2. When to Teach Multisyllabic Words

Here's a reminder of our suggested phonics continuum. You'll notice that multisyllabic words are not listed. What you will find is when to teach each syllable type — closed syllables, open syllables, magic 'e', r-controlled vowels, and vowel teams. When you first teach these skills, you'll focus on one-syllable words. 

After your students have had explicit instruction and opportunities to master a syllable type, you can begin incorporating multisyllabic words that follow that pattern.

At the end of kindergarten, students who have mastered reading single closed syllables (met, lid, hug) may be ready to begin reading multisyllabic words — specifically those made up of two closed syllables (muffin, bandit). Typically we begin teaching students how to read and spell multisyllabic words in first grade. This work continues into second grade, with each new syllable type providing an opportunity to build on and apply syllabication strategies (strategies to break words into syllables).

Before learning how to read multisyllabic words with closed syllables students must be able to:

• Identify vowels and consonants
• Identify closed syllables in the multisyllabic words that you are teaching
• Decode closed syllables

The prerequisite for learning to read other types of multisyllabic words (open, magic 'e', r-controlled) would be similar. Students must have the ability to decode that syllable type within a one-syllable word with mastery and identify it within a multisyllabic word.