1. Phonological Awareness Jolene Ahlschwede, FDLRS Parent Specialist

2. Phonological Awareness is the first building block in beginning reading

3. Five important components that support growth of reading skills • Five Components: • Phonological Awareness • Phonics • Fluency • Vocabulary • Comprehension Strategies

4. What is phonological awareness? Phonological awareness is an oral language skill that involves: • Ability to notice • Think about • Manipulate the sounds of our language

5. Phonological awareness Phonological awareness also involves: • Rhyme • Alliteration • Awareness of words in sentences • Syllable awareness Alvin alligator always asks Alice if she likes ants.

6. Why is phonological awareness is important? • Weak skills in phonological awareness are a primary cause for reading difficulties • Students need solid phonemic awareness training for phonics instruction to be effective

7. Children and reading Children entering first grade weakin phonemic awareness • have difficulty “cracking the code” of written language • Rely too much on guessing • Do not read independently • Remain inaccurate in their reading

8. Skills your child needs • Rhyme and rhythm • Parts of a word • Sequence of sounds • Separation of sounds • Manipulation of sounds

9. Rhyme and rhythm Hearing and identifying similar word patterns • Sing or say nursery rhymes and songs • Play word games –”How many words can you say that rhyme with fox? Bill?” • Read a story-ask child to listen for words that begin with same sound

10. Parts of a word Blending individual sounds to form a word • Ask child, “What word is /b/ /i/ /g/?” (big) (Say each soundin the word) • Clap each sound in a word • Have child hold up one finger for each sound d – o – g , then “say it fast” - dog /d/ /o/ /g/ dog

11. Sequence of sounds Identify beginning, middle and ending of sounds in a word. • Listen for beginning sounds in children’s names • Sort out objects and pictures by beginning, middle, and ending sounds • Ask, “Which one doesn’t belong? Cup cat mouse(different first sound)

12. Separation of sounds Breaking words apart into individual sounds • Use manipulatives (chips, blocks, pretzels, coins etc) when counting sounds • “What sounds do you hear in hat? (Say each sound, not letter name) hat h a t

13. Manipulation of sounds cap Substituting beginning, middle, and ending sounds of a word. • “Say bug, now change /b/ to /t/ - what word do you have? Tug” • “Say cap, now change /p/ to /t/ - what word do you have? Cat” Omitting beginning, middle, and ending sounds of a word • “Say smile without /s/, what’s the new word?” mile cat

14. Read, Read, Read To your child 15 minutes every day!! Have Fun!!

15. For More Information • National Institute for Literacy • 1-800-228-8813 • EdPubOrders@aspensys.com • www.nifl.gov