Standard 2: Reading Foundations

Students will develop foundational skills for future reading success by working with sounds, letters, and text.

PHONICS AND WORD STUDY: Students will decode and read words in context and isolation by applying phonics and word analysis skills.

1.2.PWS.2 Students will decode words by applying knowledge of structural analysis:

• most major syllable patterns (e.g., closed, open, vowel team, vowel silent e, r-controlled)

• inflectional endings (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing)

• compound words

• contractions

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will use major syllable patterns to decode words.

• -closed

• -open

• -vowel team

• -vowel silent e

• -r-controlled.

• Students will use knowledge of inflected endings to decode words.  
• Students will use knowledge of compound words to decode words.
• Students will use knowledge of contractions to decode words.

• Teachers explain syllable patterns when teaching words that belong within that pattern.

• Teachers model using syllable patterns to analyze and decode words.

• Teachers give students opportunities to identify syllable patterns and use these patterns to decode words.

• Teachers post syllable patterns when taught and review frequently.

• Teachers monitor student use of syllable patterns to decode words and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback or interventions as needed.

• Teachers explain word structures when teaching inflected endings.

• Teachers use think alouds to explain how to analyze and decode words using structural analysis.

• Teachers provide students opportunities to decode words using structural analysis, increasing the difficulty of words as students become more skilled.  

• Teachers encourage students to look at word structure when trying to decode an unknown word in texts.  

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback or interventions with structural analysis as needed.

• Teachers explain word structures when teaching compound words.

• Teachers use think alouds to explain how to analyze and decode compound words.

• Teachers provide students opportunities to decode compound words, increasing difficulty of words as students become more skilled.

• Teachers encourage students to look at word structure when trying to decode an unknown word in texts.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback or interventions with structural analysis as needed.

• Teachers explain the structure of contractions.

• Teachers model reading contractions with one syllable.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge of contractions when reading words with one syllable.

• Teachers encourage students to look at word structure when trying to decode an unknown word in texts.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback or interventions with structural analysis as needed. 

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

Compound Words and Inflectional Endings Activities (PDF)

Syllable Activities (PDF)

Compound Word and Prefix Activities(PDF)

Six Syllable Types by Louisa Moats(webpage)

Vowel Team Activities (PDF)

Teaching Decoding by Louisa C. Moats (PDF)

Word Work Activities (PDF)

West Virginia Reading First Explicit Phonics Lessons (PDF)

Explicit, Systematic Phonics Lessons, Scope & Sequence Materials (webpage)

Reading Rockets:  Phonics Instruction (webpage)

Reading Rockets:  The Value of a Multisensory Approach (webpage)

• Knowing syllable-spelling patterns helps students know what type of vowel is in the word, if any endings have been added, and allows students to spell and decode words with greater fluency and accuracy.  

• Closed syllable - A syllable with a short vowel spelled with a single vowel letter ending in one or more consonants (e.g., picnic, rabbit, biggest).  

• Open syllable - Open syllables end with a long vowel sound created by one vowel letter. There is no consonant to close and protect the vowel (e.g., be, me, so).

• Vowel team - Vowel teams can be made up of two, three, or four letters. These combinations can represent long, short, or diphthong vowel sounds. Sometimes consonant letters are used in vowel teams: “y” is found in ey, ay, oy, and us; and the letter “w” is found is ew, aw, and ow. W is not a vowel just because it is working on the team to represent a single sound. Other vowel teams that include consonants include -augh, -ough, -igh, and -al spelling for /aw/ as in walk.

• Inflectional endings (-s, -ed, -ing, -en, -’s, -er, and -est) do not change the part of speech of the word..

• -ed is pronounced /d/ when the base word ends in a voiced sound.

• -ed is pronounced /t/ when the base word ends in an unvoiced sound.

• -ed is pronounced /ed/ when the base word ends in /t/ or /d/.

• Compound words and multisyllabic words are often confused.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.