Letters in a Word
Print carries meaning
Recognizing that the text represents spoken language
Why are Phonemes between slashes?
/sh/ /i/ /p/
Slashes are used for phonemes because they indicate that we are referring to sounds in spoken language, not letters in print.
A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that represents a sound. How many graphemes in market?
6 graphemes
m | a | r | k | e | t
What type of syllables are in the word market?
mar – ket
mar (r-controlled syllable)
ket (closed syllable)
Which part of the word happiness is a suffix?
A) hap
B) pi
C) ness
D) hap-pi
Answer: C) ness
“-ness” turns the adjective happy into a noun happiness.
Book handling
Knowing how to hold and navigate a book
What is a digraph?
A digraph is two letters that work together to represent one sound (one phoneme).
Why are dashes used when writing a grapheme?
When we mark graphemes, we want students to see each spelling unit:
m – a – r – k – e – t
Segment
What is a closed syllable?
A closed syllable is a syllable that ends with a consonant and usually has a short vowel sound.
Key Features of a Closed Syllable:
Vowel is “closed in” by a consonant at the end.
The vowel usually says its short sound.
Structure: CVC (Consonant – Vowel – Consonant) is the most common pattern.
What is the base word in careless?
A) less
B) care
C) careless
D) car
Answer: B) care
The suffix “-less” means without, creating the word “careless.”
Print directionality
Reading left to right, top to bottom.
Which word has fewer phonemes than letters?
A) ship
B) cat
C) dog
D) sit
Answer: A) ship
Letters: 4 (s-h-i-p)
Phonemes: 3 (/sh/ /i/ /p/) → digraph “sh” makes one sound
sh – i – p
Why is "ship" segmented in 3 Graphemes?
Even though sh has two letters, it is one grapheme because it represents one sound /sh/.
What is an open syllable?
An open syllable is a syllable that ends with a vowel and usually has a long vowel sound.
Key Features of an Open Syllable:
Ends with a vowel, so nothing “closes in” the vowel.
The vowel usually says its long sound (its name).
Common structure: CV (Consonant – Vowel).
The suffix -er in teacher means:
A) One who performs an action
B) To do again
C) Very small
D) Without
Answer: A) One who performs an action
“Teach” + “-er” → “teacher” = one who teaches
Letters are the written symbols in a word.
How many letters in market?
Six
Is ph a digraph?
Yes. “ph” is a digraph.
Why it is a digraph
A digraph is two letters that represent one sound (one phoneme).
How many graphemes are in the word light?
A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6
Answer: B) 4
l | igh | t → “igh” is one grapheme representing /ī/
g | h together in “igh” make one sound
What is r controlled syllable?
An R-controlled syllable is a syllable in which a vowel is followed by the letter “r”, and the “r” changes the way the vowel sounds.
Key Features:
The vowel does not make its short or long sound.
The “r” controls the vowel, creating a unique sound.
Common pattern: VR (Vowel + R). Example "car"
How many syllables are in wanted?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4
Answer: B) 2
want – ed, the suffix “-ed” forms a second syllable here (/ɪd/).
True or False
Some words have more letters than sounds (digraphs: sh, ph, th).
true
Segmenting and blending
Segmenting and blending phonemes is a strong predictor of reading readiness
Which of these is a digraph grapheme?
A) c in cat
B) ph in phone
C) s in sun
D) t in top
Answer: B) ph
Two letters representing one sound /f/ → digraph
What is silent E (Vowel-Consonant -E) Syllable?
Silent E (Vowel-Consonant-E) Syllable
Definition: A syllable with a long vowel followed by a consonant and a silent “e.”
Pattern: CVCe
Examples: cake, like, rope, smile
The words watched, wanted, and warned show that:
A) Suffixes always sound the same
B) Prefixes are more consistent than suffixes
C) The spelling of a suffix is often more reliable than its pronunciation
D) All suffixes are silent
Answer: C) The spelling of a suffix is often more reliable than its pronunciation
“-ed” can sound like /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/ depending on the word.