Syllabic Instruction through Music

       
      The groundwork for reading can be formed through all of the visual and auditory input a child receives.  In order to become a fluent reader the child must go through a multitude of steps and it can be nearly impossible for teachers to know what experiences a child has had or what they might be ready to achieve.  As a kindergarten teacher I have found the text very helpful in explicitly breaking down all of the steps of reading development.  I try to connect each activity and interaction with students everyday into helping them develop and solidify the various steps involved to become a fluent reader.
        I found it interesting that, in the text, Tompkins suggests that syllabic instruction happen in the middle grades (198). While I agree that younger children do not perhaps have the foundational skills to gain much from direct syllabic instruction, I do believe that the skills necessary to recognize and break apart syllables can begin with very young children.  I know that we often clap out words, whether in isolation or to a beat as well as singing songs or reading poems that emphasize the syllables of words.  Later in the school year, once the children have a firmer grasp of consonants and vowels, I do some direct instruction of word patterns and very basic syllabic instruction.  I know that the skill is not mastered by all students, but I do know that we are laying the groundwork as early as kindergarten and when they get to the upper grades it is not completely new to them. 
       I understand that young students might not truly get the idea of syllables or even be able to clap out most words, but I do think that they are able to start to hear the rhythm in words.  By making a point to give students experiences with music and the rhythm of language we are not only exposing them to an easily accessible and age appropriate mode of instructing to build phonemic awareness or phonics, but also more complicated concepts such as syllabication.  Check out this website for a variety of songs related to literacy skills! J
Tompkins, G.E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century:  A balanced approach (5th ed.). 
     Boston, MA: Pearson