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Teaching Syllable Juncture Patterns

Tammy Roose

Will you be teaching students how to segment syllables and about syllable juncture patterns soon? Let this blog post be your handy go-to as you brush up on what a syllable juncture is, when students are developmentally ready to learn about segmenting syllables, common spelling and decoding mistakes to expect from students, and ideas to make teaching students about syllable juncture patterns fun and effective!

What is a syllable juncture?

Syllable juncture refers to the point at which two syllables meet within a word. The pattern or combination of vowels and consonants at the juncture point can help the reader know the vowel sound in the first syllable (whether it is long or short) and can also often be helpful in decoding unfamiliar, multisyllabic words. 

For example, in words following the VCCV pattern such as napkin or letter, the syllable juncture can be found separating the two consonants in the middle (nap-kin and let-ter) indicating for the reader that the first syllable is closed, resulting in a short-vowel sound. However, in words following the VCV pattern such as super or diner, the syllable juncture is after the first vowel, leaving it open and making the vowel sound long (su-per and di-ner).

What is an example of a syllable juncture?

A word can be segmented into syllables, or units of unbroken sounds or beats. Each syllable in a word contains a single vowel sound (which can be represented by more than one vowel letter) and often includes consonants (but not always!). The number of vowel sounds (not vowel letters) in a word is usually equivalent to the number of syllables that make up the word.

Syllable junctures, or the place in a word where two syllables join, can be found in a variety of spelling patterns. I've listed the various vowel spelling patterns (with example words) for students in the Syllables and Affixes stage:

* Note: I've linked each of these syllable juncture vowel patterns to resources that can be used to teach these skills. You can find the bundle for teaching Syllable Junctures here.

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In what grade-level are Syllable Segmenting and Syllables Juncture Patterns taught?

While I use the Words Their Way continuum of spellers to assess my students and identify the developmental level that I will target with their instruction, it's also helpful to know what is typical for teaching students how to identify the patterns where syllables join and use them to improve their spelling and decoding skills. 

Students working on syllable juncture patterns are typically in the middle Syllable and Affixes Stage. These students often make spelling errors where syllables join, showing that they do not yet understand the connection between open and closed syllables and long and short vowel sounds. For example, they may spell "summer" as "sumer" or "tiger" as "tigger".​

Syllables and Affixes students are typically in 4th-5th grade, but you may find that some 3rd grade students are ready for this stage.

What are the benefits to teaching students about syllable types, syllable segmenting, and syllable juncture patterns?

Oh let me count the ways! Understanding how to identify syllable types and segment words at their syllable juncture is PARAMOUNT to students being able to read and spell longer, multisyllabic words. The benefits to providing students with instruction in syllable types, syllable segmenting, and syllable junctures? 👇

  • Improved Reading Fluency

    •  When students understand how to break down words into syllables and pay attention to vowel patterns in the syllables of words, they can read words more quickly and with greater accuracy. (Example: tiger has two syllables and two vowels;  poem contains two vowels, but the -oe act together and it is a one-syllable word).

  • Improved Spelling Skills

    • Once students learn how syllables are formed and pronounced, students can use that pattern knowledge and apply it to new, multisyllabic words they encounter in a quicker and more accurate manner, instead of relying on a 1:1 sound correspondence. ​

  • Improved Vocabulary Development

    • When students learn how to identify common prefixes, suffixes, and roots used to create many words, they are able to use that knowledge to help them define new and unfamiliar words.

  • Improved Pronunciation

    • By understanding how to break down words into syllables and how to pronounce each syllable correctly, students can improve their overall decoding and reading skills.

What are some common mistakes students make that show they will benefit from instruction on syllable juncture patterns?

When students begin making spelling or decoding mistakes at the point where the syllables join, it becomes evident that they don’t have a true understanding of syllable juncture patterns and how they impact the pronunciation and spelling of a word.

Example → A common misspelling of lesson is “leson” or paper is “papper”. 

Teaching students that an open syllable ending in a vowel at the juncture point usually has a long-vowel sound and a closed syllable ending in a consonant at the juncture point usually has a short-vowel sound can help guide them to know when to double a consonant in the middle and when to use one consonant.

Example → When reading, students will sometimes mistakenly pronounce VCV words like seven, wagon, or planet as having a long-vowel sound in the first syllable.

While 75% of the time words that have the VCV pattern at the syllable juncture have an open syllable with a long-vowel sound, there are also many that have a closed syllable, as in sev-en, wag-on, and plan-et. Students need a lot of opportunities to segment these words and identify the patterns at the syllable juncture to help them spell and pronounce them accurately.

Example → When reading words with three consonants in the middle of the word (VCCCV) like athlete, kitchen, or kingdom students are often unsure where the syllables are split and struggle to accurately decode the word.
Teach students that when words follow the VCCCV pattern, they must look for a blend or digraph to know where to split the word. Help them practice sorting words into VCC/CV (pump-kin) and VC/CCV (com-plete) categories as they learn this skill.

What types of activities benefit students working on Syllable Segmenting and Syllable Juncture Patterns?

When students are first introduced to syllable juncture patterns, it is important for them to be given ample time to practice identifying the syllable juncture as well as stating how the syllable juncture helps them to know how to read and accurately pronounce the word. This is a new skill for students and it can feel overwhelming at first.

I love to use game play, both partner and independent ones, to give students opportunities to practice and apply the rules for syllable junctures with a variety of two-syllable words.

For instance, in Intersection Decisions, students take turns drawing game cards and moving their pawn to a space on the game board that fits the criteria of the card they drew. The cards challenge students to identify words with either a short or long vowel sound in the first syllable, identify various vowel-consonant patterns at the syllable juncture, and also include a variety of “wild cards” to keep the game play fun and engaging.  After each move, players say the word they landed on aloud and record it under the appropriate column on their recording sheet. ​

In Four In A Row, students spin a spinner, find a word or image of a word that matches the vowel pattern or syllable type they spun and cover it with a marker/chip. Students then write the word they covered on the recording sheet under the correct column, attempting to spell the word correctly. The goal is to cover four words in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) to win. The Four In A Row activities can easily be played with a partner or independently.

Game play and independent activities provide students with exposure to these words and concepts in a way that allows students to practice and solidify their understanding of syllable juncture and how it helps them better pronounce, decode, and spell words so that they can read and write larger words accurately. 

You can find all of the games and activities I suggest for teaching syllable juncture patterns in this Syllable Juncture BUNDLE.

KEEP IN MIND, THE ROAD TO MASTERY IS PAVED WITH PRACTICE!

When teaching students about segmenting syllables and syllable juncture patterns and how they help us determine how to read and pronounce words, we can be certain of one thing - students will be more successful with LOTS of practice and feedback. Remember, this is a new skill and a very different way of looking at words than students have been used to up to this point.

By allowing students who need to practice these skills the time to do so, rather than pushing them to tackle even more confusing word study concepts too quickly, like vowel patterns in accented syllables, we can help students achieve more success and less frustration. 

As you help your students successfully master these skills, be sure to plan opportunities to circle back to previously taught word study concepts and allow students time to revisit familiar and previously used activities, such as inflectional endings.

Looking for more Syllable Juncture Resources?

You can get all of the Syllable Juncture Stage games and activities in a time-saving, money saving bundle!

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