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Two Syllable - Closed Syllable (CVC) Words Activity

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Two Syllable - Closed Syllable (CVC) Words Activity

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Compound Words & Syllabication of 2 Closed Syllables Activity

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Compound Words & Syllabication of 2 Closed Syllables Activity

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Here you will find valuable information, games and activities to go along with Half-Pint Readers decodable books. The first eight activities listed prepare your child for reading and give specific instructions on how to teach and blend the sounds. These games and activities are great to review and practice skills.

Snuggle Up

The best way to help your child become a good reader is of course, to read to him daily. Join your local library for wonderful literature for children. Let your child see you reading, too. Turn off the TV for a reading hour each night. It's a good way to snuggle up!

Rhythm and Rhyme

Singing songs and nursery rhymes and playing clapping and rhythm games are fun ways to develop reading readiness. Try chanting silly sentences like "Hickety, Pickety Bumble Bee. Can you touch your nose for me?" Children really enjoy this type of activity. There are many inexpensive children's cassettes and videos on the market that encourage rhythm and rhyme.

I Spy

A favorite game of children is I Spy. It can be played anywhere and is a great way to pass time while stuck in traffic. You can try, "I spy something that rhymes with..." or "I spy something that begins with the same sound as.."

Phoneme Fun

Phonemes are the individual sounds that make words. Children need to be able to hear and manipulate these sounds before they can begin to read. Ask the child to count the syllables in a word...but-ter-fly...(3 sounds). Try counting individual sounds in a word...f-l-a-g...(4 sounds).

Say It Without...

Ask the child to say a word such as football. Then ask her to say it without the "foot" (ball)...without the "ball" (foot)...without the "f" (ootball). You can make it more challenging. Say plate. Ask the child to say it without the "pl" (ate)... Now say it without the "p" (late).

Sounds in Print

Phonological awareness is the next step to begin to read. Children need to understand that there are symbols (letters) to represent the sounds we speak and that these sounds blended together make up words. When teaching the child phonological awareness, refer to the letter by its sound rather than by its letter name. Referring to it by its sound is less confusing because in several cases the letter name such as "y" does not correspond to the sound it makes. The letter names can be taught later, after the sounds are learned.

Two At A Time

When teaching the sounds, use the lower case letters and introduce 2 consonant sounds at a time such as "b" and "t". This way the child can compare how they look and sound. Use small objects or picture cards to match to the sound. Next introduce the sound of short "a" with objects and picture cards.

Ready to Blend

Once the child has mastered two consonant sounds and one vowel sound, it's time to blend. Here is an effective way to teach blending. On a dry-erase board, draw three lines _ _ _. On each line print a sound: b a t . Have the child say each sound, pausing after each one: b , a , t . Repeat several times, pausing after each sound. Next connect the lines: b a t and ask the child to say the sounds again but this time by holding each sound as they move to the next. Repeat several times a little faster until the sounds are blended and the child can read the word! Try this method again using the sounds: t a b. As more sounds are learned, try blending them into new words, using the 3 line method.

Change A Sound

This activity is a terrific way to manipulate phonemes and blend them into new words. Using plastic lowercase letters, letter cards, or dry erase board, ask the child to spell a 3 letter word using the sounds he has learned. For example: bat . Ask him to change bat to cat by only taking away one sound and replacing it with another. Then change cat to cap, then cap to cop, etc.

Language Experience

Ask the child to dictate sentences while you write them on a poster. Make word cards using several words from the sentences. Ask the child to match the word card to a word on the poster and glue it on top of the word.

Guess the Word

Draw 3 lines on the magnetic wipe-off board _ _ _ and place 10 magnetic letters at the top. Ask the child to choose a sound. If that sound is in the word, place it on the correct line. If the sound is not in the word, take a banana (or some other object) from a stuffed monkey (or other animal) sitting nearby. The child tries to figure out the word before the monkey loses all of his bananas!

Concentration

Place six pairs of decodable word cards (or whatever skill you are working on) face down in a pocket chart. Child turns over two cards at a time to see if they match. Continue until all cards have been matched.

Memory

Place six sight-word cards in a row on the table. The child reads the words and places them face down. Say a word and the child must find it from memory.

What's Missing?

Print 5 decodable words on a dry-erase board. Turn it around so the child cannot see them and erase one word. Show the board to the child again and he must say what word is missing.

Cloze Exercise

Print 5 sentences on a magnetic dry-erase board with one word missing from each sentence represented by a blank line. Display 5 magnetic word cards. The child must fill in the blanks with a word that makes sense.

Musical Words

Place word cards in a large circle on the carpet. Start the music and students will slowly walk around the circle. Stop the music and each student will stand by a card. The teacher says 2 words. Children standing by those words will sit in the middle. Continue the game and the next two children will change places with those in the middle so no one is "out" for long.

Find the Word First

Place a row of word cards face up in the middle of the carpet. Have two teams each sit in a row on both sides of the word cards. (about 6 feet back)

The teacher says a word. One player from each team tries to find the word first and puts it in their team's basket. The team with the most cards wins.

Bonus Basket Game

Divide the class into two teams. Show a word to the player on the first team. If the student reads it correctly, her team gets a point. Then the child will throw the ball in the basket. If the ball goes in, she scores an extra point for her team!

Word Bingo

List 10 words (decodable or sight words) on the board or place them in a pocket chart. Tell the children to print their five favorite words in the spaces on their bingo card. Play bingo by showing or saying the words from the word list.

Mystery Word

Place a mystery word or object under a stuffed animal or in a mystery box. Place word cards face down on the carpet. Each child chooses a word and reads it to the class and keeps the card. When all children have had a turn, look at the mystery word and see who has the word or object that matches it.

Roll a Word

Use phonics dice to roll out a consonant, a vowel and another consonant. Sound out the word and write it.

Tactile Print

Spread peanut butter (or shaving cream, chocolate syrup, pudding, icing, birdseed, etc.) on a table or plate. Tell the child to write a word in the texture, using one finger. Check to see if it is correct, erase with one finger and spell the next word.

Big Books

Work with the class to write sentences on large white construction paper. Then have the children work in small groups to illustrate each page. Staple and read it to the class.

Cross the Swamp (or desert, forest, etc.)

Place several hula-hoops and stuffed alligators, birds, etc. on the carpet to look like a swamp. Place word cards at the edge of the swamp. Say a word and the child will write it on a dry-erase board. Then the child can cross the swamp to find that word card by stepping in the hula-hoops.

Moveable Alphabet

Give partners several letters from a moveable alphabet including a vowel. Let them manipulate the letters to make words and list them on a dry-erase board. See who has the longest list.

Scavenger Hunt

Hide picture cards or objects around the room. Give partners a word list and small basket or bag to collect the things on their list. See who can cross off their entire list.

Memory List

Show 10 pictures in a pocket chart and name them. Then turn the cards over. Students can work in small groups to list as many items as they can remember.

Missing Letter

Give each small group a basket of 8 plastic letters from the moveable alphabet. Write a word on the chalkboard but leave out a letter... ch_p . Say, "I want that word to say chip." The first child from each group brings the teacher the correct letter. Continue until all letters have been used.

Word Wall Chant

Give children word cards to match to words on the word wall. When matched, everyone chants the spelling. "b-a-t spells bat."

Compare a Word

Choose a volunteer to point to and read a new word that has been added to the word wall such as "hop". Compare "hop" to other words. "It has 3 letters like.... It begins like.... It ends like....

Word Wall Rhymes

Find words that rhyme with "sit". Find words that rhyme with "nut". Etc.

Partner Spelling

Have partners choose a word from the word wall for each other to spell on the dry-erase board. Have them check each other to see if they are correct.

Find a Word

Ask children to point to words that begin with "b...t...c...etc." Find words that end with "ing" "all" or "s" etc.

Sound Toss

Make 6 columns on the chalkboard and label each with a sound that is on a phonics dice. Child rolls a sound and records it in the correct column. Watch the columns grow!

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Reading Games | Half-Pint Kids Decodable Books

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Information, games and activities to go along with Half-Pint Readers decodable books to review and practice reading skills.

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Online decodable books

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Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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Click on on any book cover below to begin reading, or use the Menu to navigate.

Use the book's homework button to open a downloadable homework packet.

Use the book's SMART Board button to download SMART Board files that are designed to assist you in the delivery of Flyleaf's Foundational Skill and Close Reading Guide instruction.

*Foundational Skills Guides and Close Reading Guides are sold separately and are not available as online resources. Visit flyleafpublishing.com for details about our instructional guides. **If you do not currently have access to SMART Notebook software, you can download it here: SMART Notebook.

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For Instructors - Flyleaf Publishing - Online Materials Portal

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Online Materials PortalFor Instructors Click on on any book cover below to begin reading, or use the Menu to navigate. Use the book's homework button to open a downloadable homework packet. Use the book's SMART Board button to download SMART Board files that are designed to assist you in the delivery of Flyleaf's Foundational Skill and Close Reading Guide instruction.

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All texts currently on this website were created to support various versions of Focus on Early Learning, the PK through second grade curriculum of the Boston Public Schools. These texts were specifically written and illustrated to be culturally relevant and empowering to children in Boston.

Who should use Beyond Decodables?

Beyond Decodables are best for children working on applying phonics skills to decode words (K-2nd). Check the scope and sequence and the back page of each book to see if it is right for your students. Parents, you can use these books, too! Our Parent Guide is coming soon!

When during the day should I use Beyond Decodables?

Beyond Decodables are meant for small group and independent reading. Remember, the goal is for children to actively decode the words in these books, so you need to give them the chance to individually encounter and decode each word. For children who may need more support, we recommend considering using a different text or echo reading. Check out our lesson templates to see how to teach using these texts.

What do I need to change about my reading instruction to use Beyond Decodables?

There are a few ways your teaching might need to change to get the most out of these books. First, focus at least some small group reading lessons on applying phonics to read words in texts by following our templates and using Beyond Decodables. Second, change your prompting to focus on "Look at the word" and "Slide through each sound" instead of "Check the picture." Third, consider a new way of evaluating children's reading, like Drs. Nell K. Duke, Alessandra E. Ward, and Rachel Klingelhofer's Listening to Reading Protocol (available on Dr. Nell K. Duke's website). All of this and more in my new book, Reading Above the Fray. Find it everywhere books are sold.

Text are all about animals, their features, and their habitats.

*We also include consonant digraphs and suffix -s ending.

Texts are about economics, innovations, and inventors (and other persistent characters)

Also includes the beginning of the text series, Genius Gia, following one main character, Gia, as she learns about light, sound, and scientists/innovators

Texts are about innovations and inventors

Also includes two text series:

Genius Gia texts follow one main character, Gia, as she learns about light, sound, and scientists/innovators

The Magic Compass texts (digital/print is the same pdf) follow two siblings using a compass to navigate in their neighborhood

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Free Kids Books with Decodable Words | Beyond Decodables | Teacher Resources

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Beyond Decodables provides access to free kids books online with a focus on phonics and diversity. Kids books include decodable words related to CVC words, consonant diagraphs, CVCe Words, Multisyllabic Words, Consonant Blends, and Long Vowel Patterns.

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Congratulations! You are embarking on the most amazing journey! You are helping a child learn to read! Whether you are a librarian, parent, caregiver or someone who loves to help children read, we hope this program enables you to support young or struggling readers. Beginning Reading Instruction (BRI)/ Advanced Reading Instruction (ARI) is a highly researched, and simple reading program that helps children learn to decode. Anyone can use this program to work with a child.

About this Program

BRI is based on research funded by the United States Government to develop the optimal sequence of sounds, words, practice, and pacing for teaching children to read. The instruction was used in kindergarten classes across the United States, with a series of national studies demonstrating that the program successfully taught thousands of pre-school children to read. Researchers also tested the program extensively to verify its effectiveness in teaching young children to read.

A follow-up study found that young children who had learned to read in Kindergarten maintained their reading advantage through high school. This extensive research and evaluation account for the effectiveness of this program. No other reading series since has been so scientifically and carefully developed.

How We Support You

The first step in this program is to read through the brief guide. The guide, along with the three sets of books, and the booster set (extra practice) are all you need to begin teaching a child to read. Additional materials, such as tests to make sure a child has mastered the skills after they complete each set, and ways to keep track of progress are included.

Download your guide here!

Download assessment forms for BRI to test mastery of skills after each set of books.

Download forms to keep track of the books you complete within each set.

Beginning Reading Instruction eBooks
Beginning Reading Instruction-Set 1 Beginning Reading Instruction-Set 2 Beginning Reading Instruction-Set 3 Beginning Reading Instruction-Booster Set
Advanced Reading Instruction eBooks
Advanced Reading Instruction-Set 1 Advanced Reading Instruction-Set 2 Advanced Reading Instruction-Set 3 Advanced Reading Instruction-Booster Set 1 Advanced Reading Instruction-Booster Set 2

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Beginning Reading Instruction - Teach My Kid To Read

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Congratulations! You are embarking on the most amazing journey! You are helping a child learn to read! Whether you are a librarian, parent, caregiver or someone who loves to help children read, we hope this program enables you to support young or struggling readers. Beginning Reading Instruction (BRI)/Advanced Reading Instruction (ARI) is a highly researched,...

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If you want hard copies of the books for your students and your school cannot afford to buy them, many teachers have written grants to obtain them, asked their PTO for help or used websites such as Donors Choose who buy materials for classrooms. It is unlawful to copy the books!

Please know that these digital books show up best on computers or iPad and tablets rather than phones.

In addition, you will see that I have listed the skills that children need to learn, BEFORE reading each set of books. Each book builds upon the skills from previous books so the books should be presented in sequence. An explicit, systematic, sequential and cumulative approach to teaching reading is the Science of Reading!

I have also included links to the FREE Teaching Guides, Activity Pages and Literacy Centers. You have permission to download and print these supplemental resources but you do not have permission to change the content and/or resell them.

Thank you and happy reading!

LuAnn Santillo, Author

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Online Materials Portal - Half Pint Kids Decodable Books

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If you want hard copies of the books for your students and your school cannot afford to buy them, many teachers have written grants to obtain them, asked their PTO for help or used websites such as Donors Choose who buy materials for classrooms. It is unlawful to copy the books!

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Download Curriculum - Core Knowledge Foundation

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Get free Core Knowledge materials filtered by subject and grade level. It’s as simple as selecting a title, submitting your email, and downloading the file.

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Printable & online books

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About the cover artist

Elizabeth Close is an Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara language groups in the APY Lands in outback South Australia. She was born in Adelaide and spent much of her upbringing in remote communities, learning her language and receiving cultural education.

'This artwork represents the literacy and numeracy learning journey, and the path towards independent learning. The circles represent the collaborative learning and supports around children with specific learning difficulties, including children, schools, families, SPELD SA and others.'  Elizabeth Close, Artist.
Click here for printing tips

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About the cover artist Elizabeth Close is an Anangu woman from the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara language groups in the APY Lands in outback South Australia. She was born in Adelaide and spent much of her upbringing in remote communities, learning her language and receiving cultural education.

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Activity ideas begin on page 13. Could use ideas from activities to reinforce concepts students are learning.

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Activity ideas begin on page 13. Could use ideas to reinforce concepts students are learning.

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Activity ideas begin on page 13. Could use ideas from activities to reinforce concepts students are learning.

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Half-Pint Books worksheets for Levels A, B, & C

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Half-Pint Books worksheets for Levels A, B, & C

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Free Printable Activity Worksheets to practice reading skills for each Half-Pint beginning reader book!

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Get 30 CVC word sentences organized by short vowels for focused phonics practice. We also include 5 printable read and match worksheets, each with 6 decodable sentences to match to the accompanying bright pictures.

📖 Decodable Sentences

All the words used within these sentences follow predictable CVC patterns and include high-frequency words.

Decodable sentences need to make sense, but many resources focus solely on phonics. But when the focus is only on the phonics features or spelling concepts, meaning sometimes gets left by the wayside.

Don't get me wrong, using nonsense words is very important; I use them all the time in isolation! But sentences cannot be nonsense; they must make sense! That's the whole point of reading, right?

Short A CVC Sentences

The can has ham on it.

Dan sees a fat bat.

The cat can pat a rat.

A cab can be a van.

Pam had a cap and a bag.

Sam sat on his dad's lap.

📝 Practice Worksheets

We love these worksheets because the sentences actually make sense and carry meaning while also encouraging children to practice decoding CVC words with short vowel sounds.

The pdfs are designed so children have to read the sentences without relying on picture support. The pictures are used to encourage self-monitoring.

✂️ What You Need

Grab your scissors and a glue stick! That's all your kiddos will need to complete this focused phonics practice.

ℹ️ Tips & Info

Age Group: These worksheets are great for kindergarten and first grade students!

Children need to have the skills required to complete this activity. The ability to read sentences takes more stamina than reading isolated words. Kids need to have a strong grasp on all letter sounds from a-z, as well as the ability to blend 3 phonemes.

Lots of explicit instruction and teacher modeling focused on blending should be done prior to using these worksheets.

How to use the worksheets: They can be used in a variety of ways - independently, in a small group, or even as a whole group activity.

If used for independent practice, the worksheets ensure that kids are held accountable for their work. When looking at the finished product, you'll know instantly whether your students are able to read and make meaning from the sentences. If the pictures match the sentences, then you know your students got it. If not, they'll need more practice with these decodable sentences in a small group or one-on-one setting.

Tip: Glue or staple the worksheets into your students' notebooks and they can practice rereading the sentences fluently, listening for the short vowel-focused sound. These decodable sentences may be the first step on the journey to becoming fluent readers!

Download & Print

Are you using these worksheets? We'd love to hear about your experience!
Leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @literacylearn.

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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CVC Sentences with Read & Match Worksheets - Literacy Learn

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Get 30 CVC word sentences organized by short vowels for focused phonics practice. We also include 5 printable read and match worksheets, each with 6 decodable sentences to match to the accompanying bright pictures. 📖 Decodable Sentences All the words used within these sentences follow predictable CVC patterns and include high-frequency words.

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Here are 8 comprehensive lists of words with consonant digraphs, including examples with digraphs SH, TH, CH, WH, CK, and PH. These FREE printable pdfs are arranged by digraph in easy-to-read and organized lists for a variety of uses! Digraph Definition Simply put, a digraph is two letters that represent one sound. More often it's...

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161 Consonant Digraph Words and Examples - Literacy Learn

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Here are 8 comprehensive lists of words with consonant digraphs, including examples with digraphs SH, TH, CH, WH, CK, and PH. These FREE printable pdfs are arranged by digraph in easy-to-read and organized lists for a variety of uses! Digraph Definition Simply put, a digraph is two letters that represent one sound.

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Information & Activities to teach Closed Syllables

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Information & Activities to teach Closed Syllables

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What are Closed Syllables & How to Teach Them - Literacy Learn

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What are closed syllables? Learn what closed syllables are, how to teach them, & get 3 free printable worksheets!

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words are essential for teaching children to decode, or read, unknown words. These printable CVC word flashcards feature colorful imagery and easy to identify middle vowel sounds for practice. Print the free flashcards to use for self practice or as a fun matching game!

Printable Flashcards

Once children begin to recognize a few letters and memorize their sounds, you should begin teaching and modeling reading CVC words. Children should begin practicing this skill with assistance and then move to independent practice. This is a foundational reading skill children should master quickly using these short, easily read words!

And these free printable CVC word flashcards are excellent practice for students learning to read! They can be used a few ways- as flashcards for self-practice reading simple word, OR as a fun matching game!

The flashcards are separated by middle letter sound and feature bright, colorful, and easy to identify images.

To dig deeper, print only the pictures at first and have children spell the words on blank flashcards. Children can match them up or glue them next to each other on a separate piece of paper. Then, provide them with the word cards and have them 'match' them up to see how they did!

Age Group: These flashcards are most appropriate for young readers ages 4-6, usually in pre-K, Kindergarten, or first grade.

You may also like: CH Diagraph Worksheets.

Teaching CVC Words

CVC words should be used to introduce the important skill of blending individual phonemes to read words.

You can begin with nonsense words (use whatever consonant and vowel sounds children know already) and integrate real words too! Children should say each individual sound (segment), then stretch the sounds together (blend), and then quickly read the word.

👉 Example: /m/ /a/ /t/ -> mmmmmm aaaaaaaa t -> mat

Since vowels sounds are usually very difficult for students to master (especially the tricky /e/ and /i/), I like to make sure to teach one or two vowel sounds at a time until students have them mastered.

To reinforce the vowel sounds I've taught, I use only CVC words with those specific vowels. That is why I've designed and organized these free CVC worksheets by vowel sound.

So, if you've only taught letters 'o' and 'a,' you can easily use only words with those sounds. As you teach additional vowel sounds, you can then print and add more flashcards for targeted practice.

Once all vowel sounds are taught, children can use all the flashcards for sorting practice! Since they are all CVC words, the way to sort these would be by vowel sounds. After they sort and read the words, they can match the words to the corresponding pictures.

👉 It's important to note that all CVC words are closed syllables, meaning that the vowels will say the short sound because they are 'closed in' by a consonant. Using nonsense words allows the teacher to see if students are mastering their letters and sounds because there is no room for guessing.

Example: If you present children with the nonsense word 'tez,' and they pronounce it 'tease,' then you know that they don't recognize closed syllables since they aren't applying the short sound of e. This would be something you would explicitly re-teach, model, and practice together.

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CVC Word Flashcards with Pictures - Free Printables - Literacy Learn

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CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words are essential for teaching children to decode, or read, unknown words. These printable CVC word flashcards feature colorful imagery and easy to identify middle vowel sounds for practice. Print the free flashcards to use for self practice or as a fun matching game!

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Article on using decodable readers and which companies have the "best" decodable reader text.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Decodable books are a great support in structured literacy instruction. Decodable readers provide specific reinforcement of the explicit phonics skills taught, but they do so in an authentic and engaging way for children. In this post, we'll explore the importance of using decodable readers and compile a list of the best decodable texts out there.

Decodable Books - Why Use Them? 👩‍🏫

Phonics should be taught systematically and explicitly. Most experts are finally agreeing on this, and we now see the reading trend moving toward a Science of Reading approach.

According to The Orton Gillingham Academy, the "approach is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive way to teach literacy when reading, writing, and spelling."

Decodable texts support this methodology. Sets of decodable books begin with basic and predictable patterns, with many focusing on simple sentences comprised of CVC words or words with digraphs and a few irregular sight words. The texts then progress with added skills, becoming more complex to include words with consonant blends, VCe words, vowel teams, and multisyllabic words.

We use decodable texts so that kids can apply the knowledge they've been taught by decoding words. They also ensure children spiral back to reinforce previously taught skills and rules.

Fluency and Comprehension

Decodable readers to build fluency and enforce comprehension while building upon specific phonetic elements. It gives teachers an opportunity to teach research-based reading strategies, aligned with the Science of Reading (SOR).

Comprehension is the ultimate goal of reading. And decodable texts allow students to begin to experience success as they decode unknown words. They begin to find joy in reading independently and comprehending texts.

Heggerty Frog Series

Best Decodable Readers List 📚

Below are the options available for decodable readers. Many publishers are now seeing the benefits and deciding to publish their own. The list will continue growing, so keep checking back for updates!

IMSE Decodable Reader (From Set 2)

Heggerty Toucan Series

Heggerty

Frog Series (Grades K-1) & Toucan Series (Grades 2-4). These are bright, beautiful, and engaging books that are brand new in 2022.

If you're a reading specialist or sped teacher, I would not suggest these books due to higher word count and text complexity. They'd work best for homeschooling or for classroom teachers working with students on or above grade level.

Raz-Plus Phonics Lessons & Decodable Texts

A yearly subscription is required, but with that is included decodable books for grades K-2 and decodable passages for grades 3-5. You can use these resources digitally or print the books and assemble them.

High Noon

These sets are high-interest books that come in both fiction and non-fiction. In addition, to beginner sound-it-out books, they also offer phonics-based chapter books focusing on various higher-level phonetic skills.

Flyleaf

I do not have paper copies of these decodable books, but I have used their free online resources over the past year or so.

The texts are designed for pre-k through 3rd grade, and their website states that they "provide beginning and struggling readers with abundant opportunities to transfer their newly acquired phonics knowledge to meaningful, engaging, and complex narratives, informational texts, and poetry."

Bob Books

An oldie, but a goodie! Parents love these affordable books, and many public libraries carry them too!

Tips & Info

👉 Many decodable books are now available with pdf download on TPT! Be sure to check out the reviews and make sure the creators are aligned and trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach and aligned with the Science of Reading (SOR).

👉 Many sets of decodable readers only include 1-2 books per phonics skill. Because kids often need practice with more than 1-2 books per skill before moving on, a compilation of various sets from different publishers is usually necessary. Repeated opportunities within decodable texts are necessary for students to achieve success, especially those with reading disabilities.

Related Posts

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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Decoding Texts: Using The Best Decodable Readers in 2022 - Literacy Learn

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Decodable books are a great support in structured literacy instruction. Decodable readers provide specific reinforcement of the explicit phonics skills taught, but they do so in an authentic and engaging way for children. In this post, we'll explore the importance of using decodable readers and compile a list of the best decodable texts out there.

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This list includes 64 words with open syllables, organized in an easy-to-read chart. They're listed in four categories: Nonsense syllables, 1 syllable words, 2 syllable words, and 3 syllable words. Get the free printable below!

About

This printable open syllables list is great for dictation, independent practice, and more, as students learn all about open syllables!

👉 Open Syllable Definition: An open syllable is a syllable that ends in a vowel. The vowel will always be a long vowel and say its name.

Many words include open syllables, so it is necessary to teach children about open syllables as they become proficient readers.

You should teach open syllables along with or right after you have taught closed syllables.

📚 Educational Focus: Ideally, you want to introduce these concepts beginning in 1st grade. But if you're new to SOR (Science of Reading) and work with kids who are still struggling to read multisyllabic words, you'll want to teach open and closed syllables as soon as possible!

Open Syllable Words

Many multisyllabic words are made up of syllables that would be nonsense on their own.

Think of the word It begins with the open syllable . This is nonsense on its own, but makes sense when added to the closed syllable . Together, they make sense and form a real word. When teaching open syllables, you need to include nonsense syllables so children get familiar with this idea.

Open Syllable Nonsense Words

The Words

It's sometimes difficult to find a comprehensive list of open syllables and 1, 2, and 3 syllable words with open syllables. So here is it as a free PDF worksheet with easy download!

Some examples from the worksheet are:

Using the Printable

You can use this open syllable word list for practice in so many ways!

1. Use the words to model and practice marking open and closed syllables.

2. Dictate the words or syllables to see if children can correctly spell and identify the long vowel sounds.

3. Glue or staple in students' phonics notebooks and have them practice reading and re-reading for fluency, focusing on the long vowel sounds.

4. Create your own sorts using the syllables and words. Cut the words and ask your student to sort them according to nonsense, one, two, and three syllable words!

However you choose to use this list, be sure you provide lots of opportunities for practice! And check out all our syllables resources for more information and resources on syllables.

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64+ Open Syllable Words & Word List - Literacy Learn

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This list includes 64 words with open syllables, organized in an easy-to-read chart. They're listed in four categories: Nonsense syllables, 1 syllable words, 2 syllable words, and 3 syllable words. Get the free printable below! About This printable open syllables list is great for dictation, independent practice, and more, as students learn all about open syllables!

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Practice to differentiate between Closed & Open syllables

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Practice to differentiate between Closed & Open syllables

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Let's explore everything you need to know about open and closed syllables! Included are definitions, examples, how to teach them, and three free PDF worksheets designed to practice the skills needed to master open and closed syllables.

Definitions

Closed syllables have a vowel that is closed in by a consonant, making the vowel say its short sound. The word ' cat ' is an example of a closed syllable.

Open syllables end in a long vowel. The vowel will always say its name. The word ' me ' is an example open syllable.

Many multisyllabic words include both open and closed syllables. Some examples are recap, solo, iris, music, and event.

Broken down it looks like this:

Teaching open and closed syllables together or one directly after the next makes sense. These are the two most basic syllable types in English words. Kids need to know both of these syllable types in order to read longer, multisyllabic words.

How to Teach Open & Closed Syllables

Background Knowledge - It is important kids learn the definitions of concepts and terms like vowel, consonant, short vowel, long vowel, and syllable.

Repeated Exposure - Children need lots of practice working with closed and open syllables and be able to differentiate and flex between the two types. Our free PDF worksheets are great for this!

Closed Syllables - Use CVC words to teach closed syllables. Kids are usually very familiar with CVC words and already understand that CVC words have short vowels. Now, just teach them the term 'closed syllable' since there is only one vowel and the consonant closes in the vowel.

Open Syllables - Use one-syllable words ending in a long vowel sound to teach this. Words like me, by, we, she, and hi are great examples. They follow the CV pattern, ending in a long vowel. Teach them the term 'open syllable' since the vowel does not have a consonant closing it in.

🖍 Marking Syllables

There are a lot of steps to think through when identifying and reading syllables, so it's important to teach kids a procedure for marking syllables.

Here's how I teach my students:

1. Find the vowels. Underneath each vowel, write "V."

2. Find the consonants. Undernearth each consonsant, write "C."

3. Swoop the syllable.

4. Under the swoop, mark the syllable with a "C" if closed or "O" if open.

5. Go to the top of the word and mark the vowel with the long (macron) or short symbol (breve).

6. Use finger tapping to say each sound, and then blend the sounds together to read the syllable.

📝 Practice with Activities & Printables

Kids will need lots of practice with open and closed syllables, and these three worksheets are perfect for that!

We use mostly nonsense syllables (so kids can't rely on words or word parts they already know.) If children can read nonsense syllables correctly, then you'll know they firmly understand the concepts.

For all of these worksheets, make sure kids are marking the syllables before completing the activity. Then ask them to read the syllables aloud, making sure they read them with the correct vowel sound.

1. Syllable Sort
Cut out the syllables and sort them under the open or closed door.

2. Syllable Practice
Draw a line to the correct door. If it's an open syllable, draw the line to the open door. If a closed syllable, draw a line to the closed door.

3. Syllable Coloring
Each syllable is written inside a pencil. Kids color the open syllables orange and the closed syllables green.

👉 Tip: To go deeper with any of these worksheets, have your students identify the nonsense syllables vs. real words!

Educational Focus: These resources are perfect for 1st & 2nd grade students. But use them with any children beginning to learn syllable types and syllable division, no matter what age!

Related Posts

Learn more about syllables or explore these posts:

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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All About Open and Closed Syllables (3 Free Worksheets) - Literacy Learn

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Let's explore everything you need to know about open and closed syllables! Included are definitions, examples, how to teach them, and three free PDF worksheets designed to practice the skills needed to master open and closed syllables. Definitions Closed syllables have a vowel that is closed in by a consonant, making the vowel say its short sound.

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Get 7 free and printable worksheets to help teach kids all about the digraph sh. Students practice identifying and writing the letters, making the /sh/ sound, discriminations initial and final /sh/ sounds, and more, all using the 7 different pdfs worksheets.

What is a Digraph?

A digraph is simply a fancy-schmancy name for two letters that make one sound together. The most common and thus most important digraphs to teach early readers are ch, th, wh, ph, and sh.

When are students ready to learn digraphs? The goal is to help students build to be able to read longer words at higher grade levels. So once they master some earlier literacy concepts like closed syllables and cvc words, they're ready to move on to digraphs.

👉 Note: When you teach the sh digraph, remember to touch on the ch digraph, so that children can learn to differentiate the letters and distinguish the sounds.

They need to use visual and auditory and visual discrimination because the two digraphs both look alike and sound alike. It will take some practice, and these worksheets include some helpful exercises.
Using these worksheets:

Children will learn about the sh sound, recognize it in print, practice tracing and writing the letters, identify words that begin and end with the sh digraph, and differentiate it from the ch digraph.

The SH Worksheets

SH Word Coloring: Students color in pictures that begin with the /sh/ sound. For extra practice, have students say each word aloud while they color.

SH Tracing Practice: Students practice tracing and writing the letters s and h.

Initial & Final /sh/ Sounds: Students will find pictures that begin and end with the /sh/ sound, then finish write in the words in the spaces provided.

Shells on Shore: Students continue practicing visual discrimination by finding the sh shells among other digraphs, then cut those out and paste them on the sea shore.

SH Picture Match: Students will match the sh digraph to the word that begins with the proper /sh/ sound, combining visual and auditory discrimination skills.

SH or CH: Students practice auditory discrimination as they learn to distinguish between the similar /ch/ and /sh/ sounds.

SH Digraph Hunt: Students practice visual discrimination as they search for the letters s and h together, hidden among other digraphs.

Age Group

These worksheets were designed for students in Kindergarten and 1st grade.

Download the Worksheets

Be sure to leave a comment below and tell us what you think of the worksheets, or tag us on Instagram @literacylearn!

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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7 SH Worksheets for Digraph Learning - Literacy Learn

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Get 7 free and printable worksheets to help teach kids all about the digraph sh. Students practice identifying and writing the letters, making the /sh/ sound, discriminations initial and final /sh/ sounds, and more, all using the 7 different pdfs worksheets. What is a Digraph?

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These 7 free printable ch word worksheets will help teach children all about the digraph ch. Children will practice making the ch sound, identifying words that contain the ch sound, and more using all the different pdf worksheets!

You may also like: Printable Phonetic Flashcards, Snowball Word Building Activity.

What is a Digraph?

A digraph is just a fancy name for two letters that make one new sound. The ones you'll see most often are sh, th, wh, and of course, ch, which is what we're talking about today.

Why are Digraphs important?

Digraphs are important building blocks for early literacy! But there's no need to overcomplicate things.

Digraphs build on other important early literacy concepts like learning closed syllables and cvc words, so that students can begin reading longer, more complex words.

It's important to teach the ch digraph while touching on the sh digraph, so that children can learn to differentiate the letters and distinguish the sounds. These worksheets include practice exercises to assist with that concept.

Printable Worksheets

Digraph Hunt: Children will find the c and h together among other digraphs, practicing visual discrimination.

CH or SH: This worksheet focuses on distinguishing the ch and sh sounds, for auditory discrimination practice.

CH Matching: Children will match the ch to the word that begins with the proper sound, combining visual and auditory discrimination.

Cherry Picking: Cherries with the ch digraph will be cut out and pasted on the tree.

Tracing Practice: Children will practice tracing and writing the digraph.

Choo Choo CH words: Easy to identify pictures that begin with the ch sound will be cut out and pasted on the train cars.

CH word Coloring: Children will find and color the pictures that begin with the ch sound, practicing auditory discrimination,.

Educational Focus

Children will learn about the ch sound, recognize words that contain the digraph, and differentiate it from sh.

Children will practice tracing and writing the letters.

Age Group

These worksheets are suitable for Kindergarten and Grade 1.

Related Posts

We love to see our worksheets in the wild! Take a photo and tag us on @literacylearn. And be sure to follow us on Pinterest for more helpful educational resources!

👉 Download the free CH Digraph Worksheets!

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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7 CH Worksheets for Digraph Learning - Literacy Learn

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These 7 free printable ch word worksheets will help teach children all about the digraph ch. Children will practice making the ch sound, identifying words that contain the ch sound, and more using all the different pdf worksheets! You may also like: Printable Phonetic Flashcards, Snowball Word Building Activity.

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Teaching Magic "e" syllable type is in the 1st grade scope & sequence, however, you may have advanced readers who are ready to learn the concept of Magic "e" while in kindergarten. Here is a resource that provides information and activities on the concept of Magic "e"

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This exhaustive free printable list of Silent E words comes with seven picture matching worksheets for targeted individual or group practice. All the words follow the VCe pattern ( Vowel- Consonant- e) and are sorted according to vowel, allowing for reading and dictation practice.

Matching pictures are included to help support readers as they begin to understand the important job of the Silent e!

What's a VCe Word?

VCe stands for Vowel- Consonant- e, so these are words that follow this specific pattern at the end of the word. They can also be called magic e, silent e, or bossy e.

They contain long vowel sounds that students should learn to recognize as being caused by the e.

Students should practice explicitly noticing patterns in these words, so they can practice marking and labeling VCe words, or matching them as they do here!

Educational Focus: The Silent e word list and worksheets are excellent to use with kids in 1st through 3rd grade!

Teaching VCe Words

After children have a solid grasp on CVC words and short vowels, they are ready to learn about long vowels.

And students should know what long vowels are. So I recommend practicing and repeating this jingle, tapping each word on the table as we say, "Long Vowels Say Their Name."

The first pattern I introduce for long vowels is the VCe pattern, since this is the most prevalent.

I usually introduce this concept using the word "like" since this is a high frequency sight word that my students already know.

By finger tapping each sound, I show my students how the "i" doesn't say /ĭ/. Instead, it says its name: /ī/. As I continue finger tapping, I show that the /k/ is the last sound I hear.

How strange that I don't hear any sound when I get to the letter 'e.' Why is that? And that's when I teach about the very important job of the Silent e!

Word List

The first sheet included in this bundle is a comprehensive list offers 75 VCe words, organized by vowel. Included next to each word is a corresponding picture. You can use this list in a variety of ways:

1. Anchor Chart
Print a large copy and use as an anchor chart in your classroom. Hang it on your sound wall for further reinforcement.

2. Reading Fluency
Print individual copies for students to glue into their notebooks. Students can practice reading fluency by reading the words down the columns, making sure they hear the long vowel sound in each word. For example, if they're reading down the /ō/ column, they should clearly hear an /ō/ in every word they say. Self-monitoring is important here because kids must ensure they're matching the words they say with the pictures they see.

3. Dictation
Teachers can use as a quick resource for word dictation practice. The teacher calls out a word and students write the word in notebooks or on whiteboards. You can easily check to see if the concept is transferring to spelling.

4. Vocabulary
Students may not know all of the words included in these resources, and that's okay! We always want to connect words with meaning. Once they know the VCe rule, children can be confident that they're reading the words correctly. For example, when they know the rule: o consonant e says /ō/, then they can be sure they're pronouncing the word 'woke' correctly when they read it. However, they may not know the meaning of the word. The pictures help with that!

Picture Match (7 Pages)

The seven worksheets include words and pictures and are organized by vowels, with one worksheet focused on each of the five vowels for focused instruction.

I usually introduce the concept of VCe with all vowels at once, and then spend a few days practicing each long vowel individually. These worksheets are perfect for that!

Then, there are two worksheets that include all vowels for mixed practice.

Download & Print

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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75+ Silent E Words List & Picture Match Worksheets - Literacy Learn

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This exhaustive free printable list of Silent E words comes with seven picture matching worksheets for targeted individual or group practice. All the words follow the VCe pattern (Vowel-Consonant-e) and are sorted according to vowel, allowing for reading and dictation practice.

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Get these 3 printable Magic Wand worksheets for students to better understand and practice Silent E. Students will cut out the letter E magic wand, then explore its power to change the middle vowel sound in words!

🪄 Why We Love It

In my classroom, I always talk about the Silent E being magical, because it has the power to make the vowel say its name!

And there's no better way to reinforce that than this exercise, featuring 3 free magic wand worksheets for Silent E practice. Students get their very own letter E magic wand to change words right before their eyes!

Using the magic wand, words completely change, both in the way they sound and their meaning.
Magic E Practice Examples:

kit → kite

cop → cope

bit → bite

tap → tape

✨ Using the Worksheets

1. Cut out the mini magic wand. If your students want to have a little extra fun, they can color it first!

2. Read the first word on the list.

3. Place the magic wand at the end of the word, then read it again.

4. Repeat until you've changed every word on the worksheet.

Tips & Info

Really exaggerate and point out the way the middle vowel changes sounds from short to long once the magic happens.

Allow kids to do this activity in front of other students! It builds confidence, it's great practice, and it's so fun!

Years ago I found a magician's top hat. 🎩 I pull it out when using these printables and everyone wants a turn reading aloud as they act as a real magician!

Related Posts

Download & Print

We'd love to hear about your experience with these worksheets!
Please leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @literacylearn.

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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Magic Wand Silent E Worksheets - Literacy Learn

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Get these 3 printable Magic Wand worksheets for students to better understand and practice Silent E. Students will cut out the letter E magic wand, then explore its power to change the middle vowel sound in words!

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This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

Learn the difference between short and long vowels, when to teach these sounds, and the rules for these sounds. For extra classrooom help, print the two free vowel anchor charts, with capital and lowercase letters and bright pictures to teach the long and short vowel sounds!

Teaching Long & Short Vowels

Of the 26 letters in the English alphabet, the letters a, e, i, o, and u are vowels. The other 21 letters are consonants.

Every English word MUST include at least one vowel. That's why knowing vowel sounds is so important when it comes to reading!

Children need to be introduced to these academic terms as early as pre-k, and they should leave kindergarten able to quickly and easily identify vowels and consonants in words.

This will be key as they begin progressing and coding words throughout elementary school!

Short Vowel Sounds

Short vowels are taught along with other letter sounds. Begin teaching short vowel sounds in pre-k and continue teaching them throughout all of kindergarten and the beginning of first grade.

👉 Rule: When there is one vowel in a word, either at the beginning or between two consonants, it usually has a short vowel sound.

Examples

Short A word examples: cat, map, hat, an, flag, bam, rat, fad, had, wag, jab, pan, chap, ram

Short E word examples: leg, leg, pet, slef, hen, men, Zed, net, web, wed, west, hem, fed

Short I word examples: is, in, lip, rim, lip, slid, pin, lick, lob, fin, thin, Tim, pin, fig, fit, hip, hit, whip

Short O word examples: on, not, log, off, blog, mop, Tom, nod, slop, fox, fog, flop, hog, hop frog

Short U word examples: up, ugly, mug, mud, lug, slum, fun, slug, rug, pup, slub, hug, hum, jug, jot

Long Vowel Sounds

Long vowels are usually taught after the first few months of first grade.

Students should have a firm command reading words with short vowels, digraphs, consonant blends, and closed syllables before long vowels are introduced. They'll continue learning long vowel spellings throughout the next few years of elementary school.

👉 Rule: Long vowels say their name.

Long vowel sounds can be heard at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Long vowels can be spelled with a silent e (VCe pattern), a vowel team, or in an open syllable.

👉 Although there are many different long vowel spellings, I focus heavily on the ones we find most frequently in text, marked with an asterisk (*) below!

👉 Tip: Do not teach all of the spellings above at one time. Instead, follow a systematic approach for teaching all of the spellings listed above. Work on one spelling pattern at a time until students have mastered it, then move on.

If you don't know where to start, the Recipe for Reading book helps parents and teachers practically implement Orton Gillingham methodology with students.

Printable Anchor Charts

To help teach these concepts to kids, print both of the two free posters that can be used as anchor charts. One is focused on short vowel sounds and the other is focused on long vowel sounds.

The posters are designed to help promote both uppercase and lowercase recognition for each of the five vowels.

Each poster includes a bright picture that matches the keyword and includes the vowel sound.

Both posters use words where the vowel sounds are found at the beginning, allowing kids to hear and identify beginning sounds in words.

The Short Vowel Poster includes:

The Long Vowel Poster includes:

Related Posts

Download & Print

We'd love to hear about your experience using these anchor charts!
Please leave a comment below or tag us on Instagram @literacylearn.

All printables and resources are intended for personal use in homes and classrooms. We would love for you to share these resources with others, however, we ask that you please share the link or use the social share buttons provided so that others may obtain their own copy. Please do not republish these resources on the web. We want to keep these resources free for anyone who wants them! Thank you for your support!

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Long & Short Vowel Sounds - Plus 2 Free Anchor Charts! - Literacy Learn

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Learn the difference between short and long vowels, when to teach these sounds, and the rules for these sounds. For extra classrooom help, print the two free vowel anchor charts, with capital and lowercase letters and bright pictures to teach the long and short vowel sounds!