Phonemic Awareness
"One of the most compelling and well-established findings in the research on beginning reading is the important relationship between phonemic awareness and reading acquisition" (Kame'enui, et. al., 1997).
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words and includes a variety of phoneme manipulation tasks including, segmentation, blending, substitution, deletion, and reversal (Yopp, 1992). Phonemic awareness is a critical foundational skill for children to develop phonics and orthographic mapping skills. In addition, the lack of phonemic awareness is the MOST powerful determinant of the likelihood of failure to learn to read (Adams, 1990).
wwc_foundationalreading_040717 (1).pdfEvidence-Based Practices
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) publishes evidence-based practice guides for educators on various topics, using data, research and recommendations from the What Works Clearinghouse and an expert panel. The goal of the Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade practice guide provides educators evidence-based classroom and intervention practices to support the foundational reading skills of young children. The purpose is not to recommend a specific curriculum but to make recommendations for planning instruction. Each Recommendation identifies the level of evidence, how to carry out the recommendation, and potential obstacles to implementation.
Resources and Webinars
Listen as Dr. Carol Tolman explains her Hourglass Figure for Phonological Awareness Development. (Video Length: 5:02)
bibr_pa_concepts.pdfBig Ideas in Beginning Reading- Phonemic Awareness
(The University of Oregon)
Working Smarter, Not Harder- What Teachers of Reading Need to Know and Be able to Teach.pdfWorking Smarter, Not Harder: What Teachers of Reading Need to Know and Be Able to Do
(Tolman, 2005)
Why Phonological Awareness Is Important...Reading and Spelling | Reading Rockets.pdfWhy Phonological Awareness is Important for Reading and Spelling
(Moats & Tolman, 2009)