Closed Syllables are the most common type of syllable. Before you begin, students should understand the definition of a syllable: a word, or part of a word, made by one push of breath. Practice clapping the syllable, tapping the syllable, etc. Students should also know the difference between a consonant and a vowel (you’d be surprised), and be able to identify short and long vowel sounds.
Closed Syllables:
- Have only one vowel.
- The vowel sound is short.
- The vowel is followed by one or more consonant (hence, “closed-in”).
Examples of closed syllables are: clap, tip, graph, pic·nic (two closed syllables).
Why teach closed syllables?
Personally, I like to give ownership back to students for their learning. When you teach this rule, and students understand it, you can give prompts such as, “This word has a closed syllable.” The cue being: one short vowel, ends in a consonant(s).
We’ll discuss teaching ideas in the next post.
