Syllable patterns: Three medial Consonants

northern Notice that this word has 3 medial consonants (consonants in the middle) In northern, the r stands for one sound /r/, and the letters th stand for one sound /th/. northern is divided into syllables between r and th The th stays together when the word is divided into syllables. nor/thern

deergrass  Notice that this word has 3 medial consonants (consonants in the middle)  In deergrass, the r stands for one sound, /r/  The letters gr form a blend /gr/.  The word is divided into syllables between r and gr deer/grass

Remember… In a word with 3 medial consonants, the two consonants that stand for one sound or form a blend stay together when the word is divided. Knowing this rule can help you break longer words into syllables in order to read them.

Try these. Identify the 3 medial consonants. Where are the syllable breaks?

healthy Turn and tell your partner what the 3 medial consonants are. healthy Hold up the number of fingers that show how many syllables are in this word. heal/ thy -2 syllables Why do the letters th stay together? Turn and tell your partner th will stay together because the letters th make one sound /th/

display Turn and tell your partner what the 3 medial consonants are. display Hold up the number of fingers that show how many syllables are in this word. dis/play - 2 syllables Why do the letters pl stay together? Turn and tell your partner. Remember- pl will stay together because the letters p and l form a blend /pl/

thickness Turn and tell your partner what the 3 medial consonants are. thickness Hold up the number of fingers that show how many syllables are in this word. thick/ness – it has 2 syllables Why do the letters ck stay together? Turn and tell your partner. The letters ck stay together because they form one sound /ck/

underground Turn and tell your partner what the 3 medial consonants are. underground Hold up the number of fingers that show how many syllables are in this word un /der /ground-3 syllables Turn and tell your partner why gr will stay together in the 3 rd syllable. gr forms the blend /gr/ Thumbs up if the 1 st syllable is open, thumbs down if it is closed. If you gave a thumbs up you are right!

Remember: In a word with three medial consonants, the two consonants that stand for one sound, or form a blend, stay together when the word is divided into syllables.

Look in the story, “Weaving A California Tradition.” Find 5 longer multisyllable words that have three medial consonants and divide the words into syllables. Blend the syllables to read each word to a partner.