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Target the Problem!

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Phonological awareness is a broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating larger
units of oral language—parts such as words, syllables, onsets and rimes, and individual
sounds (phonemes).

Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to focus on and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. Acquiring phonemic awareness is important because it is the foundation for spelling and word recognition skills. Phonemic awareness is one of the best predictors of how well children will learn to read during the first two years of instruction.

A kid's perspective

What this feels like to me

• I don't know any words that rhyme with cat.
• What do you mean when you say, "What sounds are in the word brush?"
• I'm not sure how many syllables are in my name.

What I can do to help myself

• Be willing to play word and sounds games with parents or teachers.
• Be patient with learning new information related to words and sounds. Giving the ears a workout is difficult!
• Practice hearing the individual sounds in words. It may help to use a plastic chip as a counter for each sound you hear in a word.

A parent's perspective

What I see at home

• She has difficulty thinking of rhyming words for a simple word like cat (such as rat or bat).
• She doesn't show interest in language play, word games, or rhyming.

What I can do to help

• Do sound-related activities, such as helping your child think of a number of words that start with the /m/ or /ch/ sound, or other beginning sounds.
• Make up silly sentences with words that begin with the same sound, such as “Nobody was
  nice to Nancy’s neighbor.”
• Use computer games designed to build your child’s phonemic skills.
• Read books with rhymes. Teach your child rhymes, short poems, and songs.

A teacher's perspective

What I see in the classroom

• She doesn't correctly complete blending activities; for example, put together sounds /k/ /i/ /ck/ to make the word kick.
• He doesn't correctly complete phoneme substitution activities; for example, change the /m/ in mate to /cr/ in order to make crate.
• She has a hard time telling how many syllables there are in the word paper.

What I can do to help

• Consider teaching phonological and phonemic skills in small groups since students will likely be at different levels of expertise.
• Make sure your school’s reading program and other materials include skill building on phonemes, especially in kindergarten and first grade, and systematic instruction in phonics.

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