10. Consonant ‘-le’ Resource Hub

Robin Bello: So when we have that ending — the '-cle' ending — a while back, we did common ending C-L-E and C-A-L. Remember the difference between these two endings? When do we use '-cle' and when do we use '-cal'? What's the difference between the two? Abby?

Abby: '-cle' you use with nouns and then '-cal' you use with ...

Robin Bello: ... describing words or adjectives. Yeah. Right. So for example, bicycle is a thing, right? '-cle'. Tropical describes a noun. '-cal'. Sound the same, spelled differently.

Liz Quezada: Today we're going to learn about a special type of syllable. This syllable is always at the end of a two-syllable word.

Narrator: Teacher, Liz Quezada's second graders at Laverne Heights Elementary will be learning a new syllable type — the consonant '-le', like in cable and title. Before Ms. Quezada starts the lesson, they'll review the syllable types they already know — closed, open, and r-controlled.

Liz Quezada: Alright, touch the first one, touch the vowel, go next door. Is it r-controlled, open, or closed?

Students: R-controlled.

Narrator: This quick warmup not only refreshes what students know about syllable types, it also helps build their fluency skills.

Liz Quezada: Well, you guys are all experts at your syllable type. Now you're ready to learn the new special syllable type. Okay. Alright. All right, so this is B-L-E. Say bubble.

Students: Bubble.

Liz Quezada: Say, /bŭl/.

Students: /bŭl/.

Liz Quezada: Very good. So with this card, I want you to notice this is a consonant '-le' syllable because 'b' is a consonant and it's followed by '-le'. This little dash represents the first syllable. So the first syllable of this word can change and the second syllable is a consonant '-le' syllable.

Narrator: Ms. Quezada uses keyword pictures on her flashcards, like bubble, to help students connect the new syllable to a familiar word and sound.

Liz Quezada: Spell the consonant '-le'. Ready?

Students: G-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Say, juggle.

Students: Juggle.

Liz Quezada: Say, /gŭl/.

Students: /gŭl/.

Liz Quezada: Good job.

Narrator: Notice how the students say the letters first, then the keyword, and then the sound. This predictable routine helps to build comfort and fluency with their new spelling pattern.

Liz Quezada: Spell.

Students: F-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Say, waffle.

Students: Waffle.

Liz Quezada: Say, /fŭl/.

Students: /fŭl/.

Liz Quezada: All right. You guys ready for some spelling?

Students: Yes.

Liz Quezada: We are going to say the sounds and then we're going to spell them on our papers. I want you guys, when you're spelling your words, you're going to include the dash.

Narrator: Including the dash is an important step. It reminds students that the consonant '-le' must be attached to another syllable.

Liz Quezada: Say the sound. Ready?

Together: /bŭl/.

Liz Quezada: Can you please spell the syllable? Consonant '-le' syllable that reads /bŭl/. We're going to make the dash. Okay. Let's check our work. Touch it. Ready? Say the letters.

Together: B-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Sound?

Together: /bŭl/.

Liz Quezada: Not /bŭb/. It's just /bŭl/. Ready? Next one. Number two. See number two? Say /gŭl/.

Students: /gŭl/.

Liz Quezada: Tell me how to spell it.

Students: G-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Good. Spell it on number two. Make sure you do the dash. G-L-E. Now we're going to spell it. Ready? Consonant '-le' Go. Spell.

Students: G-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Sound?

Students: /gŭl/.

Liz Quezada: /gŭl/.

Narrator: Now that they've practiced writing the consonant '-le' pattern on its own, it's time to try it out in words.

Liz Quezada: We're going to go down and we are going to be spelling words on the bottom. Okay. Here's how we're going to do it. I'm going to say a word, but I only want you to grab the first syllable. Are you ready? Alright, "turtle."

Students: Turtle.

Liz Quezada: Let's break it up. Ready? Say, turtle.

Narrator: Turtle.

Liz Quezada: Break it up.

Students: /tŭr/, /tle/.

Liz Quezada: What's the first syllable?

Students: /tŭr/.

Liz Quezada: /tŭr/. Tap it and spell it.

Together: /t/, /ŭr/.

Liz Quezada: We're going to have to think about that one though. What's the first sound?

Students: /t/.

Liz Quezada: The next sound is an r-controlled vowel, /er/. This spelling is not E-R. It's not I-R. What do you think it is? /er/. It's not E-R, it's not I-R. It's ...

Students: U-R.

Liz Quezada: U-R. Do U-R, not just an 'r'. That's R-U. True. There you go. Alright, so now we have an r-controlled syllable, right? First syllable was /tŭr/. Can you point to the syllable up top that says the second syllable? /tŭr/ ... What's the second syllable?

Students: /tul/.

Liz Quezada: Good. Alright, go ahead and finish writing it. Spell ... say your letters out loud while you're writing.

Students: T-U-R-T-L-E.

Liz Quezada: Good job. Now we're going to scoop and grab. Are you ready?

Together: /tŭr/, /tul/.

Liz Quezada: Grab

Students: Turtle.

Liz Quezada: Very good. So you guys, today you learned our consonant '-le' syllable. And when you know consonant '-le', now you're going to be able to read bigger and longer words. The C-le — consonant '-le' syllable helps you to decode those long two-syllable words. So scooping and grabbing the two syllables, putting them together and reading the word you guys did such a good job.

Narrator: Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale, the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the AFT, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Laverne Heights Elementary School, Bonita Unified School District, and the Los Angeles County Office of Education. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUteaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book.

Liz Quezada: This is Reading Universe.