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Phonemic awareness is all about listening to the sounds in words. It's an understanding of how individual phonemes (consonant or vowel sounds) can be manipulated and arranged to create words (Best, J., 2018). For example, the word cat has three sounds, /c/, /a/, and /t/. When children can hear and play with these sounds, it helps them get ready to read. We practice this by playing games like clapping when we hear a certain sound or by blending sounds together to make words, like putting /b/ and /at/ together to make bat. These activities help children understand that words are made up of sounds, which is important in learning to read.

Classroom Activities:

1. Clapping Syllables: Say a word such as "apple" and have children clap the number of syllables in the word (two claps, "ap-ple"). For students who may need support, teachers can provide visuals to show how to break down the word into parts.

2. Sound Hopscotch: Draw a hopscotch grid with letters. As the students hop through, the say the letter and sound they land on. For differentiation, use larger grids or create a small board for seated play.

At Home Activity: Parents can play "I Spy" using beginning letter sounds. "I spy something that starts with /c/". This helps children break down words into sounds making it fun.

Website: Reading Rockets-Phonemic Awareness Games

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small photos of children using phonological awareness

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Children learning to read using phonics awareness.

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Phonics is the connection of different sounds with different letters or different groupings of letters (Best, J., 2018). It's when we learn which letters match which sounds. For example, the letter "B" makes the /b/ sound like in bat. Phonics helps us learn to read and write by knowing the sound of each letter makes and putting those sounds together to read words. In the classroom, we play games with letter cards and practice building words, like cat or dog. This is the way we can sound out words when we read, and even spell them when we write.

Classroom Activities

1. Letter Hunt: Hide letter cards around the room. Have students find a card and say the sound that the letter makes. Students really get excited playing this game. For differentiation, some children can identify the letter, while others practice it's sound.

2. Build a Word: Using magnetic boards and letters, students can use the letters to build simple words like bat, or dog. Guide students to blend the sounds together. For students who need extra help, use large manipulatives or just have them work with their peers to assist them.

At Home Activity: Parents can use magnetic letters, (from Dollar Tree), on the refrigerator to spell simple words like cat. Be sure to ask children to say each sound as they build each word. This activity engages both kinesthetic and visual learners.

Website: Starfall Phonics

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Parent and child reading a story together

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Vocabulary simply means the words we know and use. Vocabulary is key to reading comprehension (https://www.readingrockets.org). Every time we learn a new word it's like adding a new tool to our mental toolbox. For example, when we learn the word enormous, we can use it to describe something really big. Knowing lots of words allows us to understand what we read and talk about. In class, we learn new words by reading books and talking about them. When teachers read a book about animals, they can introduce new words like, habitat or creature. The more words we know, the easier reading becomes.

Classroom Activities:

1. Word of the Day: Introduce a new word every day with a picture (like enormous). have students use the word in a sentence. For differentiation, provide simpler words or use visuals for students needing more support.

2. Story Vocabulary Hunt: After reading a picture book, ask students to find words they don't know. Discuss the meaning and provide visuals. For ELL (English Language Learners), students provide translations or simpler synonyms.

At Home Activity: Create "word wall" at home. Each time the family learns a new word from a book or conversation, they add it on the wall with a picture or definition.

Website: Vocabulary.com-Kindergarten Words

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small photo of children using vocabulary awareness

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Fluency is reading something and easily. When we read fluently, we read at a nice pace, making fewer mistakes, and our reading sounds like talking. This helps us understand the story or information better. In class, we practice fluency by reading the same story many times, and sometimes we read together as a group. Fluency is what lets students feel the "flow" of a text (Best, J., 2018). This helps us get better at reading, little by little. Just like learning how to ride a bike, the more we practice, the smoother our reading becomes.

Classroom Activities:

1. Echo Reading: Read a short sentence and have students repeat after you, mimicking expression and pacing. This helps students who struggle with independent reading practice fluency in a supported way.

2. Poetry Party: Read short, simple poems with the class. Students take turns reading lines aloud. For students who need extra support provide visual cues or have students listen to a recording before trying to read on their own.

At Home Activity: Let your child choose books to read and reread favorite books (Darling, 2005).

Website: Read Works Fluency Passages

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small photo of children using fluency in reading

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Teacher reading and children pointing out key points.

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Comprehension is understanding what we read. Being able to tell what happened in a story, who and how the characters felt, and what the book is trying to teach us. After reading a book, teacher can ask questions like, "What was the problem in the story? Where did the story take place, or What did the characters learn?" Comprehension allows students to draw meaning and information from a text, and it also transfers reading from a purely functional activity into one that inspires thought and feeling (Best, 2018).

Classroom Activities:

1. Picture Sequencing: After reading a story have students draw pictures of the characters, setting, problem, and solution. For students needing extra support, offer them pictures to key events in the story to put in order and allow them to work in pairs.

2. Character Feelings Chart: After reading a story, students talk about how different characters feel at different points in the story. Provide facial expression charts to help children match emotions to the characters.

At Home Activity: After reading a book with your child together, ask your child to retell the story in their own words by drawing, using toys, or other props.

Website: Common Lit Comprehension Resources

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small photo of children using reading comprehension

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Best, J. (2018). The 5 components of reading explained. https://www.3plearning.com/blog/reading-proficiency-with-5-essential-components-of-literacy/

Darling, S. (2005). Strategies for engaging parents in home support of reading acquisition. Vol 58, No. 5. (pg. 478-479). https://sweethome.k.12.or.us/media/2019/01/Strategies_for_engaging_parents_in_home_pdf

Reading Rockets. (2024). Basics: Vocabulary. https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101/reading-and-writing-basics/vocabulary/