Phonemic Awareness Cheat Sheet

Why is this skill important?

How long and how often?

• 10-15 minutes each day.
• Daily in short lessons, and reinforced throughout the day.
• Each phoneme should be introduced one at a time. Start with continuous phonemes, or those that you can easily draw out -- /m/ /s/ /f/. These include vowel phonemes. Unvoiced phonemes -- /t/ /p/ -- that are not able to be drawn out are taught next.

How to Explicitly Teach this Skill

To introduce a new phoneme (individual sound, like /m/ in “mouse”):

Step 1: Say: I am going to say a word. I want you to listen for the first sound you hear in that word. Ready? Mouse (draw out the m-mmmmouse). What sound do you hear?

Step 2: Students reply: /m/

Step 3: That’s right! Now /m/ is for mouse. Let’s listen to another word: mmm-om. What sound do you hear?

Step 4: Students reply /m/

Continue this sequence with more practice words. As you build their knowledge, you may lead into each lesson with a review of the phonemes you have taught before introducing a new one.

To practice a skill, like blending or segmenting, using Elkonian boxes:

Step 1: Provide students with an image of Elkonian boxes.

Step 2: Say a word slowly: Whale

Step 3: Ask the child to repeat the word.

Step 4: Have the child count the number of phonemes in the word using the Elkonian boxes. They should point to one box for each sound they hear. So, for whale: /w/ /a/ /l/

Students may also put one unix cube or other manipulative into each box instead of pointing. Use Elkonian boxes with 3 and 4 boxes to practice words with various numbers of phonemes.

Suggested Connections

Read rhyming picture books to practice phonemic awareness by identifying and creating new rhymes.

Prep & Materials

Prepare Elkonian boxes and words that you will use for each phoneme ahead of time.

Considerations/ Differentiation

Phonemic awareness is an auditory skill, so students will not be using letters when they practice it. However, phonemic awareness activities can be incorporated into interventions for young students who are struggling with phonics because they have not mastered phonemic awareness. For these struggling readers, they should spend time engaged in both phonemic awareness and phonics instruction and activities.

Resources

• Scripts for teaching and modeling each phonemic awareness skill: https://www.reading-tutors.com/tips/TH_Tips_PhonAware.pdf
• More information and a video about how to use Elkonian Boxes: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/elkonin_boxes
• Specific intervention plan for phonemic awareness using Elkonian boxes: http://www.readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/Phonics-Sound-Elkonin-Boxes.pdf (Includes lists of words that you can use with students to practice)

Videos and more activities for phonemic awareness: http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/blending_games