Definition:
Phonological Awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate various units of sound in speech, including syllables, onsets, and rhymes.
Research Findings
Becoming phonologically aware prepares children for later reading instruction, including instruction in phonics, word analysis, and spelling (Adams, Foorman, Lundberg, & Beeler, 1998; Chard, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1998).
Phonological awareness in children, especially in the early stages of reading, improves and accelerates learning to read, and at the age of six it is a strong predictor of their future reading ability.
ELA Standards for Phonological Awareness
1.FL.PA.2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes).
K K.FFL.PA.2 Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). a. Recognize and begin to produce rhyming words. b. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. c. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words. d. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in two- and three-phoneme (VC or CVC) words, excluding CVC words ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/. e. Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words.