Decoding Phonics in Intermediate Grades

As intermediate classroom teachers we have all experienced the
non-reader or struggling reader. The chances are extremely high
that they also struggle with spelling and writing. I hear examples
of students with these struggles from their teachers every week.
So know you are not the only teacher struggling with this
problem, but we have a nation of learners facing these struggles.

While working with students who know they are struggling,
I have found it key to let them know they’re smart and that I’m
going to help them learn a new way of decoding. Building back
their confidence is just as important as getting them to be
able to read.

Starting with six key vowel rules, I teach and train the students
to locate them in words. These six key vowel rules are: closed
syllable, open syllable, vowel teams, silent “e,” “r” controlled,
and consonant “le”. The objective is for the learner to use these
tools to be able to pronounce a word. Yes, there are digraphs and
diphthongs that change the sounds but by using these six vowel
rules they are able to get an approximation for most words and
then with context clues know how to say the word correctly.

The other key in this process is using their classroom texts.
They are finding the words and using the skills in their reading
rather than teaching them the rules with alternate text and then
having them apply the rules in their classroom texts.

Another struggle you often experience with these students is
they do not hear the individual sounds in the
words—-phonemic awareness. You may have to step back
and teach the learner how to hear each sound in the word
and then using the six-vowel rules construct the word.
Surprisingly, this can have a big impact on their ability to spell.
It is often assumed students have already mastered these rules,
when in fact, they have not. Again this skill can be taught using
words from their texts and applying the six-vowel rules. It’s a
great feeling as you see your students start to be able to decode

words and start reading. It will happen faster than you think and
you don’t need to buy a new curriculum. Remember
teachers teach; curriculums don’t.  

Rule	Explanation
Closed Syllable	The vowel is followed by a consonant making the vowel short. Cat  - mud -  pig - bet - lot Kid/nap – pic/nic – nap/kin
Open Syllable	There is not a consonant after the vowel making the vowel long. Go – me – a – I Ro/bot – me/ter – na/ture – ma/jor
Vowel Teams	The first vowel says its name, or is long. The saying, “when two vowels go walking the first does the talking.” Rain – eat – bait – goat – meat
Silent “e”	Vowel consonant “e,” the vowel will be long or say its name. Hike – cane – make – cute - pope
“r” Controlled	The “r” follows the vowel and controls the sound. Far – curl – shirt – her – corn – bark - ark
Consonant le	Multi-syllable words, found at the end making its own syllable. Lit/tle – bot/tle – tum/ble- jun/gle – sim/ple – ket/tle

Roll Six Game

Roll the die and locate a word with that syllable rule. The one who
finds five words with the rule wins.

1	2	3	4	5	6
Closed	Open	Vowel Team	Silent “e”	“r” Controlled	Consonant le