Using Compound Words to Introduce Syllables

Guest post by Margot Edwards 

 

Teaching a child to understand the underlying structure of spoken language is a key component in the child’s development of phonemic awareness, a crucial skill for children who are learning to read.

It can be difficult, however, to explain the concept of syllables to a preschooler. Even small children are intimately familiar with the meaning of language. Sentences and words have meaning. But a syllable may have a meaning of its own (such as run- in running), or it may not (the al- in alligator). If a syllable has no independent meaning, many children simply don’t notice it as a unit of speech apart from the meaning of the whole word.

I recommend easing children into this tricky concept with a series of compound word activities. Compound words are multi-syllable words that are made up of smaller words, such as snowball, dollhouse, and horseshoe. Because each syllable of a two-syllable compound word is a word on its own, children are better able to notice the syllables and to understand what you mean when you talk about dividing a word into parts.

Recent research has shown us that synthesis (blending separate syllables into words) is easier for children than analysis (dividing words into syllables). So start with two synthesis activities. In the first, Making Compound Words, say two one-syllable words for the child (such as pop and corn), with a big pause in between, and the child will combine them to make a compound word. In a follow-up activity, Making A Longer Word, you give the child the two parts of a three-syllable compound word (e.g., blue and berry), to combine into a longer word.

Analysis of compound words is a more difficult skill, so I’ve created a series of six activities to teach the concept bit by bit. In Part 1, the child must identify the first part of a compound word (“Say fishbowl but don’t say bowl”), using a picture card as a visual clue. On the card are four pictures, one of which is the correct answer.

Part 2 is exactly the same activity but without any picture clues. Without pictures, the child will have to work harder to remember the word, divide it into parts, and say only the part you ask for.

Part 3 requires the child to pick out the second syllable (“Say rainbow without rain…what’s the last word in rainbow?”), with picture cards as clues. Part 4 is the same but with no picture cards.

In Part 5, give the child a mix of words. Sometimes you will have him tell you the first part of the word, and sometimes the second part. This is a big challenge for his memory and listening skills, but we provide picture cards to help him. In the sixth and final activity, the child must identify either the first or last syllable of a compound word, with no picture clues.

Start with the first of these activities, play it with the child for 10-15 minutes a day until he’s mastered it, then move on to the next activity. Before you know it, the child will be ready to dive into learning about syllables.

Margo Edwards is the Director of Content Development at SightWords.com, a website dedicated to the promotion of child literacy through a variety of free online resources. SightWords.com is proud to be sponsored by the Georgia Preschool Association. 

Help, what can I get to work on my child's speech, language or communication skills at home?

There is no substitute for direct work with a speech and language therapist but sometimes the waiting list is very long or the availability is poor in your area. If your child is struggling with a speech, language or communication issue, what are you supposed to do? You could 'google' the problem, but how do you know what you find is credible or value for money?

We decide to set up a site where we could sell books, activity packs, games and ideas, which are written by, or certainly endorsed by, practicing speech and language therapists. Parents can search by age or the 'problem' to find materials which will help at home. www.speechtherapyactivities.co.uk

There are old favourites such as Toddler Talk from ICAN alongside new materials such as the Auditory Memory pack. We'll be adding more very soon such as Hanen's More Than Words and It Takes Two to Talk. If there's any area in particular you'd like something for, please let us know. We're already working on a phonological awareness pack for pre-reading or pre-speech work skills and a word finding pack for those who struggle to access the words they know.

 

Get in touch at the usual address  info@smalltalk-ltd.co.uk or enquiries@speechtherapyactivities.co.uk We look forwards to hearing from you.

Communication Leaders

This new initiative from the Communication Trust looks excellent. 

Communication Leaders is a peer-mentoring approach to supporting the language and communication development of primary and secondary pupils. It allows children and young people to take on a unique leadership role in communication within their schools and homes. 

You can choose how to implement this approach in your school. You'll find everything you need in the link below, including a training session for staff to introduce the approach and resources to the chosen Communication Leaders, the resource packs, and a video showing staff and Communication Leaders talking about their experiences from the pilot project.  
Click here

Smart Talkers in East Staffordshire!

Celebrating the official opening of our clinic

Please make this go viral!! It's a great cause

Last week, AFASIC  launched #HumForAfasic social media campaign to raise awareness of speech, language and communication needs. In an effort to ‘go viral’ and spread the word on SLCN and the work of Afasic, they are using Facebook as a tool and hope that many of their members, supporters, friends and staff will get involved.

The idea of the challenge is to video yourself humming a song, upload it to Facebook and nominate some friends to guess your song and do their own video. This is also a great opportunity to raise some much-needed funding for Afasic, so we have set up a text code where people can donate £3 by texting ‘HUMA50 £3’ TO 70070.

They chose humming to demonstrate the difficulties many children with SLCN face on a day to day basis, while also being a fun challenge.  We'll be uploading our attempt shortly!

Please join in with the #HumForAfasic challenge. Let’s get humming!

For any questions about how to get involved, please email Victoria Ward or call on 0207 490 9410.

Sequencing - not just writing stories!

Every week I receive phone calls from parents asking me to work with their child, often stating that they can talk 'fine' it just some speech sound errors. On first meeting the child I can see that yes the child does have some problems with speech sounds and is talking in full sentences, but on closer inspection realise that much of what the child is saying doesn't make a lot of sense. Children often struggle to plan and organise their ideas in a logical way, which results in the listener finding it difficult to follow what they are trying to say and is often the result of a sequencing problem. The ability to sequence doesn't just correspond to narrative skills, but encompasses all areas of language development including; speaking, understanding, thinking, reading and writing.

To keep up with the increasing demand from children to include some technology based activities in therapy I have recently discovered some fabulous iPad Apps from Colorcards, which help me to target sequencing problems and the interactive activities are both motivating and engaging for children of all ages.

When working with either a group or individual children I like to use the 'Everyday Objects' app first to ensue the child is able to describe the pictures accurately, as a foundation skill to sequencing. All three sequence apps ie 'Basic', '4-step' and '6&8 step' are definitely worth investing in, as it is vital to ensue the child fully understands the concepts of first, next and last in a simple three part sequence, before you can expect them to build up to large sequences and then eventually prediction. The added extra of an accessible report template is quick to use and enables me to comprehensively track progress throughout the therapy process.

Each app has the great ability to set up multiple student accounts which can be tailored to target individual difficulties and goals. Differentiating between three levels (easy, medium, hard) is fantastic for building confidence with even low level abilities and being able to input your own images supports the child to be fully engaged in their own learning. Often some of the children I come into contact with have had limited and varying life experiences, so the option of creating your own story sequences ensures these apps are accessible to everyone.

Natasha Hallam