Phonics Vocabulary

A syllable is a beat in a word. It has one vowel sound in it. Clap your hands when you say a word. Each clap is a syllable.

Try the word 'cat'. It has one beat. One syllable. A beat is bigger than one single sound. Cat has just one beat, but three little sounds hiding inside it. Now try 'tiger'. Clap: ti-ger. Two beats. Two syllables!

The vowel sound is the key. Every syllable has one. The word 'dog' has one vowel sound, so one syllable. The word 'banana' has three vowel sounds: ba-na-na. Three syllables.

Put your hand under your chin. Say a word slowly. Your chin drops once for each syllable. Try 'syllable' itself. Your chin drops three times.

Big words are easier to read when you break them into syllables. Each small part is easier to say than the whole big word.

Here are some special words we use to talk about words.

An affix is a small part we add to a word. A prefix goes at the front, like re- in redo. A suffix goes at the end, like -able in readable.

A base word is a word we can add parts to. The base word 'help' can grow into 'helpful' or 'helping'.

An antonym is a word that means the opposite. Up and down are antonyms.

Learning these names helps you talk about words like a word detective. When you see a new big word, you can find its base word and its little added parts.

Big words are made of small parts. Three kinds of parts do the work.

A root carries the main idea of a word. The root 'phon' means sound. It is hiding in telephone and phonics.

A prefix is a part added to the front. 'Re' means again. So reread means read again.

A suffix is a part added to the end. '-less' means without. So hopeless means without hope.

When you meet a big word, look for these parts. The word 'unhappy' has the prefix 'un' and the root 'happy'. Un means not. So unhappy means not happy.

Try it with 'restart'. Re means again. Start means begin. Restart means begin again.

Some children find it hard to say words and sounds. Kaufman cards are picture cards that help.

Each card has a picture of a simple word. The child looks at the picture and says the word slowly, sound by sound. This is called segmenting. It means breaking a word into its little sounds.

Start easy. Use words with just a few sounds, like 'cat'. Say each sound: c, a, t. Then say them fast together to make the word. Putting sounds together fast is called blending.

Practice a little every day. Short, happy practice times work best. Say the sounds, then blend them into the word. Soon the child can say the word all by itself, without the card.

These cards help children hear the small sounds inside words. That is the first big step in reading and spelling.