English Language Development

learned to associate graphemes (letters and letter combinations) with sounds. Their spelling was
primarily a representation of transparent phoneme-grapheme relationships. (See the discussion of
spelling presented previously in this chapter.) During grades two and three, children gain more insights
into the logic of the English written system, including learning syllable patterns (which they began to
learn in grade one). The six syllable patterns in English described by Moats (2000) are presented in
figure 4.11.

Figure 4.11. English Syllable Types

Syllable Type Definition Example

Closed A syllable ending in a consonant

(generally signals a short vowel sound)

hot

pic-nic

Open A syllable ending in a vowel (generally

signals a long vowel sound)

go

e-ven

in-for-ma-tion

Vowel-C-e A syllable containing a vowel followed

by a consonant and an e (generally

signals the e is silent and the preceding

vowel is long)

ride

late

com-plete

Vowel Team A syllable containing two to four letters

representing a single vowel sound (may

represent a long, short, or diphthong

vowel sound)

rain

ouch

through-out

Vowel-r A syllable in which the vowel is followed

by an r (generally signals that the

vowel sound is dominated by the /r/

sound)

her

per-fect

fur-ther

Consonant-le A final syllable ending in a consonant,

the letters le (allows the reader to

identify whether the preceding syllable

is open or closed, and therefore

whether the vowel is more likely to be

long or short)

ta-ble (preceding syllable

is open)

bu-gle (preceding syllable

is open)

can-dle (preceding

syllable is closed)

ap-ple (preceding syllable

is closed)

Instruction in phonics and word recognition coincides with instruction in other strands and
domains of ELA/literacy, including fluency, writing, and vocabulary. In other words, teachers ensure
that students understand that among the purposes of instruction in phonics and word recognition are
fluent reading, effective writing, and vocabulary learning; phonics and word recognition are not ends
in themselves. (Note: This type of sound-based instruction is not applicable to most students who are
deaf and hard of hearing.)

Phonics and word recognition instruction for ELs is differentiated based on students’ prior literacy
experiences, similarities between their primary language and English, and their oral proficiency in

312 | Chapter 4 Grades 2 and 3