Teaching Consonant+le

It’s always so much fun listening and watching our young readers figure out those “longer” words. Many of our little ones are pretty solid decoding one-syllable words and are now ready to learn strategies for decoding multisyllabic words. So, really, what is a syllable? Simply put, a syllable is a unit of pronunciation containing a single vowel sound. “Syllabication” is the process of analyzing the pattern of vowels and consonants in a word to determine where a word is broken into its syllables. The ability to break a word into syllables helps students decode those longer words as well as helps the student remember spelling patterns.

Understanding the 7 Syllable Types

Understanding the 7 syllable types helps students to become better readers and writers.

There are 7 types of syllables that occur in all words of the English language. Every word can be broken down into these syllables. These 7 syllables include: closed, open, magic e, vowel teams, r-controlled, diphthongs, and consonant le. Let’s focus on one of those syllable types: Consonant + le

The consonant+le syllable type is known as a “final stable syllable” because it can only occur at the end of words.

When breaking the word into syllables the c+le is the ending syllable. If the first syllable ends with the vowel (e.g. bugle, cradle, cable, eagle), it is considered “open” the vowel says its long sound. If the syllable ends with a consonant (e.g. mumble, puzzle, giggle), the syllable is considered “closed” and the vowel says it’s short sound.

The -le becomes its own syllable at the end of the word. The consonant that comes before the -le always stays with the -le ending (never separate the “ck”). The final vowel “e” is always silent, but it creates a new sound for the consonant+l. The schwa sound comes before the “l” and makes the /ul/ sound.

Not every consonant is represented in the c+le syllable type. The consonants that can join with the final -le include: -ble, -cle, -dle, -fle, -gle, -kle, -ple, -tle, -stle, and -zle.

It’s All Net Consonant+le

Games and activities such as the It’s All Net for Consonant + le helps our young readers begin to recognize the patterns of the consonant +le syllable type. This activity is ideal when introducing the consonant+le syllable type.

The It’s All Net Consonant + le activity can be found in my online Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Swish Consonant+le

Another fun activity for practicing words containing the consonant+le syllable type is the Swish! game. I love this activity as it’s a fast-paced game that allows for tons of practice. The game is super simple to play. Students just take turns choosing basketballs and reading the words. If a Swish! ball is chosen the player can pick 3 more balls. If a penalty ball is chosen all the balls must be put back in the pile. The player with the most balls at the end wins the game. It’s an absolute favorite!