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kindergarten teacher helping students make the sounds in words

Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds, or phonemes. A child’s skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.

ABCs of Phonemic Awareness

ABCs of Phonemic Awareness

With little or no direct instruction, almost all young children develop the ability to understand spoken language. While most kindergarten children have mastered the complexities of speech, they do not know that spoken language is made up of discrete words, which are made up of syllables, which themselves are made up of the smallest units of sound, called “phonemes.” This awareness that spoken language is made up of discrete sounds appears to be a crucial factor in children learning to read.

How Now Brown Cow: Phonological Awareness Activities

How Now Brown Cow: Phonological Awareness Activities

Phonemic awareness training is essential for students who are at risk for reading difficulties. This article describes the components of phonemic awareness and provides activities that special educators can use to provide this training to at risk students.

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Second Grader

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Second Grader

Phonological and phonemic awareness are important pre-reading skills, related to the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language — including rhymes, syllables, and the smallest units of sound (phonemes). Strong phonological awareness skills continue to support reading development in second grade and beyond.

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Kindergartener

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Kindergartener

Phonological and phonemic awareness are important pre-reading skills, related to the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language — including rhymes, syllables, and the smallest units of sound (phonemes). Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.

First grade girl reading book in class

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your First Grader

Phonological and phonemic awareness are important pre-reading skills, related to the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language — including rhymes, syllables, and the smallest units of sound (phonemes). Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.

preschool teacher with two kids working on colors and shapes

Preschool Language and Literacy Practices

The What Works Clearinghouse reviewed the research on two practices used in center-based settings with 3- to 5-year-old preK children, as well as a number of specific curricula. Positive results are shown for (1) Phonological awareness training and (2) Interactive and dialogic reading.

First grader at board reading 3-letter words for teacher

The Phive Phones of Reading

Who can understand all the jargon that’s being tossed around in education these days? Consider all the similar terms that have to do with the sounds of spoken words — phonics, phonetic spelling, phoneme awareness, phonological awareness, and phonology — all of them share the same “phon” root, so they are easy to confuse, but they are definitely different, and each, in its way, is very important in reading education.
Phonemic Awareness in Young Children

Phonemic Awareness in Young Children

Research shows that the very notion that spoken language is made up of sequences of little sounds does not come naturally or easily to human beings. The small units of speech that correspond to letters of an alphabetic writing system are called phonemes. Thus, the awareness that language is composed of these small sounds is termed phonemic awareness.

Elementary boy in yellow plaid shirt taking a test

Phonological Awareness Assessment

An informal assessment phonological awareness, including what the assessment measures, when is should be assessed, examples of questions, and the age or grade at which the assessment should be mastered.
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