Portuguese Year 1: Words, syllables and sounds
Portuguese, Year 1 (Portugal): Tell apart the pieces of language, words, syllables and sounds (phonemes), and see that one sound can need two letters.
The pieces of language
A sentence is made of words. A word is made of syllables: clap your hands and each clap is one syllable (sa-po has two). A syllable is made of sounds, which are called phonemes: s-a-p-o. Letters are how we write the sounds, but a letter is not always one sound.
Why split words
When you can hear the pieces, reading and writing become easier. To write a new word, you say it slowly, hear each sound and write it down. To read a long word, you go syllable by syllable. Children who hear the sounds well find it much easier to learn to read.
A case: «chuva»
Word: «chuva» (rain). Step 1: clap it: chu-va, two claps, so two syllables. Step 2: say the sounds slowly: “sh”, “u”, “v”, “a”. That is four sounds. Step 3: count the letters: c-h-u-v-a, five letters. Step 4: compare: five letters but four sounds, because «ch» writes just one sound.
Letters are not always sounds
Many children count letters when asked for sounds. But «ch», «lh», «nh» and «rr» are two letters for one sound: «chuva», «coelho», «ninho», «carro». And the letter s between two vowels sounds like z: in «casa» you hear “caza”. Also, a syllable is not a letter: count claps, not letters.
Where you use it
You use it in clapping games with names, when you say a new word slowly to write it, when you read a long word syllable by syllable, and when you find rhymes. Try it with your own name: how many claps, and how many sounds?
Test what you learned
Clap the word «janela». How many syllables does it have?
- a) Two
- b) Three
- c) Six, like the letters
Correct answer: b) Three — Yes: ja-ne-la has three claps, so three syllables.
The word «chuva» has five letters. How many sounds does it have?
- a) Five, one for each letter
- b) Three
- c) Four
Correct answer: c) Four — Yes: «ch», «u», «v», «a». The two letters c and h write one sound.
In which word are there fewer sounds than letters?
- a) sapo
- b) mala
- c) bola
- d) carro
Correct answer: d) carro — Yes: c-a-r-r-o has five letters, but «rr» is one sound, so there are only four sounds.
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