Phonemic Awareness/ Phonological Awareness
Counting words in a sentence
It’s important for these guys to learn that sentences are composed of individual words (and knowing the difference between a chunk of words and a sentence).
To practice this at home
Dictate a sentence. The sentences should be pronounced clearly but not in a halting, artificial manner (fluently). The words should run together as in natural speech.
-Avoid dictating haltingly: My (pause) sister (pause) went (pause) to (pause) the (pause) store.
-Be careful when dictating phrases such as ‘going to’, ‘would have’, ‘used to’ to pronounce two words. Avoid saying, ‘gonna’, ‘woulda’, ‘useta’, and so on.
Have your child repeat the sentence and count the words with their fingers as they say them.
Counting syllables
Counting syllables requires the student to know what a syllable is. We have learned that words are made up of syllables. Some words have 1 syllable. Some words have lots of syllables.
To practice this at home:
hold your left hand out facing upward and clench your right hand into a fist - pound the syllables onto the left palm (kids should be able to help you with this - we do this a lot in class)
put your hand under your chin and every time your chin drops, it should count as a syllable.
-We dictate words in a natural manner.
-Make sure your child repeats the word.
-Have them show how many syllables using their fingers.
Segmenting syllables
Segmenting syllables is easy for them to do once they are able to count syllables. Try to only use words with three or fewer syllables.
To practice this at home:
After you have pounded the words into your left palm (see counting syllables above) you will stop for each syllable and say the sounds in that syllable. So if my word was sunshine. I would say the word sunshine. I would pound the syllables "sun" and "shine". Then I would say the first syllable is sun and using my left hand (staring with my pinky so that I am doing this from left to right - just like they read and write) I would put up my fingers as I say each sound. So, I would lift my pinky and say /s/, lift my ring finger and say /u/, lift my middle finger and say /n/, then I would use my right fist to pound the word again "sun" "shine" - I would say the second syllable is shine and repeat the steps, hold up my pinky and say /sh/, hold up my ring finger and say /i/ hold
-We dictate words in a natural manner.
-Make sure your child repeats the word.
Blending syllables
Blending syllables should be taught after students can segment. It is best to restrict this activity to words with three or fewer syllables.
To practice this at home:
You will say each syllable in a word and have them blend the syllables to say the word.
-We dictate syllables.
-Your child should repeat the syllables.
-Have your child blend the syllables.
Manipulating syllables (adding, deleting, substituting)
Adding
Manipulating syllables should generally be taught in this sequence: add, delete, substitute. Adding syllables is very similar to blending syllables.
I can add syllables to make a new word. Watch me. I say the first syllable “lap”. I add the last syllable: “top” Then I put the two together “lap”, “top”, “laptop”
Steps:
We dictate the first syllable
You child repeats the syllable
We dictate the second syllable
Your child repeats the syllable
You child blends the syllables to say the word.
Repeat these steps with as many as 15 two-syllable words.