Word reading - Focused teaching years 7-10 (ages 13-16)

Many students have difficulty reading three-syllable words because they aren’t aware of the sound patterns that make up these words. This sequence of activities assists students to learn phonological and phonemic knowledge. The activities are presented in the following developmental order:

Saying words accurately

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise saying words accurately.

1. Discuss with the student the notion that how we say words affects how we learn to read them.
2. Show the student the three-syllable target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern (protection, collection, description, condition, occasion, confusion and migration).
3. Read the words to the student and ask them to repeat the words. Ensure that the student says the consonants and vowels in each word correctly.
   

Saying words in syllables

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise saying words in syllable-like parts.

1. Using the three-syllable target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern, read each word one at a time to the student, saying each syllable in the word and tapping as you say each part. For example, say protection as pro-tec-tion, pausing briefly between the three parts and tapping for each syllable.
2. Ask the student to repeat this process for each word.

 

3. To help the student to understand where to break each word into useful parts, let the student hear the result of breaking up the word in different ways. For example, breaking protection into pro-tec-tion and pr-ote-ction. Ask the student to say which method of breaking the word into syllables sounds better and why.
4. With the student, take turns to say in order parts of each word. This will help the student to decide where to break up each word and to hear the parts of each word.
   

Saying the shared sound pattern for a group of target words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise saying the shared sound pattern for a group of target words.

1. Read several of the three-syllable target words with the '–ion' letter cluster pattern to the student. For example, occasion, confusion, migration and protection.
2. Ask the student to identify the shared sound pattern within the words. For example, the student may say: 'All the words end with "shn".' The shared sound pattern in the word may be in any of the syllables.

Suggesting words that rhyme with the target words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise suggesting words that rhyme with the target words.

1. Ask the student to suggest other words that rhyme with each target word. For example, for words that rhyme with collection, the student might say reflection, direction, connection and reflection. The words the student suggests do not need to have the same spelling patterns as the target words.
   

Introducing the notion of the unstressed vowel

In most multi-syllable words, some vowels do not have the sound they have in one-syllable words. Instead, they are said as a very short 'er' or 'uh' sound and sometimes they are said as little more than a grunt.

Students need to be aware of the existence of the unstressed vowel in longer words and be able to detect it. They need to know that there is a vowel in some syllables, but that we may not say it ‘fully’ or ‘loudly’.

For example, the student may not be aware that when we hear or say a word like protection or collection, we do not hear the 'o' sound in the first syllable as we would in moan or boat. Instead, we say it as a very short 'er' or 'uh' sound.

Identify unstressed vowels

1. To help the student to become aware of the unstressed vowel and where it is in the target words, say each word in two ways:
   • Say a word such as protection incorrectly with equal stress on the vowels in all of the syllables
   • Say the same word correctly with one or more of the vowels unstressed.
2. Ask the student to select the correct way of saying the word and describe how the two versions differ. For example, ask the student: 'How is the "correct" way of saying the word different from the "incorrect" way?'
3. Guide the student to see that some of the vowels aren’t said ‘fully’ in the correct version. The student may describe this as: the vowels are said in a short or quick way, the vowels are said faster, the vowels are said more softly or you don’t hear the vowel in this syllable.

Distinguishing between stressed and unstressed vowels

1. Using the target words, ask the student to select the syllable or syllables in each word that have an unstressed vowel.
2. Show the student the written form of the word and ask: 'How would the unstressed vowel sound different if it were stressed?'
3. Point to each of the written words and say it in two ways; first with equal stress on each syllable and then with the appropriate syllable/s unstressed.
4. Guide the student to be aware that in many multi-syllable words one or more of the syllables that has a vowel that isn’t said fully. Instead, we hear a very short 'er' or 'uh' sound that tells us that a vowel is there. We may not know which vowel it is. We say it as 'er' or 'uh' when we read the syllable. We need to listen for the vowels that are unstressed when we spell a word.

Building awareness of the unstressed vowel

This activity can be repeated to build the student’s awareness of the unstressed vowel.

1. Read some of the three-syllable target words to the student. For example, description, condition and confusion.
2. Ask the student to select the unstressed vowel and say it.
3. Ask the student to say the sounds around the unstressed vowel. For example, which sound comes after the unstressed vowel in ‘description’?

Blending syllables to unstress one or more vowels

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise blending syllables to unstress one or more vowels.

It is important for the student to know explicitly how to unstress a vowel. An assumption may be made that they student hasn’t already learnt to do this for two-syllable words. It may be necessary to first begin teaching with two-syllable words that have the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern, such as station, option or action.

1. Using the three-syllable words target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern, say each of the words in three parts, with equal stress on each syllable.
2. Ask the student: 'What word am I saying?' You need to unstress at least one of the parts or syllables. The student may need more thinking time for this activity and may say parts of the word before they can blend the syllables and unstress the vowels. The student may need to attempt various alternative unstressing patterns.
3. Repeat this activity with the other three-syllable target words.
4. Ask the student to describe what they need to do to work out what the word could be by blending the syllables and unstressing one or more of the vowels.

This sequence of activities assists students to use letter cluster-sound knowledge to read unfamiliar words. This sequence assumes that the student has already learnt to read corresponding two-syllable words automatically, that is words that have the ‘–ion’, ‘−tion’ or ‘–sion’ syllable. The activities are presented in the following developmental order:

Reviewing word reading knowledge and skills

This activity can be repeated to review the student’s relevant word reading knowledge and skills.

1. Show the student a list of two-syllable words with the ‘–ion’, ‘−tion’ or ‘–sion’ syllable and ask the student to:
   • read each word
   • say what they know about where to break a two-syllable word into syllable-like parts
   • say the rule for reading the ‘–ion’, ‘−tion’ or ‘–sion’ syllables.
2. If the student has difficulty with any of these activities, apply the following activities to two-syllable words with the ‘–ion’, ‘−tion’ or ‘–sion’ syllables prior to using them with three-syllable words.

Reading out loud three-syllable words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise reading out loud three-syllable words.

1. Show the student the list of three-syllable target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern.
2. Say each word and ask the student to read it after you. Ensure the student says each word correctly. If necessary, have them read each target word with support two or three times to ‘sharpen’ the accuracy of their pronunciation.
3. Teach the student to read each word in segments by showing them the written word, pointing in turn to each syllable and saying it. Repeat saying the three syllables, then blend and unstress the word. Ask the student to repeat this for each word, pointing to each syllable in turn.
4. Show the student how they can break up the target words by drawing an arc under each segment of the word.

5. Ask the student to look at each of the written words again and show where they will ‘break’ each word by drawing an arc under each part of the word.
6. Ask the student to say each part of the word then blend the word and unstress the vowels where necessary.
7. Discuss with the student how they decided where to break up each word.
   

Identifying how words are similar

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise identifying how words are similar.

1. Using the target words, ask the student to read each word and identify how the words are similar. The student should mention that the words share a common letter cluster and sound pattern. For example, the student may say: 'All the words say "shn" and they all have the letters "ion".'
   

Visualising and writing words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise visualising and writing words.

1. Ask the student to read the target word and say it in parts.
2. Ask the student to close their eyes and make a picture of the word in their mind by imagining writing it.
3. Ask the student to write the word, if necessary, by saying it in parts again.
4. Ask the student to read the word they have written and check their attempt with the correct spelling.

When correcting the student’s spelling attempts, show that letters are in the correct sequential position by ticking them. Encourage the student to say the word they intended to spell and the word they have written (if they are different). Where appropriate, ask the student to suggest how they could modify their written attempts.

Transferring rules and patterns

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise transferring the rules and patterns for reading other three-syllable words.

1. Ask the student to apply the rule to unfamiliar words that have the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern. Ask the student to predict or spell each word as quickly as they can. For example, ask the student to read and spell the following words: edition, provision, ambition, devotion, explosion, excursion, deduction, reception. They can begin by using arcs to break the words into segments. Gradually this can be phased out and the students can imagine drawing the arcs on each word.
2. As students practise reading more words of this type by scaffolding the student to read the words by analogy. For example, they can use what they know about how to read description to read deduction and reception by replacing descript with deduct or recept. Reading and spelling unfamiliar words by analogy requires the student to use the letter cluster-sound rules in more sophisticated ways.
3. The student can practise segmenting the unfamiliar words that have the same letter cluster pattern.

Using the word types in writing

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise using the word types in writing.

1. Using the three-syllable target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern, ask the student to make up and write a sentence about each word that illustrates its meaning.
2. Ask the student to invent and write short stories that contain the target words. For three-syllable target words they haven’t been taught, ask the student to say each word and segment the words into parts before writing them.

Discriminating the word type from similar words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise discriminating the word type from similar words.

1. Create a chart that contains words with the target letter cluster pattern and other words with similar letter cluster patterns the student has already learnt.
2. Ask the student to read the words on the chart as quickly as possible. Encourage the student to read the words by analogy.

description	enormous	confusion	protection	reception	climatic
abandon	condition	uniform	collector	assassin	collection
ambition	relative	material	important	migration	deduction
relation	explosion	contraption	excursion	protective	provision

Reading target words in text

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise reading target words in text.

1. Ask the student to read sentences that include the three-syllable target words with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern.
2. Ask the student to read from a range of texts that contain examples of the letter cluster pattern.
3. Prior to reading each text, ask the student to scan the text for words that have the letter cluster pattern and list each target word they find in the text.
4. The student can practise reading the words before beginning to read the text as a whole.

Generalising knowledge as a pattern or rule

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise generalising their knowledge as a pattern or rule.

1. Ask the student to discuss what they know about the letter cluster sound-pattern. This will encourage the student to think about the letter cluster sound-pattern in a more general way, so they can transfer their knowledge of the pattern or rule more easily. 
2. Ask the student to describe:
   • what they know about the particular letter pattern. For example: The letter pattern '–ion' in a longer word is said as 'shn'.
   • how they can use the pattern to segment words. For example: 'When I read a longer word that ends in "–ion", I can break it into parts, say each part and blend and destress one or more vowels in a syllable.'
   • why segmenting words into two or three parts is useful. For example: 'Breaking up a big word into parts helps me to read each bit and then put it together.'
     
   • how they can use the pattern to read other words. For example: Lots of longer words have '–ion', −sion and '–tion'. One way of saying this is 'shn'.

Storing the rule in memory

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise storing the rule or pattern they have learnt in memory.

1. Some students need explicit teaching in which they store the rule they have learnt in their memory. This follows the student learning to generalise their knowledge as a pattern or rule. Useful memory activities include asking the student to say:
   • what they will remember about the letter cluster sound-pattern. For example: 'If I see "–ion" in a word, I will try saying. . .  If I hear "–ion" in a word that I am spelling, I could write . . .'
   • how the '–ion' pattern is similar to and different from letter patterns they already know
   • how they might use the ‘–ion’ pattern in the future.

Organising knowledge systematically

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise organising their developing knowledge in a systematic, easy-to-use way.

• As the student learns a new letter pattern, they can add it to a chart that shows matching patterns, for example, suffix patterns. This can help the student to remember how to read and spell words with the letter pattern.

Suffix pattern	Typical suffix units
−age	message	passage	package
−ace	surface	menace
−ion	action	collection	description
-ar-	farm

This sequence of activities assists students to recognise and read words automatically rather than by consciously using the letter-sound rules. The activities are presented in the following developmental order:

Categorising, sorting and matching words

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise categorising, sorting and matching words.

1. With the student, use the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern for three-syllable words in games involving categorising, sorting and matching words. For example, use flashcards with the ‘–ion’ letter cluster pattern mixed in with words the student has already learnt to play games such as Snap, Memory or Bingo.

Naming words increasingly rapidly

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise naming words increasingly rapidly.

1. Select up to six target words. Write the words on flashcards or make a PowerPoint presentation with each target word on a separate slide.
2. Say to the student: 'I am going to show you these words one at a time. I want you to say each word as quickly as possible.'
   
3. Give the student time to read the words at their own pace before you begin the rapid presentations. Flash each word briefly and wait for the student’s response. If the student’s responses are incorrect repeat the presentation.
4. Mix up the target words so that they do not always appear in the same order. Gradually add other words with the same pattern that the student has learnt. Over several showings, increase the speed at which you show the student each word.
5. Begin to present the target word in a short phrase with two or three other words the student has learnt. The example below uses the target words collection, description and condition.

 

6. Present the target words individually with other words the student has already learnt. Ask the student to read the words as rapidly as possible.

 

Developing awareness of word structures

This activity can be repeated to allow students to practise developing awareness of word structures.

1. Use the letter cluster pattern in problem solving activities with the student. For example, ask the student to predict the likely letters or letter clusters that might precede a particular suffix in a word.