Guided reading enables emerging readers to develop their skills. Among the skills learned is the ability to decipher words with syllables. During guided reading, students read their text out loud. When a student runs into difficulty when interpreting syllables, the teacher then instructs her to break the troublesome word into syllables. The student will be asked to place a slash where the syllable breaks occur for each word. This tactic ensures that the student practices with words that have syllables and also gets immediate feedback, ensuring that lessons are understood correctly.
Games provide another method for teaching children syllables. One teaching method involves clapping. By clapping, children learn syllables through association with rhythm. First, children are familiarized with the definition and concept of syllables. Then, the teacher gives her students examples of words with syllables. With each word, the teacher claps with each syllable. After the class begins to understand more about syllables, children are asked to clap along with the teacher.
During syllable drilling, students are encouraged to study a list of common words and syllables. After preparing, the students undergo timed drills. Drills will contain a set amount of random syllables and words with different types of syllables, typically around 20 words. Students are asked to read the words and syllables quickly over the course of one minute. During the drill, the teacher marks incorrect responses. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage practicing syllable in a fun and engaging way. Drilling also allows students to see their progress as they become faster and more accurate.
Mirrors provide a fun way for students to understand the concept of syllables and how to pronounce syllables correctly. During this exercise, teachers hand out small mirrors to each student. The students are then asked to look in the mirror and repeat words with syllables in it. To learn to recognize syllables, teachers will instruct students to pay attention to how many times they open their mouth while pronouncing a word.