Phonemic Awareness

A brief overview

Phonemic Awareness is vital to language,

vocabulary, listening comprehension, spelling,

writing, and word recognition.

Phonemic Awareness

is

the ability to identify and recall individual sounds in words.

hat cat

/h/ /a/ /t/ /c/ /a/ /t/

hat cat

/h/ /at/ /c/ /at/

Children sometimes do not perceive or distinguish sounds accurately

…..and that makes it really hard to read

Why ?Some research shows a delay among the areas of

the brain that control auditory perception. This makes it

difficult for children to identify and associate the correct

sounds.

Sometimes children have not heard clear speech at

home.

Huh ? Wudyasay ?

Phonological or Phonemic Awareness ?

Both focus on the SOUNDS in spoken words.

Phonics is connecting the letters with sounds (visual).

Phonological Awareness

Broad term - includes phonemic awareness alliteration, rhyme, words, and syllables

Distinguish words within a sentence

Phonemic AwarenessNarrower, subcategory of

phonological awareness.

Phonemes – sounds within words

/w/ /i/ /sh/ - 3 sounds

Identifying Phonemic and Phonological Awareness Issues

● Jumbled words● “I push my hair.” “I brush my hair.”

● Inability to attend to rhyme● Missing or incorrect sounds in words● Substituting one sound for another

– /k/ for /g/ ride in a wakon

● Difficulty following spoken directions● Unwillingness to participate in class

Identifying Phonemic Issues

● Teacher Observation

● DIBLES ( screening only )

● Phonological Awareness Profile (PAP)● designed to provide information for instruction

● Diagnostic Testing

How Teachers Can Help● Identify problems early –

● Kindergarten or 1st Grade– and provide systematic instruction with older children

● Explicit Instruction in Phonemic Awareness● Encourage self-awareness of sounds● Activities, Games, Raz-kids.com● Multisensory

● Continuing Evaluation● assess progress and identify specific needs

Skills for Phonemic Awareness

● Discriminate individual words in a sentence● Identify syllables within words● Rhyme words● Identify phoneme position (beginning, middle, end)● Blend sounds● Segment sounds● Accurate recall of sounds

Teacher Tools

Mirror

Whisper Phone

Rubber Band

Elkonin Technique

Short Vowel objects

Whole Class Activities to Teach Phonemic Awareness

Stretchy Names● K – 1 - Whole Class or small group● Children and teacher clap and say a verse for each child in

class:● CHRISTOPHER, CHRISTOPHER, HOW DO YOU DO ?

● WHO IS THAT FRIEND RIGHT NEXT TO YOU ?● Children and teacher say the next child's name very slowly,

stretching palms far apart as the word is stretched:

krrrr-/iiiiiii-/ssssss-/tuuuu-/ffffff-/errrrrr/

Whole Class Activities to Teach Phonemic Awareness

● Jump Along with Phonemes ● K – 2 Whole Class or small group

● Place 12 lines on the floor with painter's tape. The teacher calls out a word, and students jump once for each sound in the word.

● Use for new vocabulary words from Reading, Science, and Social Studies

Instruction for Older Students

Older students who struggle may need individual instruction.

– Lesson Template● Select words from current spelling lesson, Social Studies

vocabulary, Math terms, or high utility words.

Time

No more than 20 hours per year or about 7 minutes per day.

For more information about Phonemic and Phonological Awareness visit

http://lincs.ed.gov/readingprofiles

Thank you !