Place students in groups and give them a pile of one syllable words written on strips of paper or index cards, mixing open syllables and closed syllables. Have the group members work together to group words by open and closed syllables, then reward the group that gets the most correct or completes the task first. Instead of putting students in groups, place a sign with the word "open" and a sign with the word "closed" on the wall. Have students tape the words under the appropriate sign. For another idea, display groups of words on the wall and have students mark the open syllables with colored dot stickers.
Pair students up and have them play card games. Give each student a pile of one-syllable words, face down. Have each student flip over a card at the same time and determine if both words contain an open syllable. If they do, the first student to slap the cards wins them. The student with the most cards wins the game. Have students quiz one another by having one student hold up a card with a one syllable word on it and the other student deciding if it contains an open or closed syllable.
After practicing identifying open syllables with single syllable words, introduce students to words with multiple syllables. Have students break words into parts and then place the parts into bins labeled "open syllable" and "closed syllable." Ask students to cut out words from magazine and highlight the open syllables in the words. Challenge students to see who can find the most open syllable words.
Online games allow students to practice recognizing syllables. The more practice students have with using syllables, it will be easier to find open syllables. Fun4theBrain (fun4thebrain.com) offers Syllable Split where words are split into syllables and students must click on the word they hear. Sadlier-Oxford's (sadlier-oxford.com) Space Station of the 21st Century gives students a word and asks them to type it out by separating the syllables with a hyphen. Turn the game into more of a learning experience by observing students as they play and asking them to identify a syllable as open or closed.