how many parts?

One of our essential literacy standards in Kindergarten is;

K.2.B
Count, produce, blend and segment syllables in spoken words.

The language we use in the classroom is;

I can hear the parts in a word.

I can clap or show the parts in a word using blocks or tiles.

I can count the parts in a word and show how many.

I can put the parts together and say the whole word.

Our name work at the beginning of the year provided a meaningful way to introduce and practice this skill. We listened for and showed the parts in our names during morning meeting. We showed how many parts in a peer's name in different ways.

This past week we used name exit tickets following our morning meeting. All children were able to circle the number of parts in their name. Photographs from our morning meeting and exit tickets provide valuable information on children's understanding of the targeted skill. All of the Kindergarteners were able to circle how many parts in their name and have been able to listen for and show the parts in words from our hikes.

Earlier this week we hiked to the Beaver Pond and stopped along the way to clap the syllables in words from nature; field, meadow, tree, beaver, lodge, pond.

The following day our morning message had pictures of beautiful places we've visited on our hikes. The children used sticky notes to write the number of parts in each word.

Why is this important?

When a child is able to break a word into parts, they can begin to listen for the sounds in each part, helping them to decode and encode text. It is helpful and easier to read or write a word using the sounds in each part, instead of trying to hear and blend a string of sounds. It is important we explore and play with words and language.

Our I Can statement has become a WE Can statement.

It is also important for Kindergarten students to continue to practice this skill with a variety of words and in different contexts. We have been exploring 1-3 syllable words and will continue our work with words containing 3-5 syllables. We will do this work with names, words from nature, and words in our classroom environment. 

You can support your child's exploration of words at home, too. When you and your child are baking at home, think about the ingredients. How many parts in the word milk? How many parts in the word sugar? How many parts in the word mixing? What do you hear? Clap the parts or show how many parts by tapping a spoon on the table.