Teaching Phonemic Teaching Phonemic Awareness and PhonicsAwareness and Phonics
An Explanation of the An Explanation of the National Reading Panel National Reading Panel
Meta-AnalysisMeta-AnalysisBy Linnea C. EhriBy Linnea C. Ehri
Contributors of Reading Contributors of Reading AcquisitionAcquisition
Phonemic Awareness InstructionPhonemic Awareness Instruction
Systematic Phonics InstructionSystematic Phonics Instruction
Alphabetic KnowledgeAlphabetic Knowledge
Implications for Teaching Implications for Teaching ReadingReading
What does strong systematic What does strong systematic phonics instruction look like in phonics instruction look like in classrooms?classrooms?
Vote with Your Feet
Cast your vote for each Cast your vote for each statement by statement by moving tomoving to one of one of the signs posted around the the signs posted around the roomroom
– IncorrectIncorrect
–CorrectCorrect
–Partially correctPartially correct
key student key student capabilitiescapabilities
Acquire knowledge of the Acquire knowledge of the alphabetic system alphabetic system (alphabetic principle)(alphabetic principle)
CorrectCorrect
Acquire phonologicalAcquire phonologicalawareness, particularly in awareness, particularly in segmentation and blendingsegmentation and blending
CorrectCorrect
Learn a few grapheme-Learn a few grapheme-phoneme correspondencesphoneme correspondences
Partially correctPartially correct
Students learn Students learn majormajor grapheme-grapheme-phoneme correspondencesphoneme correspondences
Students are not taught Students are not taught to decode the word’s to decode the word’s spellingspelling
IncorrectIncorrect
Students Students are taughtare taught how to decode how to decode the word’s spellingthe word’s spelling
Practice reading words so Practice reading words so that they are able to read that they are able to read
Partially correctPartially correct
Students practice reading words so that Students practice reading words so that they are able to read words they are able to read words
automaticallyautomatically
““If you walk into a classroom during If you walk into a classroom during a phonics lesson, you should see a phonics lesson, you should see one or more of these capabilities one or more of these capabilities
being taught or practiced.” being taught or practiced.” Linnea C. EhriLinnea C. Ehri
key instructional key instructional componentscomponents
Have a plan for teaching Have a plan for teaching all major letter sound all major letter sound correspondencescorrespondences
CorrectCorrect
Teach students to Teach students to transform graphemes transform graphemes into phonemesinto phonemes
Partially correctPartially correct
Teach students to transform Teach students to transform graphemes into phonemes graphemes into phonemes and and to blend them to form to blend them to form recognizable wordsrecognizable words
Phonics and phonemic Phonics and phonemic awareness skills are awareness skills are actively taught by actively taught by explaining and explaining and modeling the use of modeling the use of alphabetic principlesalphabetic principles
CorrectCorrect
Phonics skills are Phonics skills are embedded in daily embedded in daily activitiesactivities
Partially correctPartially correct
Phonics skills are embedded in Phonics skills are embedded in
daily activities daily activities and and worksheets are not worksheets are not used extensivelyused extensively
““Systematic phonics instruction by Systematic phonics instruction by itself does not help students itself does not help students
acquire all of the processes they acquire all of the processes they need to become successful need to become successful
readers.”(Ehri)readers.”(Ehri)
““Phonics instruction Phonics instruction needs to be combined needs to be combined
with other forms of with other forms of instruction to create a instruction to create a comprehensive reading comprehensive reading
program.”program.” EhriEhri(Phonemic Awareness, (Phonemic Awareness,
Vocabulary, Fluency and Vocabulary, Fluency and Comprehension)Comprehension)
Teaching Reading is Rocket Teaching Reading is Rocket Science: What Expert Teachers of Science: What Expert Teachers of
Reading Should Know and Be Able Reading Should Know and Be Able to Doto Do
(American Federation of Teachers,1999)(American Federation of Teachers,1999)
Dr. Donald Langenberg, a physicist, Dr. Donald Langenberg, a physicist, member of the National Reading Panel member of the National Reading Panel
complained the above title was complained the above title was misleadingmisleading….….
He realized “teaching reading is really much harder than rocket science.”
(Hearing on the Importance of Literacy, 2000)