Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic Awareness

Research has proven that “preschoolers and kindergarteners who are provided phonemic awareness training become better readers (Ball &Blachman, 1991; Lundberg, Frost, & Peterson, 1998).   In fact one of the best predictors of how well students will learn to read during their first two years of school is phonemic awareness (Learning First Alliance, 2000; NRP, 2000).” (Vaughn and Linan-Thompson, 2004).  The research clearly states that there are significant positive benefits from explicit instruction in phonemic awareness. 

With that being said, phonemic awareness is one of the essential elements of reading instruction.  Phonemic awareness is defined as the ability to rhyme, identify phonemes (smallest identifiable units of sound) in words and segmenting words and sentences. It’s the ability to manipulate phonemes, by separating, blending, adding, deleting and substituting phonemes. 

 Phonological Awareness Skills and Activities

Discriminating – Students listen to determine if two words begin or end with the same sound

Counting – students identify the number of words in a sentence, syllables in a word, or sounds in a word

Rhyming – Students create words families with rhyming words. (this can include nonsense words)

Alliteration – students create tongue twisters

Blending – students say the sounds in a word and then put them ”together” (you can use manipulatives to demonstrate the blending)

Segmenting – students say the word and then say each syllable or sound

Manipulating – deleting, adding, and substituting sounds and syllables.

·         Deleting – deleting initial and final sounds

·         Adding – adding syllables or sounds to words  

·         Substituting – changing sounds (for example – changing the /b/ in bat to a /p/ to make pat

 

Here is Reading rockets article that will provide more information on the development of phonological skills.  It may help you gain a better understand.   

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/28759

Well there it is in a nutshell.

Now the Tejas Lee and TPRi data you will acquire at the beginning of the year will give you a better picture of the instructional path needed for your students.  Not only will you see the strengths and deficiencies of the entire class, but also those of individual students.

 

Phonics - coming soon...