Standard 1: 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.

Students will continue to review and apply earlier grade level expectations for this standard. If these decoding skills are not mastered, students will address skills from previous grades. 

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

• all major syllable patterns

• contractions

• abbreviations

• common roots and related prefixes and suffixes

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students will use all major syllable patterns to decode words with more than one syllable.

• closed

• consonant +le

• open

• vowel team

• vowel silent e

• r-controlled

• Students will use understanding of contractions to decode words with more than one syllable (e.g., haven’t).

• Students will use understanding of abbreviations to decode words with more than one syllable (e.g., Dr. = doctor, U.S. = United States).

• Students will use common roots, prefixes, and suffixes to decode words with more than one syllable.

•  

Teachers explain the major syllable patterns.  

• Teachers model decoding words using the major syllable patterns.  

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to apply knowledge of major syllable patterns to decode words.

• Teachers monitor student use of syllable patterns to decode words and give feedback or interventions as needed.

• Teachers explain the structure of contractions.

• Teachers model reading contractions with more than one syllable.

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

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

Supporting Resources 

Teacher Insights 

Common Roots and Affixes (webpage)

Syllable Pattern Activities  (webpage)

Florida Center for Reading Research:  Morphemic Elements (PDF)

• 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.  

• Using syllable types will help students decode new vocabulary words.

• 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).

• Consonant +le - This combination is only found at the end of words.

• If c+le is combined with an open syllable (e.g., cable, bugle), there is not doubled consonant.

• If c+le is combined with a closed syllable (e.g., dabble, topple) the consonant is doubled.  

• 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).

• Many words are formed by combining root words and affixes. Sometimes the root word can stand on its own, but typically Latin and Greek roots are not stand-alone words. In the word reject, the prefix is re-, and the root is -ject.

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.