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Phonemic awareness helps children manipulate sounds in spoken words, a crucial step toward becoming proficient readers.

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Basics: Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

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Before children learn to read print, they need to become aware of how the sounds in words work. They must understand that words are made up of individual speech sounds, or phonemes. A child's skill in phonological and phonemic awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty.

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This video describes the 44 phonemes (sounds) that make up the English language.

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Reading Simplified | streamlined instruction, accelerated achievement

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Imagine with me the recipe that most first grade teachers attempt to create a class of readers:

A dash of phonemic awareness, a larger measure of phonics, sprinkled with sight word games, simmered with an engaging read aloud, but not neglecting the obligatory 10 minutes in a writing journal.

Does the careful mixing of these many reading skills bake make a strong reader?

In many cases, yes! When that happens, it is delicious.

However, if we examine reading outcomes such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), just a few years later in 4 th grade the outcomes for over 30% have turned sour.

This batch of readers does not demonstrate even basic reading achievement. 🙁

Bitterness and dis-engagement often follow fast upon repeated disappointed with learning to read. Tragically, each year the distance between the reading "haves" and "have-nots" grows larger.

What if we have forgotten to stir the ingredients and haven't really finished the dish?

Might an approach that integrates phonemic awareness, phonics knowledge, high frequency word practice, spelling, and writing boost reading outcomes?

With child after child, from beginners to strivers, we do find that an integrated approach to the foundational reading skills prepares great readers.

Integrate; Don't Isolate

Rather than teaching

10 minutes of phonemic awareness

20 minutes of phonics instruction, and then

15 minutes of handwriting and spelling instruction,

integrate these reading skills into one 5 - 10 minute instructional activity.

What does that look like?

One of our favorite fully integrated activities is called Switch It. This is what it looks like:

Or, here's another visual on the Switch It procedures:

1. The teacher calls out a switch,

2. After she creates each new word, she segments, or separates, each sound in the word:

"/mmmmm/ /o--/ /p/......'mop.'"
A Switch List for a beginner might look like this, with CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words:

map

mop

top

tap

sap

sat

Sam

While a slightly more advanced student might be challenged by this with some CVCC words:

rich

which

whip

tip

tin

ten

tent

sent

set

Here's a beginning reader, who is four, learning more about phonics information and phonemic awareness in the video below.

Notice how he is able to manipulate sounds in the easier CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) level, such as "chick," but then demonstrates a leap forward by also manipulating the harder CCVC (Consonant-Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) word: "prick."

Simultaneous, Integrated Sub-Skills

What skills do the children practice when they manipulate these letter-sound cards and say their sounds?
Several, you say?
Yes! Here are some of sub-skills that were addressed by just this one integrated activity:

Phonemic segmentation

Phonemic manipulation

Consonant letter-sound knowledge

Short vowel letter-sound knowledge

Decoding

Spelling

High Frequency word analysis

Connections between word identification and vocabulary

Concept of the alphabetic principle.

Notice these multiple sub-skills were integrated and practiced simultaneously, and in short order....hmmm...does that pun work with short order cook? 😉

If you'd like a more scholarly dive into this activity and its benefits, read this article written by Bruce McCandliss, Isabel Beck, Rebecca Sandak, and Charles Perfetti. These researchers term what we call Switch It a "Word Building" technique, but the gist of the activity is very similar. With just this simple activity, these researchers demonstrated significant growth in phonemic awareness, decoding, and even....comprehension. Yep!

What are the benefits of this integrated approach to foundational reading skills?

1. Saves time.

2. Provides the pivotal transfer ability necessary for the child's independent reading skills the next day and week.

3. Develops the phonemic (sound-based) decoding precision necessary to be a strong reader and speller.

So, you want to be a better cook?

Re-examine your recipe.

Consider your scope and sequence and the isolated sub-skill after sub-skill tack.

Perhaps make a more effective, and efficient product if you mix phonemic awareness at the same time you teach decoding and letter-sound knowledge.

We follow a 1-page Streamlined Pathway that guides our thinking in a scope-and-sequence kinda way.

For example, in the first, bottom-left section, we teach multiple, integrated sub-skills: consonants, short vowels, phonemic awareness (all types), decoding, and high frequency words. All in just a couple of activities such as Switch It.

[See this post about Blend As You Read for our other early main activity that integrates multiples skills simultaneously.]

After working with hundreds of students and watching others work with thousands of students, we testify that students learn to read more rapidly and easily with an integrated approach.

And, the National Reading Panel demonstrated the value of this key ingredient to word identification when they noted greater impact from phonemic awareness integrated with letter-sound instruction.

Finally, consider this admonition from Marie Clay, creator of Reading Recovery:

"The lowest literacy achievers will have extreme difficulty bridging any gaps in the teaching programme and linking together things that have been taught separately."

Please select a student and try the Switch It approach with him/her. A list of words will make it easier to get started....Download our FREE Switch It packet below to jump start your students' decoding!

Please report back here with what you found after trying Switch It. What have you discovered?

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The Foundation for Strong Sound-Based Decoding-Switch It | Reading Simplified

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Integrate multiple reading skills to save instructional time and accelerate achievement.

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Download directions, word lists, and letter tiles and play Switch It with your child!

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Phonics bridges the gap between sounds and written language, teaching kids to decode and spell words.

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After completing this module and successfully answering the post-test questions, you’ll be able to download a certificate of completion.

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Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, Books & Music for K-5 and above

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At Starfall, children have fun while they learn - specializing in reading, phonics & math - educational games, movies, books, songs, and more for children K-5 and above.

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Choose one of these 81 free printable worksheets for extra practice fun at home!

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Introducing...

Free Rock 'N Learn preschool

videos on YouTube
www.youtube.com/rocknlearn
New content added weekly. Subscribe to our free channel for updates.

Here, you will find free phonics worksheets to assist in learning phonics rules for reading. These free worksheets are printable and designed to accommodate any lesson plan for reading that includes phonics. Conveniently organized by the skills covered, these worksheets come with answer keys. You may print the worksheets from either PDF or JPEG versions and provide them to your children or students.

Each free phonics worksheet also includes a lesson extension - extra activities to help students learn specific skills taught on the worksheet or review material already learned. You will also find an instructional guide with tips for getting the most from phonics instruction as well as a collection of frequently asked questions.

Diphthongs, au, aw, all & al

These free phonics worksheets may be used independently and without any obligation to make a purchase, though they work well with the excellent Phonics DVD and Phonics Audio CD programs developed by Rock 'N Learn. You are not required to register in order to use this site. These free phonics worksheets and lesson extensions are provided to you compliments of Rock 'N Learn with our sincere desire that they assist students and raise awareness of other Rock 'N Learn programs.

Phonics is a tried and proven method for learning to read. Although English is not purely a phonetic language, phonics is an important tool for beginners learning to read the language. Due to the effectiveness of phonics-based instruction, more public and private schools have emphasized phonics instruction in recent years. Parents who teach their children at home also frequently report satisfaction with instructional materials for phonics, based on the emails we receive.

Within this collection of 81 free phonics worksheets, students practice learning vowels, beginning consonants, ending consonants and plurals, beginning blends, ending blends, consonant digraphs, long vowel sounds, R-controlled vowels, diphthongs, ph and gh, silent consonants, and more.

We would love to hear from you about ways that you have used our free phonics worksheets in your home or classroom. Plus, we always appreciate suggestions for improving these worksheets or improving this site.

To supplement phonics instruction, you may find the Sight Words DVDs from Rock 'N Learn helpful. These DVDs cover over 180 sight words, including all pre-primer, primer and first grade Dolch words as well as many of the top sight words from Fry's list.

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Introducing... Free Rock 'N Learn preschool videos on YouTube www.youtube.com/rocknlearn New content added weekly. Subscribe to our free channel for updates. Here, you will find free phonics worksheets to assist in learning phonics rules for reading. These free worksheets are printable and designed to accommodate any lesson plan for reading that includes phonics.

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Fluency combines speed, accuracy, and expression, helping readers understand the text better.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Choose from engaging stories read aloud by actors. Encourage your child to follow along with the text on the screen.

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy-nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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The Florida Center for Reading Research has a wide variety of suggested fluency activities to enjoy with your child.

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A rich vocabulary helps children understand texts and express ideas effectively.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Come back daily to learn a new word with your child.

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Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words

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The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!

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Help your child expand their vocabulary with these fun, free worksheets from K12 Reader.

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Reading Worksheets, Spelling, Grammar, Comprehension, Lesson Plans

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Find the Root Word Worksheet for 1st grade

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With this classroom activity, explore the different commonly used prefixes and suffixes in order to find the hidden root word! Click here to start looking!

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Your child will enoy expanding their vocabulary with these free printables!

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44 Crossword Puzzles For Kids - Tree Valley Academy

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Free printable crossword puzzles for kids on a variety of themes. A fun way for kids to work on vocabulary. Pdf is free to download and includes answers.

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Reading comprehension allows students to make sense of what they read, deepening their learning and enjoyment.

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Explore reading basics as well as the key role of background knowledge and motivation in becoming a lifelong reader and learner. Watch our PBS Launching Young Readers series and try our self-paced Reading 101 course to deepen your understanding.

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Sign up for a free account at Readworks.com. Have your student read the daily article and add 2-3 things they learned to their personal Book of Knowledge. They'll soon have a record of all kinds of cool new knowledge!

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ReadWorks | Award-Winning, EdTech Nonprofit Organization

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ReadWorks is an edtech nonprofit organization that is committed to helping to solve America's reading comprehension crisis.

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Read Aloud Together to Improve Comprehension:

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Read Aloud Together to Improve Comprehension:

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Read Aloud Together

How it Helps: Encourages discussion about the story, plot, and characters while modeling fluency and expression.

How to Do It:

Take turns reading paragraphs or pages.

Pause periodically to ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why did the character make that choice?”

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1. Explore the different columns --each focuses on an essential reading skill: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

2. Start : Each column begins with a brief explanation of the skill and why it's important. Click on the picture to learn more.

3. Try This: Use the digital resources linked in each column for interactive activities.

4. Offline Options: Download and print the non-digital resources to use at home.

💡 Tip: These resources are designed to make reading fun and meaningful. Spend 10–15 minutes a day practicing one skill area with your child!

Questions or Feedback?
Feel free to contact me at kcrist@copperislandacademy.org.