Last week, we showed students that the number of vowel sounds in a word determines the number of syllables. Before learning to split written words into syllables, students need practice hearing syllables. In this week’s Teacher Tip Tuesday, we discuss how you can create a multisensory experience to help your students with this step.
What is a multisensory syllable splitting experience?
Try this!
“Feeling” syllables is a great way to use touch to connect to what students hear. You’ll need to really enunciate for this exercise to work! Model it with your students before asking them to do it themselves. It’s a helpful tool to set them up for other sensory experiences!
Clapping or snapping
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Another way to connect audio and tactile senses is by clapping or snapping out syllables. Many students have learned to tap out letter sounds in phonics to make words. Using that same methodology, have students chunk words into syllables by clapping or snapping. Since snapping is a difficult skill for many kiddos, a soft clap is a great place to start!
Using Footsteps2Brilliance technology to hear syllables spoken aloud
Watch the video below for an example of a Footsteps2Brilliance syllable game. Click here to preview the game yourself! Project this game for your whole class to practice hearing syllables together before tackling it in their own Footsteps2Brilliance apps.
With a multisensory approach, students will feel prepared for splitting written syllables! This will help them be stronger readers and spellers. Tune in next week as we dive into the
10 Syllable Splitting Rules!
Join us each week as we cover the scope and sequence for teaching syllables!
Looking for more Teacher Tip Tuesday content? Click here for the Effective Strategies for Teaching English Learners series, complete collection.
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