Second Grade Reading and English Language Arts

By: Amy Compton

Basic Elements of Phonetic Analysis

• Syllabication

• Diphthongs

• Digraphs

• Variant vowel sounds such as r-controlled

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syl∙lab∙i∙ca∙tion

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Syllabication is the process

of analyzing the patterns of

vowels and consonants in a

word to determine where

the word breaks into

syllables

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A syllable is a unit of

pronunciation containing a

single vowel sound with or

without more closely

combined consonant

sounds

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Chry∙san∙the∙mumby Kevin Henkes

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Practice

Syllable Syllable Syllable Syllable

absolutely

alphabet

bloomed

dreadful

flower

garden

name

perfect

thirteen

wilted

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Answers

Syllable Syllable Syllable Syllable

absolutely ab so lute ly

alphabet al pha bet

bloomed bloomed

dreadful dread ful

flower flow er

garden gar den

name name

perfect per fect

thirteen thir teen

wilted wilt ed

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diph∙thong

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A diphthong is a complex

speech sound or glide that

begins with one vowel and

gradually changes to

another vowel within the

same syllable

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Chry∙san∙the∙mumby Kevin Henkes

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“Chrysanthemum grew and grew and grew.”12

“She loved the way it sounded when her mother woke her up.

She loved the way it sounded when her father called her for

dinner.

And she loved the way it sounded when she whispered it to

herself in the bathroom mirror.”

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di graph∙

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A vowel digraph is two

vowel letters in a word that

represent only one sound

A consonant digraph is two

consonant letters in a word

that represent only one

sound

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Chry∙san∙the∙mumby Kevin Henkes

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On the first day, Chrysanthemum wore her sunniest dress

and her brightest smile. She ran all the way.

“Hooray!” said Chrysanthemum. “School!””

“Chrysanthemum thought her name was absolutely perfect.

And then she started school.

“But when Mrs. Chud took roll call, everyone giggled

upon hearing Chrysanthemum’s name.”

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r-con trolled vow el∙ ∙

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When a vowel letter is

followed by an r, the vowel

and the r represent one

murmuring vowel sound;

therefore, the vowel sound

is r-controlled

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Chry∙san∙the∙mumby Kevin Henkes

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“The day she was ____ was the happiest day in her parents’ lives.”

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O R

KTNBF

“The day she was born was the happiest day in her parents’ lives.”

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O R

KT

NB

F

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References

• Henkes, Kevin. Chrysanthemum. New York:

Greenwillow Books, 1991.