Teacher Master Key • Lesson 123 & 123 Continued
Multisyllabic Word Study • Frank Dempster Sherman's “December” • Page 67
INSTRUCTOR REFERENCE KEY
1 Complete Orthoepic & Syllabic Matrix (Lesson 123 Vocabulary)
16 Target Multisyllabic Words
Word Syllabication IPA Structure Phonetic & Etymological Notes
December De•cem•ber /dɪˈsɛm.bər/ 3 syllables Latin decem (ten). Soft c before e speaks /s/. Primary stress on 2nd syllable.
motionless mo•tion•less /ˈmoʊ.ʃən.ləs/ 3 syllables Base motion (-tion = /ʃən/) + negative adjective suffix -less.
liberty lib•er•ty /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/ 3 syllables Latin libertas via OF liberte. Closed first syllable /lɪb-/.
marble mar•ble /ˈmɑːr.bəl/ consonant -le OF marbre. Syllabic lateral /əl/ with silent final e.
meadow mead•ow /ˈmɛd.oʊ/ ea = short ĕ OE mǣdwe. Digraph ea speaks short /ɛ/; terminal -ow speaks /oʊ/.
liquid liq•uid /ˈlɪk.wɪd/ qu = /kw/ Latin liquidus. Digraph qu represents labio-velar stop /kw/.
1. Principles of Syllable Division
• Twin Consonants (VC/CV): Divide between identical consonants: hid-den, sum-mer, bab-bling, hol-ly.
• Consonant-LE: Count back three letters from the end: mar-ble (consonant b + le).
• Suffix Detachment: Separate inflectional suffixes cleanly from the base: whit-est, sweet-est, tell-ing.
2. Sherman's Metaphor & Silent Orthography
• The Marble Metaphor: December covers the landscape in snow, transforming ordinary fence posts into white marble statues.
• Silent Letters in the Lyric:
  – wrought: Silent w and gh (/rɔːt/).
  – ghosts: Silent h (/ɡoʊsts/).
  – rhyme: Silent h and long y = /aɪ/ (/raɪm/).
3 Oral Dictation Sentences (Administer in Class)
Contextual Application • Exact Decodability
1. In cold December, a silent world in whitest marble was wrought.
2. The lonely posts stood motionless and white as ghosts.
3. The babbling brook ran through the frozen meadow.
4. Deep snow has hidden all the quiet garden paths we used to know.
5. Bright holly was hung while the children sang the sweetest carols.
4 Syllabication Patterns: Twin Consonant Split vs. Consonant-LE
Morphological Rules
Twin Consonant Split (VC/CV):
• hid-den (hid • den)
• sum-mer (sum • mer)
• bab-bling (bab • bling)
• hol-ly (hol • ly)
Suffix Attachment:
• whit-est (white + -est)
• sweet-est (sweet + -est)
• tell-ing (tell + -ing)
• mo-tion-less (motion + -less)
Compound & Classical Roots:
• song-bird (compound noun)
• mar-ble (consonant-le)
• lib-er-ty (3 syllables)
• De-cem-ber (soft c = /s/)
Evaluative Scoring Rubric (20 Points Total) Mastery Assessment
• 1. Syllable Division Accuracy (6 pts): Correctly divides and spells multisyllabic target words from Sherman's poem.
• 2. Silent Letter Precision (5 pts): Correctly spells words with silent letters (wrought, ghosts, rhyme).
• 3. Sherman Dictation Mastery (5 pts): Transcribes the administered poetry lines with 100% orthographic precision.
• 4. 26px Penmanship Standard (4 pts): Letters aligned to 26px baseline, ascenders and descenders properly formed, midline touches at 13px.
Socratic Discussion Prompts Classroom Administration
1. Syllable Clap: “Clap the syllables in 'De-cem-ber'. How many claps? Now clap 'mo-tion-less'!”
2. Twin Consonants: “Why do words like 'hidden' and 'summer' have double letters? Where do we divide them?”
3. Poetic Vision: “Why does Sherman say the snow is like 'whitest marble wrought'? What does 'wrought' mean?”
4. Season Contrast: “How does Sherman contrast the silence of December with the babbling brook of summer time?”