Schwa Skill Explainer

Quick Look: Call the Dog: Identifying Stressed Syllables

Name: Quick Look: Identifying Stressed Syllables
Uploaded: 2026-03-10T12:19:26-04:00
Duration: 1 min 11 s
Description: Quick Look: Identifying Stressed Syllables

In order for her students to hear the stressed and unstressed syllables in multisyllabic words, instructional coach Dr. Carla Miller uses the “Call the Dog” strategy. This strategy has the teacher and students exaggerate calling out words like teacher, recess, and fantastic. Students can tell which syllable is stressed based on which part of the word is stretched out and is the loudest. Later on, they’ll need this skill in order to consider where the schwa sound might occur in a word.

Check out Reading Universe’s free skill explainer on schwa.

Video thumbnail for Quick Look: Identifying Stressed Syllables — Produced by Reading Universe, a partnership of WETA, Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book

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Dr. Carla Miller: Okay. I'm going to give you a word. I'm going to say it and then we're going to call it like we're calling the dog. You ready? Okay. The first word is teacher. Ready to call the dog?

Together: Teacher!

Dr. Carla Miller: Good. Did you hear that stress part of the word? That "TEAcher!" That "teach-" was the stressed part of the word, and "-er" was that quieter unstressed part of the word. Okay. You ready for the next one? This is one of my favorite words. Ready? The word is recess. What word?

Students: Recess.

Dr. Carla Miller: Here we go.

Together: Recess!

Dr. Carla Miller: Did you hear that "re-" was really stressed? We gave it all the air and "-cess," had less air. It was unstressed. We're going to try one more. This is a three syllable word. Okay. The word is fantastic. What word?

Students: Fantastic.

Dr. Carla Miller: Here we go.

Together: Fantastic!

Dr. Carla Miller: Did you hear the stress part of the word? Okay.

Students: "-tas-."

Dr. Carla Miller: "-tas-." Very good. You guys, good ears.