A Digital Learning Tool to Practice Knowledge of Syllable Types

Practice makes perfect! This resource provides ample opportunity for students to divide two-syllable words into their syllables and identify the type of syllables used. 

What Are the Different Types of Syllables?

When analyzing syllables, it’s important to focus on the sounds (phonemes) rather than thinking about individual letters. In this resource, we have focused on the following six syllable types:

• Closed Syllables – contain one short vowel followed by one or more consonants. 
• Open Syllables – end in a long vowel. 
• Vowel + Consonant + Silent ‘e’ Syllables –  have one long vowel sound followed by a consonant and a silent e. 
• R-Controlled Syllables – have an ‘r’ following a vowel. The ‘r’ changes the vowel sound so that it is neither long nor short.
• Vowel Team Syllables – have a team of two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. N.B. Consonant letters might be included as part of the vowel sound.
• Consonant + le Syllables – come at the end of a word. They have a consonant, followed by an ‘l’, followed by a silent e.

How Do You Divide Written Words Into Syllables?

When dividing words into syllables, one needs to focus on the consonants between the vowels. This will help inform where to make the split. 

In this resource, students drag a red bar to indicate the division between the two syllables. After moving the bar, they move labels beneath letters or groups of letters (graphemes) while concentrating on the sounds. The labels we’ve included are: 

• V for vowel
• C for consonant
• VCe for vowel + consonant + silent e
• vowel team 
• C+le for consonant +le.

Once the labels are in place, it is easy to identify the type of syllable being used.

Note that consonants at the beginning of words are not labeled, as this is irrelevant when identifying syllable types.

Knowledge of syllable types and syllable division is incredibly useful when learning to spell or read. Through doing this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding that one letter can represent more than one sound and that all syllables contain a vowel sound. The resource also promotes an awareness of common spelling patterns.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource for students to work on as a Guided Reading Group Activity

In addition to individual student work time, use this activity to enhance learning through whole-class lessons or remote learning assignments. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners and ELL/ESL students, we have a few suggestions for keeping students on track with these concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

You could modify the resource by replacing the two-syllable words with single-syllable words. In this case, the instructions would need adjusting, and the bar would need to be removed. The types of syllables explored could also be reduced.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

After completing this activity, students who need a challenge could make a list of other multisyllabic words for their peers to analyze.

🧑‍🏫 Group Learning

Project the slides onto a screen and work through them as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks or mini whiteboards. 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Assign this interactive activity to Google Classroom. Please be sure to open in Edit mode, not Presentation mode. Students click/drag/drop to show divisions and types of syllables.

The slides could also be used for: 

• lesson warm-ups
• end of the day wrap-ups
• fast finisher activities 
• homework assignments