when a vowel says its name as in she, and bike. Long vowels are represented: /ā/  /  /ī/  /ō/  /ū/

Teaching Videos and Written Stories

Open and Closed Syllables

y at the end of open syllables
2 sounds for the name of ū

Written Stories

  • Written Story: Open & Closed Syllable Story Summary
  • Written Story: 2 Sounds for Long u Story as told in Teaching Video
  • Full name & nickname Story/Explanation for 2 sounds of /ū/:
    • Full name: The letter u’s name is pronounced like the word “you”.  This word has two phonemes (sounds): the /y/ sound (as in yes), and then the /oo/ sound (as in moon).  In words like use and cute the letter u’s full name is heard. 
    • Nickname: Often the u goes only by the end of its name, its nickname.  For its nickname the u drops the first phoneme (sound) /y/ and we only hear the second phoneme (sound) /oo/ as in moon.  We only hear the /oo/ sound of the u’s name in words like tube and flute.

Google Slides and PowerPoints PowerPoints for teaching short vowel words CVC

For the formatting of PowerPoints to be correct, click FILE, then DOWNLOAD, and download in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Open and Closed Teaching Activity Activity working together

Act Out Open and Closed Syllables! Start teaching the first two syllable types by making letter cards and act out what the vowel would say in different situations. For example holding an “e” letter the learner acts out “ē, ē I can say my name!” When an “m” arrives to its left the student acts out “ē! I can say my name! And run away!” But then a letter t arrives to the right to close it in! Student acts out “/ĕ/” (short sound of e) “I wasn’t showing off… /ĕ/.” Find directions here.

Tips Tips

Note on Syllables: Every syllable has a vowel sound. The vowel sounds make our chins go down when we speak.  Vowel sounds create syllables.  Place your fingers under your chin.  Say the word “begin” out loud.  You can feel your jaw drop two times.  First for the open syllable “be”, then for the closed syllable “gin.”  Many teachers clap for each syllable. When learners spell bigger words, teach them to count how many syllables are in the word, then spell each syllable, one at a time. Practice identifying and counting syllables. This skill is critical as learners progress to reading and spelling multiple syllable words.

Map Sounds to Letters

Map the sounds in the word to the letter(s) representing the sounds, even if it is not a letter combination that has been taught yet. Only an unusual sound/letter combination needs to be remembered “by heart.” Mapping the sounds to the letters is how we remember what words look like. See example below:

Map Sounds To Letters examples

Be sure to reinforce what you know and are learning about words, for example:
Schwa Sound: Any vowel might say /ŭ/. Point out that this happens in many common words like: the, of, was, some, from…

Key and Directions for Materials Key

KEY:
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1K-1 Beginning
Green Star: Growing, Grades 1-21-2 Growing
Pink Plus: intervention, challengeIntervention/Challenge

Bundle: Multiple types of materials (games, activities, stories…) bundled together.
Pack: Multiple pieces of the same type of material, for example a pack of books.

Directions for everything else:

More on the Directions Page

Sample Bundle


Practice Reading Practice Practice Reading


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Beginning Reader Open and Closed Syllable Word Family BUNDLES! Bundle

Open and Closed Syllable Bundles

Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open Syllable CV Beginning Reader Bundle Open Syllable Bundle with words, phrases, Pyramids, games and stories.

Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED open and Closed Syllable CVC, CV Multi-syllable Bundle Open and Closed Syllable Bundle with words, phrases, game and story.

Word and Phrase Lists Lists icon

See Highlighting Word Lists.

Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open Syllable CV and y says /ī/ word and phrase lists Stars
Blue Heart, Green Star, Pink Plus: K-2 and interventionOpen Syllable CV y y says /ī/ list
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen Syllable CV y y says /ī/ open syllable word phrase and sentence lists

Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen and Closed Syllable CV/CVC cv cvc Lists and Identification
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC 2 syllable Read and Spell
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC The Long and Short of it!
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open Syllable CV 3 sounds of y open syllable word lists
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable -y says /ē/ list Silly
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen Syllable CV Open Syllable Nonsense List *These are possible first syllables to longer words. For example open syllable “o” is the first syllable in “open” and open syllable “pre” is the first syllable in the word “prevent.”
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open Syllable CV Mixed challenge wordlist Robot Says Hi
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC words and phrases I Prefer Rodents

Games Games Icon

Game Directions

Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open Syllable CV whole group, small group, or one-on-one game PO-TA-TO
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC word game We Will Go
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC phrase game Try the Hot Dog
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC and Dolch 1 phrase game They Said Why
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC and Dolch 1 phrase game That Man Was Mad
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC Zap
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV to CVC game He Met Me
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC/y Schwa initial Open syllables word game This Baby is Not Silent
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen and Closed Syllable CV/CVC Just For Fun Monster Design Sheet
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen Syllable CV game Tomato
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen Syllable CV game 2 Tomatoes
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Closed Multiple Syllable Nonsense words CVC/CVC/y Crazy Nonsense
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC Initial open syllable word game 2 Locate the Super Zebra
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC Initial open syllable phrases Open for Business!

Spelling Lists icon

Practice with words from the lists, games etc., or use the lists below.
* Having learners spell with word chains where the coach says “change one sound in (chop) to spell (chip), now change one sound in (chip) to spell (sip)” is a powerful way to draw student’s attention to individual sounds in the words!

Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen and Closed Syllable Spelling Word Chain Go to Men
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable Spelling CV/CVC Read and Spell

Small Books Small Books icon

Small Book: 8 page assembly directions, 4 page folding directions, OR use horizontal format for reading on screen in distance learning.

Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open Syllable CV small book We Go Go Go foldable format
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book and flashcards Get a Hit foldable format
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book I Can See horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book The Big Box foldable format
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book Who Can foldable format
Blue Heart: Beginning, grades K-1Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book She Can, He Can horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC/y Small Book Try to Fly horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC/y small book We Can Spy, Can You? horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book Get a Pet horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book This is Max horizontal and foldable formats
Blue Heart Green Star: Beginning, grades K-1 and/or Growing, Grades 1-2Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC/y small book Why Is The… foldable format
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen and Closed Syllable CV/CVC small book Who is He foldable format
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeOpen and Closed Syllable CV/CVC VCE small book Who is She foldable format
Green Star, Pink Plus: Grades 1,2 and/or intervention, challengeADVANCED Open and Closed Syllable CV/CVC 4 page multiple syllable The Concert horizontal and foldable formats

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