Reading Components: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency by Aliah Johnson

Phonemic Awareness

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Phonics

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Fluency

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Classroom Activity

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Rhyming Basket

Objective

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The Rhyming Basket activity will allow students to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken words by identifying and creating rhyming pairs.

Activity

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The teacher will fill a basket with pictures or small objects (dog, log, frog, snail, pail, mail). Students will take turns pulling two items and deciding if they rhyme or not.

At-Home Activity

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A fun activity for children to become more aware of sounds in words is by playing a simple game of “I Spy.” To play, the parent will choose an object in the room or lay them out on a table and say, “I spy something that starts with the /b/ sound.” The child will then look around and try to find the object that matches the sound, such as a button, book, ball, or blanket. After a few rounds, let the child take a turn being the one to give the sound clue. This game is easy and can be played anywhere—at home, in the car, or even at the grocery store—and it helps children develop strong listening skills while connecting sounds to real-life objects.

At-Home Activity for English Language Learners

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Parents will use the “Picture-Sound Match" activity cards provided. They will begin with a small set of picture cards (like a sun, sock, and sandwich) and focus on just one sound at a time—for example, the /s/ sound. They will show the child the picture of the sun, say the word slowly, and stretch the first sound: “Sssssun.” Parents will have the child repeat the word with them. Then ask them to match it to another picture with the same beginning sound, such as sock. This activity gives children a chance to hear the sound, say it out loud, and connect it to a picture they recognize. This activity is supportive for English learners because it pairs visuals, spoken language, and repetition to make the learning clear.

Classroom Activity

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Sing the Phonics Song

Objective

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This educational video will help students connect letters to their sounds by singing and practicing the alphabet through music and movement.

Activity

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"Sing the Phonic Song" is a popular phonics song video that teaches children the sound for each letter. As the song plays, students will be able to sing along and make the matching letter sound. The repetition, rhythm, and visuals allows students to remain engaged while reinforcing letter-sound knowledge.

At-Home Activity

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A fun and creative way to practice phonics at home for parents is to play the “A–Z Alphabet Sound Hunt.” Instead of focusing on just one letter, the child can focus on a few at a time. Then, challenge the child to get through the entire alphabet, finding an object for each beginning sound. For example, “A is for apple,” “B is for ball,” “C is for cup,” and so on. Families can do this over several days or weeks, adding to a list, taking photos, or even drawing a picture of the items they found. Children love the challenge of completing the whole alphabet, and it helps them hear and connect sounds with letters in real-life contexts. This activity works well because it can be done over time, requires no special materials, and turns everyday objects into learning tools.

At-Home Activity for English Language Learners

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The “Trace and Say” activity is a fun and simple way to help your child connect letters and sounds. Write a big letter on a piece of paper (for example, “S”). Parents will demonstrate to the child how to trace the letter with their finger while slowly saying the sound: “Ssssss.” Encourage the child to repeat the tracing and sound several times. To make it fun, you can trace letters in sand, shaving cream, or even in the air with their finger. This activity helps children remember that each letter has a matching sound, and the movement makes it easier for English learners to connect what they see, say, and feel.

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Reading Rockets is a resouce that takes research on how children learn to read and translates it into simple, practical strategies for families and educators. This website provides a wide variety of free resources, including videos, tip sheets in multiple languages, reading activity ideas, and book recommendations. For parents, this site is beneficial because it explains how to support reading skills in ways that are easy to comprehend and use at home. Whether a child is just beginning to recognize sounds and letters, needs extra help with reading fluency, or struggles with comprehension, Reading Rockets offers fun activities and clear guidance to develop confidence and enjoyment in reading. https://www.readingrockets.org/

The Developing Early Literacy report highlights skills such as phonological awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary growth, and print awareness, which are all important to build between birth and age five. For parents, this resource is valuable because it confirms that everyday activities—like reading books together, playing sound and rhyme games, and talking about new words—are proven to support children by building a strong foundation for reading. https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/NELPReport09.pdf

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I would recommend ABCmouse– an online learning program with fun songs, games, and activities that teach letters, sounds, and reading skills (Age of Learning, Inc. , 2007). Children can learn at their own pace and repeat lessons as needed, which can be beneficial for children with different learning needs. Families can use it at home to make reading practice enjoyable and build strong early literacy skills.
Learning Ally is another helpful resource that I would recommend. It is an audiobook library made for children who struggle with reading (Learning Ally, n.d.). Children can listen to books at their grade-level being read by real voices, which helps them understand stories, practice fluency, and enjoy reading without the frustration. Families can use it at home to make reading fun and build confidence.
Martha Speaks (PBS Kids) is a fun animated show where a talking dog named Martha helps children learn new words in everyday situations. The videos introduce vocabulary in clear, engaging ways by showing the meaning of words in context. Families can use these short clips at home to spark conversations, practice new words, and make vocabulary learning fun for all children, including English learners and those who need extra support. https://pbskids.org/videos/martha-speaks
The National Early Literacy Panel’s report—Developing Early Literacy—offers an extensive meta-analysis of early literacy skills and instructional practices. https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/NELPReport09.pdf
Colorín Colorado is a trusted multimedia project offering bilingual, research-based articles, videos, and teaching strategies to support English Language Learners and their families. https://www.colorincolorado.org/teaching-english-language-learners
Science of Reading: The Podcast, hosted by Amplify, shares evidence-based insights and discussions from literacy researchers and practitioners—ideal for educators and families alike. https://amplify.com/science-of-reading-the-podcast/

Classroom Activity

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Objective

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Students will develop fluency by practicing short, predictable texts (such as nursery rhymes, songs, or poems) through repeated group and individual readings. Younger learners may benefit from hearing and repeating simple, rhythmic language, while older or more advanced learners can focus primarily on reading with expression and adding gestures or dramatization. This allows the same activity to be meaningful across developmental levels, giving every student the opportunities to practice smoothness, accuracy, and expression that align with their developmental needs.

Activity

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With this activity, the teacher can use a simple, nursery rhyme, poem, or song (for example, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star or Itsy Bitsy Spider). The class first listens as the teacher models expressive reading. Then, students read it together in unison, focusing on smoothness and rhythm. It would be a great way in small groups or as individuals to volunteer to perform the rhyme aloud for the peers, adding hand motions or simple dramatization. The text is short and predictable, which helps students gain confidence with each repetition, so they can strengthen their reading skills.

At-Home Activity

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One way to build reading fluency is through repeated reading of favorite stories. At home a child can choose a book they love and reads it multiple times, the words become more familiar and easier to recognize. With each re-read, the child can begin to read more smoothly, with better accuracy and expression. Parents can encourage fluency by saying, “This time, try to read it like a storyteller!” which motivates a child to add expression to their voice. Families can also take turns reading pages, with the parent modeling fluent reading and the child imitating. This activity not only strengthens fluency but also builds a child’s confidence, since they experience success with a text they enjoy. This activity helps support encourages expressive, meaningful reading rather than word-by-word decoding.

At-Home Activity for English Language Learners

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For English language learners, choral reading (reading together in unison) is a great way to practice fluency. Whether they have a book at home or the teacher can provide one. The child may choose a predictable, patterned book like Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. As the parent reads aloud to their child and points to the words, the child follows along and joins in. Since the words are repetitive and supported by pictures, children can anticipate the words, making it easier for them to participate even if they are not yet confident readers. Choral reading reduces the pressure of reading alone, gives children the rhythm of fluent English speech, and helps them match spoken language with print. This activity will help build confidence by letting English learners practice fluency without fear of mistakes.

Vocabulary

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Comprehension

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Classroom Activity

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Word Detective Journals

Classroom Activity

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Retell Relay

Objective

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Students will expand their vocabulary by collecting, illustrating, and using brand new words from stories and discussions in meaningful contexts.

Objective

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Students will demonstrate comprehension by retelling key events from a story in a sequence, showing understanding of characters, plot, and main ideas.

Activity

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Students keep a small notebook to collect new words they encounter in stories or class discussions. Each word can be written, illustrated, and later used in a sentence.

Activity

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After a read-aloud, students work in small groups. Using a small anchor chart, each student retells part of the story in sequence. For young learners, using visuals or puppets can be helpful. This activity will help build comprehension through sequencing and recall.

At-Home Activity

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Families place sticky notes or index cards on everyday household objects such as “chair,” “door,” “table,” or “mirror.” Parents can say the word aloud as the child touches or points to it. Over time, children begin to recognize the written word and connect it with the spoken word and the real object. To make it interactive, parents can turn it into a game: “Can you find the word ‘door’ and touch it?” As children grow, parents can remove some labels and ask the child to replace them, or add new descriptive words like “big chair” or “kitchen table” to expand vocabulary. This simple activity helps children see words in context and makes learning part of their daily environment.

At-Home Activity

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After reading a story, families can choose a favorite part and act it out using simple props, stick puppets (can be provided), or even stuffed animals. For example, after reading The Three Little Pigs, children can build small houses from toy blocks or pillows and retell the story by pretending to be the pigs or the wolf. Acting out the story helps children remember details, understand the sequence, and think about each character's feelings. It is also a natural way to check comprehension because children express what they understand through actions, even if they aren’t yet confident in retelling with words on their own.

At-Home Activity for English Language Learners

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Songs and nursery rhymes are powerful tools for building vocabulary because they combine rhythm, repetition, and movement. Parents can sing classic songs like Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes to teach body part words or Old MacDonald Had a Farm to teach animal names and sounds. Children not only hear the words but also act them out, which reinforces understanding. For English learners, repeating simple, catchy phrases in songs makes new vocabulary less intimidating and easier to remember. Families can even add new verses together (“Old MacDonald had a zoo…”) to practice creating and using new words in fun ways.

At-Home Activity for English Language Learners

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Bilingual books allow families to read a story in the home language first and then in English. A printable copy of the story can be provided for this at-home activity. This activity helps children make sense of the story line and vocabulary by connecting new English words with familiar concepts. For example, a parent might read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? in Spanish, then again in English. The pictures support understanding, and children hear the same ideas in two languages, reinforcing comprehension. Parents can ask questions in both languages like, “¿Qué ves ahi? / What do you see?” so children can practice expressing comprehension in the language they’re most comfortable with while building confidence in English.