What is Phonological Awareness?
Phonological Awareness is an individual's ability to pronounce spoken language correctly using a variety of skills that are taught to children at a young age. The term "phoneme" is best described a single unit of sound used to break words up. Usually, Phonological Awareness is first stressed and taught when children are in Pre-kindergarden and Kindergarden.
Skills of which fall under phonological awareness
When going from easiest to hardest, students should be taught these skills in the following order to ultimately be able to grasp Phonological Awareness.
Listening: A child needs to be able to first listen efficiently before attempting any other skills at a young age.
Rhyming/ Alliteration:Children are taught to recognize alliteration between words, which is repeated use of beginning consonants. Rhyming words is where a child needs to be able to recognize the similar sounds between words.
Sentence Segmentation: This is a child's ability to hear words in sentences.
Syllable Blending and Segmentation:Syllables are segments of speech. Children need to learn how to separate and combine the syllables of words.
Onset Rime Blending/ Segmentation: onset and rime are smaller than syllables. The onset is the initial sound of a word, while rime is the vowel and the rest of the word that follows.
Phoneme Blending, Segmentation, and Manipulation: This includes a child's ability to separate, combine, and change the phonemes of words.
Listening: A child needs to be able to first listen efficiently before attempting any other skills at a young age.
Rhyming/ Alliteration:Children are taught to recognize alliteration between words, which is repeated use of beginning consonants. Rhyming words is where a child needs to be able to recognize the similar sounds between words.
Sentence Segmentation: This is a child's ability to hear words in sentences.
Syllable Blending and Segmentation:Syllables are segments of speech. Children need to learn how to separate and combine the syllables of words.
Onset Rime Blending/ Segmentation: onset and rime are smaller than syllables. The onset is the initial sound of a word, while rime is the vowel and the rest of the word that follows.
Phoneme Blending, Segmentation, and Manipulation: This includes a child's ability to separate, combine, and change the phonemes of words.
Recent Findings
According to the National Reading Panel some new findings have indicated that Phonemic Awareness , ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words, can be a strong indicator of how well kids will read in the future. Phonemic Awareness is a skill that falls under the Phonological Awareness continuum. The National Reading Panel also reported that PA training helped improve PA, spelling, and reading as well. Unfortunately, more focus onto PA did not help disabled readers spell better.
Syllable swap
This is a game used to identify syllables in spoken words.
Materials: Picture cards, pencil
Step1: Show student a picture and ask students to say what the picture displays.
Step 2: Students clap the number of syllables in the word.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each picture.
Step 4: Place an odd number of students in a group and have them get in a circle. Have one person stand in the middle and hold the stack of cards.
Step 5: The center student will face a seated student and show them the card. Seated students will say the word and then clap the number of syllables in each word and say the number of syllables.
Step 6: The center student will determine if the answer is correct or not. If it is correct, then the center student gives the seated student the card and moves on to the next student. If the seated student is wrong, then the person switches with the center student.
Materials: Picture cards, pencil
Step1: Show student a picture and ask students to say what the picture displays.
Step 2: Students clap the number of syllables in the word.
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each picture.
Step 4: Place an odd number of students in a group and have them get in a circle. Have one person stand in the middle and hold the stack of cards.
Step 5: The center student will face a seated student and show them the card. Seated students will say the word and then clap the number of syllables in each word and say the number of syllables.
Step 6: The center student will determine if the answer is correct or not. If it is correct, then the center student gives the seated student the card and moves on to the next student. If the seated student is wrong, then the person switches with the center student.
Assessment
In order to test the skills in Phonological Awareness in the classroom, teachers will commonly use either the tests called TPRI (Texas Primary Reading Inventory) and DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills).
TPRI: is a reliable test given to students to determine their reading development.
DIBELS: is a series of very short tests given to children to tests the skills we have mentioned on this page and more.
Both of these tests help to indicate how the child is progressing in reading and where they may need extra help.
TPRI: is a reliable test given to students to determine their reading development.
DIBELS: is a series of very short tests given to children to tests the skills we have mentioned on this page and more.
Both of these tests help to indicate how the child is progressing in reading and where they may need extra help.