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Ability to hear, identify, and manipulate units of oral language — such as words, syllables, onsets, rimes, and phonemes. It is entirely auditory and does not involve written text.

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Pre-K (Ages 3–4)

Rhyming recognition

clapping syllables

word awareness

Kindergarten (Ages 5–6)

Rhyming production

onset-rime blending

simple phoneme isolation

1st Grade (Ages 6–7)

Phoneme segmentation

blending

manipulation (add/delete/substitute)

2nd Grade (Ages 7–8)

Mastery of phonemic awareness

applied to decoding and spelling

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Elkonin Boxes for Phoneme Segmentation

Subskill Focused: Phonemic Awareness — specifically, phoneme segmentation.

How It Works:

Students are given a word (e.g., "dog").

They move a counter or token into a box for each individual sound they hear: /d/ /o/ /g/.

Visual and tactile support makes phoneme segmentation concrete.

Research Support:
According to the National Reading Panel (2000), explicit instruction in phonemic awareness—especially phoneme segmentation—is highly effective in improving early reading skills, particularly when paired with letters or manipulatives.

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PAST (Phonological Awareness Screening Test)

Use: Assesses a range of skills from simple (rhyming) to complex (phoneme manipulation).

Progress Monitoring: Can be administered periodically to track individual student growth.

Targeted Instruction: Results identify specific subskills in need of intervention.

DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)

Use: Provides quick, research-based screening in phoneme segmentation and initial sound fluency.

Progress Monitoring: Offers benchmark goals and ongoing checks to ensure students are on track.

Informal Observation & Sound Sorting Games

Use: Teachers observe students during structured oral activities (e.g., rhyming games, clapping syllables).

Progress Monitoring: Helps confirm whether formal assessments reflect actual classroom performance.

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English Learners (ELs):

Use Visual Cues and Real Objects: Pair oral sounds with images or items to build meaning and connections between English phonemes and vocabulary.

Emphasize Listening Activities: Include listening stations with modeled correct pronunciation, rhyme songs, or audio books in English to develop phonological recognition.

Support for Students with Dyslexia:

Use Multisensory Instruction (e.g., Orton-Gillingham): Incorporate kinesthetic (movement), auditory (listening), and tactile (touching) strategies to reinforce sounds.

Provide Repeated, Structured Practice: Repeated exposure to sound-based games, segmented practice, and scaffolded support helps students internalize patterns.

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Ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual phonemes (the smallest units of sound) in spoken words. Unlike phonics, it is purely auditory—no print is involved.

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Phoneme Isolation

Recognizing individual sounds in words (e.g., first, middle, last sounds)“What is the first sound in dog?” → /d/

Phoneme Blending

Combining a series of spoken sounds to make a word/s/ /a/ /t/ → sat

Phoneme Segmentation

Breaking a word into its individual sounds “Tell me the sounds in cat.” → /k/ /a/ /t/

Phoneme Addition

Adding a sound to a word to make a new wordAdd /s/ to the beginning of top → stop

Phoneme Deletion

Removing a sound from a word“Say smile without the /s/.” → mile

Phoneme Substitution

Changing one sound to anotherChange the /h/ in hat to /b/ → bat

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Pre-K (Ages 4–5)

Isolate initial sounds and recognize rhymes

Kindergarten (Ages 5–6)

Blend and segment simple words

Grade 1 (Ages 6–7)

Demonstrates full phoneme segmentation and manipulation (add/delete/substitute sounds)

Grade 2 (Ages 7–8)

Automatically decoding and spelling

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Say It and Move It (Sound Box Activity)

Subskill Focused: Phoneme segmentation and blending

How It Works:

The teacher says a word (e.g., ship).

Students move a token into a box for each sound they hear: /ʃ/ /ɪ/ /p/.

Students then blend the sounds to say the word.

Gradually, letters can be added to connect phonemic awareness to phonics.

Why It Works:

Based on Elkonin box principles and supported by research on multisensory engagement.

Helps children understand that words are made up of discrete sounds.

Research Support:

The National Reading Panel (2000) confirmed that phonemic awareness instruction, especially when combined with letters, significantly improves reading and spelling outcomes.

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PAST – Phonological Awareness Screening Test

Use: Measures phonemic skills across levels (isolation to manipulation).

Progress Monitoring: Helps identify which specific phonemic tasks need targeted support.

How It Supports Instruction: Guides grouping and instructional planning by pinpointing deficits.

DIBELS – First Sound Fluency (FSF) & Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF)

Use: Brief, timed assessments for phoneme isolation and segmentation.

Progress Monitoring: Benchmark scores show whether students are on track in early literacy.

Instructional Impact: Frequent assessment allows teachers to adapt instruction quickly.

Informal Observation/Running Records of Oral Activities

Use: During oral sound games, teachers note responses and engagement.

Progress Monitoring: Confirms that students are applying skills during instruction and play.

Instructional Impact: Adjustments made in real time to support individual needs.

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Support for English Learners (ELs):

Use Real-Word Anchors and Visuals: Pair oral tasks with picture cards and familiar vocabulary to build sound-symbol connections in English.

Focus on Phonemes Not Present in Native Language: Provide explicit modeling of unfamiliar English sounds (e.g., /th/).

Support for Students with Dyslexia:

Use Multisensory Approaches: Include movement (e.g., tapping or clapping sounds), manipulatives, and visual cues to reinforce auditory learning.

Intensify Instruction with Repetition and Smaller Steps: Break down complex tasks (like phoneme manipulation) into smaller, scaffolded activities with high repetition and support.

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Ability to recognize and name both uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, regardless of order. This foundational literacy skill is crucial for early reading development and is often a strong predictor of future reading success.

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Age 3-4: Children can name some letters, especially those in their own name.

Age 4-5 (Pre-K):

Recognize and name at least 10 uppercase letters.

Begin recognizing and naming some lowercase letters.

End of Kindergarten:

Accurately name all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters.

Quickly and fluently identify letters in random order.

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Multisensory Letter-Sound Mapping (focus: Uppercase Letter Recognition)

Description: According to research on multisensory instruction (e.g., Orton-Gillingham approach), engaging multiple senses helps students internalize letter names and shapes more effectively.

Implementation:

Teach one letter at a time using visual (see the letter), auditory (say the letter), tactile (trace with finger), and kinesthetic (body movement) strategies.

Example:

Show the letter M on a card.

Say: “This is M. M makes the /m/ sound.”

Have students trace the M in sand or on textured surfaces while saying its name.

Students form the letter with their bodies or in the air.

Include repetition and review over time.

Why it Works: This strategy helps anchor letter recognition in long-term memory by engaging multiple sensory pathways, which is especially effective for young learners and students with dyslexia.

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This video demonstrates a multisensory approach to naming letters. Reese is using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic strategies.

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DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills)- Letter Naming Fluency (LNF)

Type: Timed assessment where students name as many letters as they can in one minute.

Use: Measures automaticity and fluency.

Progress Indicator: Increasing the number of correctly named letters over time shows growth.

Alphabet Knowledge Inventory

Type- Checklist where students are asked to name, recognize, and match uppercase and lowercase letters.

Use: Diagnostic tool to identify specific letters a student can or cannot name.

Progress Indicator: Improvement in letter recognition and naming accuracy over time.

Observation & Anecdotal Records

Type- Observation during literacy centers, shared reading, or games involving letters.

Use: Captures informal learning and helps assess consistency and confidence in naming letters in context.

Progress Indicator: Noting increased participation, accuracy, and independence in letter naming tasks.

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Visual and Kinesthetic Letter Cards for English Learners (ELs)

Support: Include picture cues with letters (e.g., “A a – apple”) to build vocabulary alongside letter naming.

Use: ELs benefit from connecting the letter to a meaningful image and sound.

Engagement: Practice with interactive games like letter scavenger hunts or matching games using cards.

Assistive Technology and Repetition for Students with Dyslexia

Support: Use apps or tools (e.g., Starfall, ABCmouse) that provide auditory feedback and allow for repeated exposure.

Use: These students often need more repetitions to solidify letter names and symbols.

Engagement: Make practice fun and interactive with music, games, and digital stories that emphasize letters.

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A child’s understanding of how printed language works. This foundational skill includes knowledge of how books are organized, how text is read, and the functions of print in conveying meaning.

Key Components of the Skill:

Print carries meaning.

Print is read from left to right and top to bottom.

Books have a front and back cover, title, author, and pages that turn from right to left.

Words are made up of letters and are separated by spaces.

Sentences begin with capital letters and end with punctuation marks.

There is a difference between pictures and print.

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Age 3-4 (Pre-K):

Identifies the front cover of a book.

Understands that print has meaning.

Begins to track print left to right with assistance.

Age 4-5 (Pre-K to Kindergarten):

Points to the title, print vs. pictures.

Identifies where to begin reading and can follow print directionality.

End of Kindergarten:

Consistently tracks print left to right, top to bottom.

Distinguishes words, letters, and sentences.

Understands punctuation and spacing in print.

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Evidence-Based Instructional Strategy

Shared Reading with Print Referencing (focus: Directionality and Book Handling)

Description: Research supports using explicit print referencing during shared reading to enhance children's awareness of print. Teachers deliberately point out and talk about print features (Justice & Ezell, 2002).

Implementation:

Use big books or enlarged text.

Use verbal cues (e.g., “Let’s start here. Watch how I move my finger as I read.”).

Physically point to each word (1:1 correspondence), showing left-to-right movement.

Highlight features like the title, capital letters, and punctuation: “This dot is called a period. It tells us to stop.”

Ask students to help you turn pages and point to the words.

Why it Works: Explicitly drawing attention to print helps young children notice and internalize print conventions that they might otherwise overlook during read-alouds focused only on story content.

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Assessment Tools & Strategies

Concepts About Print Test (Marie Clay)

Type- Students are asked to demonstrate knowledge of print features using a specific book (e.g., pointing to the title, identifying directionality, punctuation, etc.).

Use: One-on-one, typically in early literacy assessments.

Progress Indicator: Demonstrated increase in accurate responses over time in understanding print concepts.

Observational Checklists

Type: Checklists that track how students handle books, follow print, and identify print features during read-alouds or independent reading time.

Use: Used during natural literacy activities to capture authentic behavior.

Progress Indicator: Increasing independence and correctness in navigating books and identifying print features.

Interactive Read-Aloud Anecdotal Records

Type: Teachers note students' responses to questions about book handling, print, and story structure.

Use: Helps assess understanding in a low-pressure, engaging setting.

Progress Indicator: More accurate, spontaneous observations and comments about print features (e.g., "That’s the end mark!" or “This is the title.”).

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Differentiation Strategies

Visual Supports and Native Language Access for English Learners (ELs)

Support: Use bilingual books or labels in students’ home languages alongside English.

Use: Helps ELs make connections between print features in both languages and supports comprehension.

Engagement: Encourage students to point out parts of the book using their home language, then introduce the English terms.

Tactile and Kinesthetic Book Exploration for Students with Dyslexia

Support: Use books with tactile elements (raised text, interactive flaps) or physical print manipulatives (sentence strips, magnetic words).

Use: Allows dyslexic learners to experience print concepts with multiple senses.

Engagement: Have students use finger-tracking while reading predictable text to reinforce directionality and word boundaries.