| The National Reading Panel identified phonemic | | | | used, thus highlighting the difference between |
| awareness as one of the fundamental skills | | | | phonemic awareness and traditional phonics. |
| necessary to master the art of reading. Research | | | | In a broad study involving various ages and grade |
| has determined that phonemic awareness and | | | | levels, teaching children to manipulate and master |
| letter knowledge are the two best predictors of | | | | phonemes in words was very effective. In all |
| how well children will learn to read during the | | | | cases, and under different teaching conditions, the |
| critical, first two years of formal instruction. | | | | student's ability to read significantly improved |
| These education studies provide teachers and | | | | when they were exposed to training in phonemic |
| parents with conclusive evidence of the | | | | awareness. This single teaching tool was able to |
| importance of these vital skills. Currently, there is | | | | provide a consistently higher level of reading ability |
| widespread interest in developing and | | | | than any other training method. Clearly, phonemic |
| implementing phonemic awareness programs | | | | awareness lies at the heart of a successful |
| based on these claims. Educators understand the | | | | reading program. |
| value of this training for emergent readers and | | | | Additionally, this research followed the progress of |
| employ teaching techniques to give children this | | | | children after the conclusion of a reading |
| advantage. | | | | instruction program. The study determined that |
| Fortunately, teaching alphabetics can be | | | | phonemic awareness increased the student's |
| effectively and easily incorporated into any early | | | | ability to spell, even at higher grade levels. These |
| learning setting, providing a child with a distinct | | | | claims were substantiated through repeated |
| benefit that will last beyond the end of traditional | | | | testing, and continued to show a direct correlation |
| reading instruction. Because of the foundational | | | | between phonemic awareness and a high |
| advantages of phonemic awareness, a child will | | | | performance in spelling. |
| not only learn to read easier, but additional skills | | | | When students are taught that words are made |
| like spelling, fluency and comprehension will be | | | | up of sound segments called phonemes, they are |
| easier to master. | | | | better able to read and recognize segmented |
| By definition, phonemes make up the smallest | | | | units of speech. Being able to link sounds with |
| units of spoken language. Although similar to | | | | letters and words increases a child's ability to learn |
| phonics instruction, phonemic awareness focuses | | | | to read, and contributes to the student's overall |
| on sounds, rather than letter-sound combinations. | | | | comprehension, spelling and fluency. While |
| Children are taught to identify phonemes in their | | | | phonemic awareness doesn't comprise a complete |
| natural context-- the spoken word. Since | | | | reading program, it provides children with essential |
| phonemes are the sounds of words, the student | | | | foundational knowledge that has been proven to |
| is taught the way the mouth moves when | | | | positively develop their reading skills. |
| generating the sound. | | | | There are many ways to successfully include |
| As the young student becomes familiar with the | | | | phonemic awareness in curriculum and a child's |
| sounds from which words are constructed, there | | | | extra-curricular activities. For example, Er-u-di-tion, |
| is an increased understanding of the map of | | | | the game that jump-starts the road to reading, |
| pronunciation and the normal phoneme sequence. | | | | includes game cards designed to enhance an |
| This pre-reading instruction sets the tone (literally) | | | | emergent reader's phonemic awareness. Each blue |
| for a child to become responsive to the written | | | | card contains a letter (both upper and lower case) |
| word. Children are taught to manipulate phonemes | | | | and two words that highlight that letter's sound. |
| in spoken syllables and words. At the discretion of | | | | Teachers and parents can play a fun game with |
| the teacher or parent, letters may or may not be | | | | children while developing phonemic awareness. |