Phonemic Awareness - Michigan Reading Association

Phonemic Awareness Activities
for All Students
Michigan Reading Conference, Grand Rapids, MI
Sunday, March 10, 2013
11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Alisa Van Hekken, M.Ed, Presenter
[email protected]
Michael Heggerty, Ed.D.
[email protected]
www.literacyresourcesinc.com
Please note:
Participants are informed that all documents, including but not
limited to handouts, slides, articles and other paper and electronic
media used by Alisa Van Hekken in the course of conducting this
inservice are owned exclusively by Literacy Resources, Inc. and that
no reproduction (other than for classroom use with elementary
students) or other such use of documents and materials is authorized
without the explicit written consent of Dr. Michael Heggerty.
Requests can be made to:
[email protected]
Research Findings:
The lack of phonemic awareness is
the MOST powerful determinant
of the likelihood of failure to read.
(Adams, 1990)
Terms clarification:
Phonics vs. Phonemic
Phonemic Awareness:
Hear it and play with it
Word Identification Skills (Phonics)
See it and play with it
**Common Core expects BOTH in Kindergarten**
What Does Research Tell Us about
Reading?
The National Reading Panel published their study of research in 2001
and identified five essential elements of early reading instruction:
•
•
•
•
•
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Fluency
Vocabulary
Text Comprehension
Research Findings:
Phonemic awareness has been shown
to be a very powerful predictor of later
reading achievement.
In fact, it [phonemic awareness] is a
better predictor than more global
measures such as IQ or general
language proficiency.
(Griffith and Olson, 1992)
Instruction Design Outline
Four block design:
• Word Block (Spelling, Phonics, & Sight Words)
•
Reading (Teacher Read Aloud, Interactive Read Aloud, Shared Reading, &
Guided Reading)
•
Writing
•
Fluency (Independent Reading)
•
Phonemic Awareness
Common Core State Standards
Phonological Awareness - Kindergarten
2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds
(phonemes).
 Recognize and produce rhyming words.
 Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words.
 Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.
 Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds
(phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC)
words.1 (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.)
 Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, onesyllable words to make new words.
1
Words, syllables, or phonemes written in /slashes/refer to their pronunciation or phonology. Thus, /CVC/ is a word with three phonemes regardless of the
number of letters in the spelling of the word.
Print Concepts: Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of
the alphabet
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/reading-foundational-skills/kindergarten/
Common Core State Standards
Phonological Awareness – 1st Grade
2. Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds
(phonemes).
 Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable
words.
 Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds
(phonemes), including consonant blends.
 Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds
(phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words.
 Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence
of individual sounds (phonemes).
http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/reading-foundationalskills/grade-1/
Phonemic Awareness Skills
Phonemic Awareness Skills
(easiest to most difficult)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Increasing Language Awareness
Rhyming
Identifying Onsets
Blending
Identifying Final and Medial Phonemes
Segmenting
Substituting Phonemes
Adding Phonemes
Deleting Phonemes
*** Letter Naming: Dr. Heggerty strongly suggests adding 2-3
minutes of letter naming activities daily
This is the only part of the lesson when the teacher shows letters
Page iv in the yellow & blue book; page v in purple book
Research Findings:
The most comprehensive reading program EXPLICITLY [sic]
teaches about the sounds of language. It teaches children
that words can be broken up into these smaller units of
language, that the letters represent this unit of language –
phonics.
ALL [sic] children can benefit from being taught directly how
to break up spoken words into smaller units and how letters
represent sounds.
(Overcoming Dyslexia, Shaywitz, 1999)
About the curriculum…
Therefore Common Core says…
Phonemic awareness should be a TIER I, core curriculum
for the whole class in lower grades, at least K-1, and
possibly higher depending on your demographics and
mobility.
It can also be used as a TIER II intervention in smaller
groups or TIER III as one-on-one.
Why Whole Group?
Most core curriculum focus on one or two
skills a day, which is what the NRP
suggested.
Dr. Heggerty created this program because he cannot support
teaching only1-2 skills per day, given the reality that most of
us are up against with our students and their needs.
The importance of Mother Goose…
There is a strong link between the nursery
rhyme knowledge of Pre-K children
and their future success in reading and
spelling
-MacLean, Bryant, and Bradley (1987)
So what are the Phonemic Awareness Skills?
Phonemic Awareness Skills
(easiest to most difficult)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Increasing Language Awareness
Rhyming
Identifying Onsets
Blending
Identifying Final and Medial Phonemes
Segmenting
Substituting Phonemes
Adding Phonemes
Deleting Phonemes
*** Letter Naming: Dr. Heggerty strongly suggests adding 2-3
minutes of letter naming activities daily
This is the only part of the lesson when the teacher shows letters
Page iv in the yellow & blue book;l page v in purple book
Letter Naming
2 - 3 minutes of letter naming activities per day
 Card Pack – Have a variety for different fonts & pictures


Teach both short & long sounds for vowels, hard & soft sounds for c & g
Teach beginning & ending consonant blends, digraphs, trigraphs, special vowel
sounds, irregular vowel sounds, prefixes & suffixes

Resource for flashcards: www.literacyresourcesinc.com
 Letter
Cheer
 ABC Song
 Patterns
 Alphabet Books
Excellent resource for bilingual classrooms:
Spanish-English Transferability Sound Spelling Cards from InterLingual Solutions:
http://www.interlingualsolutions.com/catalog.html
Something to think about…
When do you expect mastery of letter
names and sounds?
The question is….
Is it cute?
or
Does it count?
o
o
c
c
y
y
love
o
g
y
g
y
Using Rhythm and Song

Use rhythm and song whenever you can. We
know from brain research that rhythm and song
can help a student retain a skill or concept.
There are many books available for purchase
that you can use to introduce rhythm and songs.
See the Book List in your handouts 
Get ready for Dr. Jean’s Alphabet Aerobics!
Increasing Language Awareness

Repeating a sentence – NURSERY RHYMES

Breaking a sentence into separate, spoken words

Clapping words in a sentence

Counting words in a sentence
This is found in the Kindergarten program for weeks 1-8 and in the
Primary program for weeks 1 – 8.
Rhyming


Repeating rhyming words Weeks 1 – 15; Weeks 1-2, 31
Recognizing rhyming words Weeks 16-35; Wks. 3-4,
18, 23-27, 29; Wk. 1, 6-7, 9, 12, 15-18, 20, 24, 27-29, 32-34



Repeating rhyming words out of a series of
words K Wks. 5-12, 24; Wk. 4, 6-7, 9, 20, 27, 28
Isolating the non-rhyming word out of a series of
words K Wks. 23-24; Wk. 8, 17, 18, 28
Producing a rhyming word with a familiar word
K: Rimes Wks.13-17, 19-22, 32-35. Wk. 10-11, 13, 19, 20, 23, 26, 30

Producing a rhyming word with an unfamiliar or
nonsense word K Wks. 3-12, 28, 30 Rimes Wks.13-17, 1922, 32-35; Wk. 2-3, 14, 21, 22, 25,
Rhyming
Categories: Think of categories in which children are
sure to know the correct word.
Examples: parts of your body, things you eat, things in your
desk or room, colors, students in the classroom, etc.
T: /bellow/
S: not /bellow/, /yellow/
Variations on Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down:
 Eyes Open / Eyes Closed
 Mouth Open / Mouth Closed
 Stand Tall / Squat Down
 Palms Up / Palms Down
Identifying Onsets (Beginning Sounds)

Isolating onset phonemes (sounds) in spoken
words

Identifying same onset phonemes (sounds) in a
series of words
The difference between “rime” and “rhyme”
Onset
b
t
Rime
- ack = back
- ime = time
Rhyme
Pete
seat
feet
Rime
- ete
- eat
- eet
Identifying Final and Medial Sounds

Isolating final phonemes (sounds) in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 1-12, 23-28, 30, 32, 34
K: Weeks 1-6, 11-12, 23-24 & 33 (digraphs) 25-26, 29-30 & 32 (blends)

Isolating medial phonemes (sounds) in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 13-22, 29, 31, 33, 35
K: Weeks 13-22, 29, 30 & 32 (blends), 31, 33 (digraphs)

Identifying same final phonemes in a series of words
K: Weeks 7-10, 27-28, 34-35
punCH iT ouT!
Roller Coaster for Three Sound Words
and/or Syllable
Be sure to work into multisyllabic words when doing the final sound skill.
Students need to be trained to hear the sounds in bigger words as well.
Medial roller coasters only work with three sound words or syllables.
For an example…See Week 13 (pg.25) in blue book
Blending

Blending individual words into compound words
Weeks 1 – 4, 13-14; Weeks 1-4, 25; Weeks 1-2

Blending syllables into spoken words
Weeks 5-8, 15-16; Weeks 5-8, 26; Weeks 3-4

Blending onset with rime into spoken words
Weeks 9-12, 17-18; Weeks 9-12, 27; Weeks 5-6

Blending phonemes (sounds) into spoken words
2-phoneme words: Weeks 19-27; cvc words: 28-35
2-phoneme words: Weeks 13-14, Wk. 8;
cvc words: 15-22, Wk. 9-10
4 & more phonemes: Weeks 23-24, 28-35; Wk. 11-35
Hand Motion: Model using 2 palms together to chop phonemes
Segmenting

Segmenting individual words in compound words
PreK: Weeks 1 – 4, 13-14;

Segmenting syllables in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 5-8, 15-16;

K: Weeks 5-8
Segmenting onset and rime in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 9-12, 17-18;

K: Weeks 1-4, 25
K: Weeks 9-12, 27
Segmenting phonemes in spoken words
PreK: 2-phoneme words: Weeks 19-27, cvc words: 28-35
K: 2-phoneme words: Weeks 13-14, cvc words: 15-22,
4 & more phonemes: Weeks 23-24, 26, 28-35 (with counting phonemes)
Hand Motion: Model using 2 palms together to chop phonemes
Blending & Segmenting Phonemes

Elkonin boxes:
Use chips or pennies to show phonemes, then
students write the letters that make those sounds


Can be for any number of sounds – add boxes 
What slides up can also slide back (double duty!!)
Great to use for intervention with student’s writing – help
them sound out words
Blending Activity in K book Week 21
Substituting

Substituting words in compound words K: Weeks 1-4, 25,
Wks. 1-2, 22, 32-33


Substituting syllables in words K: Weeks 5-8, 26; Wks. 3-4, 34-35
Substituting the initial phonemes (sounds) in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 19-29

K: Weeks 9-24, 27-32 (blends);
Substituting the final phonemes (sounds) in spoken words
PreK: Weeks 30-35

Wks. 5-18, 23-29
Primary: Wk. 31
Substituting the medial phonemes (sounds) in spoken words
K: Weeks: 33-35
Wks. 19-21, 30
Hand Motion: Use 2 fists to demonstrate substituting the word parts or phonemes
Adding & Deleting Phonemes
Adding Phonemes:
Adding words to make compound words PreK: Weeks 1-4, 13-14;
K: Weeks 1-4, 25 Primary: Wks. 1-2, 20, 26
Adding syllables to words or word parts PreK: Weeks 5-8, 15-16; K: Weeks 5-8, 26,
Primary: Wks. 3-4, 9-10, 25. 27, 28, 31-33 (suffixes). 34-35
Adding initial phonemes to spoken words PreK: Weeks 9-12, 17-35;
K: Weeks 9-24, 27-31, 33
Primary: Wks. 5-8, 11-19, 21-22, 29-30
Adding final phonemes to spoken words
K: Wks. 32, 34-35
23-24
Deleting Phonemes:
Deleting words from compound words PreK: Weeks 1-4, 13-14; K: Weeks 1-4, 25
Deleting syllables from spoken words PreK: Weeks 5-8, 15-16 K: Weeks 5-8, 26
Deleting initial phonemes from spoken words PreK: Weeks 9-12, 17-35;
K: Weeks 9-24, 27-31, 33
Primary 21-23, 25, 27-30
Deleting final phonemes from spoken words
K: Wks. 32, 34-35 24, 25
Hand Motion: Use open palms to show where you are adding or deleting
PreK Center Activity



Each day, a center activity is suggested but not
required.
Connected to nursery rhyme that week
Focus on:
Matching rhyming objects at center
Drawing/coloring pictures of rhyme
Discussing characters
Making connections
Lesson Structure
Each lesson is
 Focused on a scaffolded scope and sequence
 Focused on a specific skill or review
 Cumulatively built
Just a note: / b / virgules mean to use the sound not the name
Let’s see what a Phonemic Awareness
lesson looks like 
Using Poetry & Children’s Books
(locate the Great Children’s Books pages in your handouts)

Any time you can use poetry or a trade book
that plays with words, it reinforces that in real
life authors are doing the same skills that we are
asking the students to do in phonemic
awareness.
Books like Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, Mary
Had a Little Jam, etc., are wonderful extensions for
reinforcing phonemic awareness skills in print.
There are just SO many of these books. Start collecting!!
A list of suggested materials is included in your handouts
Helping Students who Struggle:
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Using Phonemic Awareness as a Tier II intervention: Determine
the specific area of need for an individual student or small group of students,
and focus your instruction to help student reach mastery.
Nonnegotiable Skills which must get intervention:
Letter names and sounds mastery
Onsets (Beginning Sounds, including blends & digraphs)
Blending
Segmenting
Final and medial Sounds
Intervention Resources

Leap Frog Letter Factory & Talking Words DVDs

Letters and Sounds Mastery activities:



Dr. Jean songs


Name tags
Letter & Sound hop
www.drjean.org
Kiss Your Brain & Sing to Learn CDs
Multisensory activities



Water painting on the sidewalk or desktop chalkboard
Sand trays, rice tray, plastic screens, paint/hair gel in bag
Provide a concrete connection:

Example for Cc: cotton balls, crayons, candy, cupcakes
We Should See Transferability from
Phonemic Awareness Skills into Print Skills
Phonemic Awareness Skills
Language Awareness
Rhyming
Onset Fluency
Blending
Final and Medial Sounds
Segmenting
Substituting
Adding
Deleting
**Letter Naming
Word Identification Skills
Sight Vocabulary
Letter/Sound Correspondence
Structural Analysis
Rime Patterns
Compound Words
Syllabication
Prefixes / Suffixes
Chunking
Vocabulary
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
**We should see evidence of a child’s phonemic awareness skills in his/her
writing**
Connecting Phonemic Awareness to
Spelling
Teacher says the word.
2. Student repeat the word.
3. Teacher chops the word.
4. Student chops the word.
5.
Student picks up pencil and writes the word.
1.
Example….
Teacher says: Did
Teacher chops: /d/ /i/ /d/
S:
Student repeats: Did
Student repeats: /d/ /i/ /d/
Proceeds to pick up a pencil and write the word
Remember…



You need to pre-read the lessons or prepare
your words in advance
It is difficult to mess up Phonemic Awareness
lesson, as long as you are focused on the right
sounds
This is language play, so there should be
laughter and everyone should be having fun!
A few resources…
Phonemic Awareness: The Skills That They Need to Help Them
Succeed!
PreK, K, and Primary curriculum in English and Spanish
www.literacyresourcesinc.com
Dr. Jean CDs: www.drjean.org
Phonemic Awareness in Young Children - A Classroom Curriculum.
(1998) Marilyn Adams, et al. Paul A. Brookes Publishing Co.
Phonics from A to Z - A Practical Guide. Wiley Blevins
1998
www.hubbardscupboard.org
www.preschoolrainbow.org
Scholastic,
www.starfall.com
www.enchantedlearning.com
Thank you for joining my session today!
Please email me with any questions! 
Alisa Van Hekken
[email protected]
.
Website for Resources & ordering:
www.literacyresourcesinc.com