Simple syllables

Our scaffolded analytical spelling system begins with larger units, such as simple syllables. It's easier for kids to hear and pronounce vowel and consonant sounds by saying, spelling, and segmenting them within syllabic units such as "ab, eb, ib ,ob, and ub." These simple syllables help students develop phonemic and alphabetic awareness, making it much easier to segment whole words and match their speech sounds to corresponding graphemes (letters and letter combinations that represent those sounds). Simple syllables make it easier for kids to learn to spell, read, and write exceptionally well.

When we teach simple syllables as units or strings of sounds, students learn chunks of sounds. They learn to see each simple syllable as a spelling for a specific syllable sound, just as they see each letter as a spelling for a specific phonemic sound.

Thus, simple syllables form an effective syllabic alphabet of sound-symbol relationships. Each nucleic combination of vowels and consonants represents a specific chunk or unit of sound. This effective system makes spelling, pronunciation, and decoding more manageable, as students can hear and see simple syllabic units in spoken and written words.

Click here to learn how to use this system with your students or children.