What is a syllable wheel?

A syllable wheel is a teaching aid that is inexpensive and easy to make and use.

It helps learners develop the following word attack skills:

• Blending consonants and vowels into syllables
• Breaking syllables into component parts
• Recognizing syllable patterns
• Recognizing symbols for consonant sounds
• Recognizing symbols for vowel sounds.

A syllable wheel is a teaching aid that allows a learner to substitute letters in a designated position in a syllable. The learner rotates an inner wheel to line up letters printed on it with letters printed on an outer wheel.

Here are the features of a syllable wheel:

• Two circles of heavy paper: a large circle with a smaller one on top of it.
• The two circles are fastened together in the center so that they can be rotated independently.
• The large circle has the first letter or letters of syllables printed all around the edge.
• The small circle has letters for the end of syllables printed around the edge.
• The circles or “wheels” are rotated to line up the letters to make various syllables.

• The syllable wheel may have a long “window” attached to frame a syllable as it is lined up. This focuses attention on a specific syllable and eliminates the distraction of the other letters.

Here is an example of a syllable wheel:

• Syllable wheel

• Brown, G. 1984
• Barnwell 1979:49-57

• Concept module: syllable wheel
• In overview module: Glossary (Literacy): S
• In modular book: Glossary of literacy terms
• In document collection: Reference materials
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 8 December 1998

© 1999 SIL International