Essential Facts About The Consonant le Syllable

Learning about the consonant le syllable can be a fun adventure! In the history of our wonderful language, most le words were spelled el, but this reversed over time.

The consonant +le syllable is a syllable where you have a consonant with an le following it. The e is a silent e in these words. There is a new sound that happens in these syllables right before the letter <l>. So you will hear the vowel sound making a schwa sound of /ul/ Examples include -ble, -cle, -dle, -fle, and -gle.

Important Facts to Teach about the Consonant le Syllable Pattern

The Consonant le syllable is found in so many multisyllabic words our struggling readers must understand them for spelling and reading skills! Here are some facts to share with your students in an Orton Gillingham Lesson.

• They occur only at the end of a word and usually take three letters: A consonant, then ‘l’ followed by a silent e. Examples include -ble, -fle,-gle -kle, ple, zle etc.
• An interesting feature about these types of syllables is that they may follow many different types of syllable patterns such as open (sta-ble),closed(rip-ple) or r controlled vowel sounds (pur-ple) and vowel teams (stee-ple).
• The final silent letter might be puzzling but we need it for every syllable to contain a vowel; for correct pronunciation!

An exception to the Consonant le syllable

• There is an exception to this syllable type it is the letter combination <stle>. Whenever a word ends in <stle> the <t> is silent. The <I> is the only letter heard in this le syllable. The <s> is part of the first syllable Examples are: (bus/tle, whis/tle, rus/tle, bus/tle, cas/tle, nes/tle).

When to teach the Consonant le syllable Type

Though the vast majority of le syllables have open and closed syllables before them. This syllable type can occur after 4 different syllable types. It is important to wait to teach it until you have taught closed, open, vowel team, and r-controlled.

Teach the Closed Syllable Pattern

However, if teaching this syllable type is necessary sooner then just be sure to only use words where the first syllable is a type your student has experience with. For example: teach words with a double consonant in the middle. That will ensure the first syllable is closed where the vowel says a short sound. (eg, nibble, little, giggle, ripple). Show beginning readers that the first closed syllable has a short vowel sound.

Teach the Open Syllable Pattern

You could also teach a focused lesson on the open syllable pattern with consonant le with word lists including (stable, table, bridle, bugle, and title) Help readers see how the open syllable has a vowel with a long sound. Then do a search for the different syllable types focusing on the beginning syllable.

Strategies For Teaching the Consonant le Syllable Type For Reading

The consonant le syllable is a unique ending structure found in many words. To familiarize students with this type of component, I introduce them to numerous examples and ask them which consonants are present before the “-le”. Then we use the process of counting back 3 and divide up the word.

1. Give the students an index card with the target word.
2. Have them locate the final 3 letters.
3. Have them divide the word before the final 3 letters.
4. Have them identify the syllable types for both syllables.
5. Spend time marking the vowels in the syllable pattern.
6. Read the 2 syllables and then blend the word.

Strategies For Teaching the Consonant le Syllable Type for Spelling

Once a student is familiar with the different types of syllables it is not difficult to teach students to Orthographically map consonant le syllable words. When we are teaching students to form le words, dictation is one of the best ways to develop spelling skills.

1. Have the children break multisyllabic words into 2 syllables
2. Segment the first syllable into sounds. (Mark each sound with a dot.)
3. Write each letter to map with the pronounced sound.
4. Identify the first syllable type and the vowel sound associated with the type (If the syllable ends with a vowel the vowel will be long (e.g. title, or stable) If the syllable ends with a consonant the vowel will be short (e.g. nibble or giggle)
5. Have the students say the second syllable. Remind them that the word will end in consonant le and since the e is silent it will be in one box with the <l> It is also important for students to know for spelling English words don’t end in <bul> or <tul> etc. That /ul/ sound is a schwa sound.
6. Have students write the letters and say their names as they write for simultaneous processing. This is an important part of the Orton Gillingham multisensory practice process. Have students read and form words using this process.

Remember Make Practice Multisensory

Remember that for struggling readers the multisensory aspect is critical. Regardless of the activity, incorporate at least 3 senses. If students are writing, make sure they’re also vocalizing the letter names as they write the word. Then always have students read the word out loud again.

Games and Activities For Teaching Consonant le

Use Decodable Passages

In almost every blog post I talk about using decodable passages with students. Students respond well to seeing syllable types within the context of a connected text. I usually have students highlight the words and syllables with highlighters. Kids like it and it accentuates the syllables for reading. Then we always do dictation from words in the story as well as write a sentence or a phrase as well.

Use Cloze Passages

Struggling readers benefit from cloze passages because it encourages them to pay attention to context and comprehension of words. It gives students the opportunity to reread the passage with a purpose. It always helps with fluency.

Use Word Sorts

Spice up your classroom with interesting word sorts! Sort open and closed syllables to engage the students and collect their attention. For further fun, challenge them with dictation sorts or grammar-based sorts – have them distinguish between nouns and verbs with consonant le, then build sentences out of the words they’ve sorted. With these creative activities, lesson time is sure to fly by!

Write Write Write

To ensure our struggling readers reach their literacy goals, let’s avoid the common mistake of focusing solely on reading. When we encourage writing as well – having students engage in activities like spelling and orthographic mapping – it can be a powerful tool for improving overall reading fluency!

Play Games

Ideas for ending boring lessons! Let your students play and learn at the same time. They’ll be so busy having fun playing memory or concentration with consonant le words, they won’t even realize how much reading practice they are getting in. And don’t forget about Go Fish – all teachers need to do is make 2 copies of our word card resources and free anchor charts from the freebie library for hours of entertainment while improving their literacy skills!

Add to Your Student’s Phonics Skills Tool Box

Concluding, consonant le syllables add to students’ proficiency with syllable types by giving them the opportunity to practice and build words to add more syllables to their tool box. To make this process successful, it is important for teachers to remember multisensory activities are key for struggling readers, as well as having fun games that also add to the learning experience. With enough practice, students will become more proficient readers!

FAQ:

What is a Consonant le Syllable?

Consonant Le syllables are a type of syllable, where the word ends in a consonant followed by <le>. The e at the end of the word is silent. Examples of consonant le syllables include apple, bubble, and middle. It is important for students to understand and practice the different syllables for reading fluency.

What is a Consonant Le exception?

The exception to this syllable type it is the letter combination <stle>. Whenever a word ends in <stle> the <t> is silent. The <I> is the only letter heard in this le syllable. The <s> is part of the first syllable Examples are: (bus/tle, whis/tle, rus/tle).