Phonics pattern
Two-syllable closed words
Two-syllable words made of two closed syllables, like basket and tennis, are usually the first longer words a student reads. Each syllable has a short vowel closed in by a consonant, and the word usually splits between the two middle consonants.
How to teach it
- Find the two vowels and mark them. Look at the consonants between them and split the word there (bas / ket).
- Read each syllable, then the whole word at normal speed. Start with compound words (catnip), which split the same way.
- Dictate two-syllable words one syllable at a time, then as a whole word. Read sentences that use them.
Practice words
Read them across, then down. Point under each word as it is read.
- catnip
- laptop
- bathtub
- upset
- until
- invent
- pigpen
- zigzag
- hubcap
- mitten
- tennis
- button
Decodable sentences
- The kitten sat in the basket.
- Ken left his mitten in the attic.
- We had a picnic at sunset.
Spoken warm-ups
No print. Say the prompt; the student answers aloud. Sounds are written between slashes.
| You say | The student says |
|---|---|
| Say ‘catnip’. Clap the syllables. How many? | 2: cat-nip |
| Listen: lap... top. What word? | laptop |
| Say ‘sunset’. Say it without ‘sun’. | set |
Common errors
- Reading the first syllable and guessing the rest. Cover the second syllable, read the first, then uncover.
- Splitting in the wrong place. Mark the vowels first, every time, until it becomes automatic.
- Reading the parts correctly but not putting the word together. Read the parts faster, then say the word as you would in speech.
Which lessons teach this
If you teach UFLI Foundations, this pattern comes up in these 2 lessons. Teach from your own manual.
Literacy Trail is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute. It contains no UFLI lesson content, only lesson names and order.
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