1. Overview of Open Syllables

Six Syllable Types

Use this Teacher Guide as a handy reference for all six syllable types.

Hide Video Transcript Show Video Transcript

DeAngela Huggins: Open or closed syllables?

Students: Open.

DeAngela Huggins: Open. So if it's open, Georgia, what's the sound of our vowel?

Georgia: /ō/ ...

DeAngela Huggins: /ō/ ... Now let's read our syllable together. It is ...

Students: /bō/ ...

DeAngela Huggins: What is it?

Students: /bō/ ...

DeAngela Huggins: Then we have open or closed?

Students: Closed.

DeAngela Huggins: Closed. What's the sound of our vowel?

Students: /ă/ ...

DeAngela Huggins: And let's read it.

/lăs/ ...

Students: Plus how, why is it important to know that if it's open or if it's closed? Why do we need to know that? Why don't we even care? Leona?

Leona: Um, if we know if it's open or closed, then we know if it makes its long sound or its short sound.

DeAngela Huggins: And that helps us to do what?

Leona: Read and write.

DeAngela Huggins: Very good. It helps us to read and write the words. So what was our syllable? Let's go ...

Students: /lăs/ ...

DeAngela Huggins: /lăs/ ... Very good.

Pronounce the Vowel Sounds

Hide Video Transcript Show Video Transcript

Morgan Walton: I am going to demonstrate how to pronounce the vowel sounds. I'm going to start with the short vowel sounds. Vowels spell the short sound when they're enclosed-syllable words ... /ă/ as in apple ... /ĕ/ as in edge ... /ĭ/ as in itch ... /ŏ/ as in octopus ... /ŭ/ as in up. The next group of vowel sounds are long vowels. Vowels spell the long sound when they're found in an open syllable. The silent 'e' syllable, and some vowel teams ... /ā/ as in acorn ... /ē/ as in eagle ... /ī/ as in ice ... /ō/ as in oval ... /ū/ as in unicorn. The next group of vowel sounds are spelled with vowel teams or diphthongs. They make a distinct sound that is neither long or short ... /aw/ as in "saw" ... /o͞o/ as in ooze ... /o͝o/ as in book ... /ow/ as in house ... /oi/ as in oink. The next set of vowels are called r-controlled vowels ... /ar/ as in "arm" ... /er/ as in bird, fern, and turn ... /or/ as in horn. The last sound is called schwa. Schwa is the sound that we say in an unstressed syllable ... /ə/ as in balloon.

Vowel Valley

Download a PDF of the vowel valley.