Sep. 25, 2007 - Vowel Detective Game
Vowel Detective Game ~ All About Syllables ~ Grades 1-4
Instructions
1. Spend a week writing three letter words with short vowel sounds; think of as many as you can (sample words: bag, beg, big, bog, bug).
2. Spend a couple days writing four letter words with long vowel sounds and silent final e; think of as many as you can (sample words: bake, kite, cute)
3. Spend one day writing the following notes on syllables.
a. Open Syllables (v•cv)
i. Vowel is at the end of a syllable (r.4, 5)
ii. Vowel says its long sound (ba•by, mu•sic, o•pen, si•lent)
b. Closed Syllables (vc•cv)
i. Vowel is not at the end of a syllable
ii. Vowel says its short sound (af•ter, nev•er, un•der, win•dow, pop•corn)
c. Ask, “Now that I taught you what’s different about open and closed syllables, what is the same about them?” After they guess the answer, write it: Every syllable must have a vowel.
4. Play Vowel Detective Game to understand how vowels rule the kingdom of words. They are the kings of the alphabet. They dictate how a word is spelled and pronounced. They have the keys to unlock your greatest potential as a speller and reader. Watch their placement for clues.
a. Write 5-10 (depending on how many kids you have) open syllable words and 5-10 closed syllable words on index cards. They have to be words with two syllables.
b. Hide them throughout the house.
c. Have some children look for open syllable words and other children look for closed syllable words. If they find words that aren’t the ones they’re supposed to find, they must leave them in their place.
d. Whoever finds the most of their kind wins.
5. Have children answer the following questions to assess their understanding.
a. What is an open syllable? or What kind of syllable has a long vowel at the end?
b. What is a closed syllable? or What kind of syllable has a short vowel not at the end?
c. What’s similar about open and closed syllables? or What must every syllable have?
| 