Reading 101 is a collaboration with the Center for Effective Reading Instruction and The International Dyslexia Association.

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Assignments

Kindergarten teacher teaching phonemic awareness to student

Now that you've had a chance to learn about phonemes, let's see if you are able to do the following exercise!

Listening for phonemes

How many phonemes do you hear when I say the words below? Click the audio play arrow to hear it spoken, think about how many phonemes you hear, then click on the "See answer" button to see if you heard the correct number.

Example: book

Answer: 3
/b/-/oo/-/k/

 

 

Example: day

Answer: 2
/d/-/ay/

 

 

Example: can

Answer: 3
/c/-/a/-/n/

 

 

Example: sand

Answer: 4
/s/-/a/-/n/-/d/

 

 

Example: at

Answer: 2
/a/-/t/

 

Example: walk

Answer: 3
/w/-/al/-/k/

 

 

Example: bat

Answer: 3
/b/-/a/-/t/

 

 

Example: by

Answer: 2
/b/-/y/

 

 

Example: bath

Answer: 3
/b/-/a/-/th/

 

 

Example: tight

Answer: 3
/t/-/igh/-/t/

 

Challenge Question: (You can do this one!)
Example: hopeful

Answer: 6
/h/-/o/-/pe/-/f/-/u/-/l/

 

Practice blending phonemes into words

Let's practice blending phonemes. We'll use the phonemes from assignment #1, so that you get additional practice with the same sounds.

book walk
day bat
can by
sand bath
at tight
hopeful

 

Read

Phonemic Activities for the Preschool or Elementary Classroom
Activities that stimulate phonemic awareness in preschool and elementary school children are one sure way to get a child ready for reading! Here are eight of them from experts Marilyn J. Adams, Barbara Foorman, Ingvar Lundberg, and Terri Beeler

 

Play

Plan some fun phonemic awareness activities to play with your students. Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Watch

Match the Rhyming Objects: Foundations for Phonemic Awareness

Watch as a teacher leads her class through a rhyming lesson. (Published with permission from the Balanced Literacy Diet)

Syllable Suitcase: Foundations for Phonemic Awareness

In this video, a teacher describes a syllable counting activity suitable for learning centers. (Published with permission from the Balanced Literacy Diet)

Silly Names Song: Building Phonemic Awareness

Watch as a teacher leads her class through a silly song in which phonemes are substituted. (Published with permission from the Balanced Literacy Diet)

Letters and Sounds

See how one kindergarten teacher helps his students learn about letters and sounds — while having fun. Hmong-American kindergarten teacher in Sacramento mixes serious instruction with lively play for his second language learners.

Letter of completion

Reading Rockets does not offer CEUs for this self-study course. After successfully answering the post-test questions, you'll be able to download a Letter of Completion.

Reading 101 is a collaboration with the Center for Effective Reading Instruction and The International Dyslexia Association.

"I used to walk to school with my nose buried in a book." — Coolio