Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

What is the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness?

Phonological awareness- The ability to identify and manipulate larger parts of spoken language.  These aspects of spoken language include whole words, syllables, initial consonants, and word chunks/onsets and rhymes.  (Morrow, 2012 p. 138)

Phonemic awareness- Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness and is the ability to recognize that words are made up of individual sounds. (Morrow, 2012 p.138)

Why should we teach Phonological and phonemic awareness?

Phonological awareness is often referred to as the umbrella term because it encompasses a multitude of sound related skills, which are imperative for reading development (Lane, 2007).  It has been found that phonemic awareness is the strongest indicator for a child’s success in learning to read (NICHD, 2000).

Some considerations for educators  when planning phonemic awareness activities:

Some research suggests that effective phonemic awareness instruction should be taught in the context of comprehensive reading instruction (Yop & Yop, 2000).

It is important for teachers to consider the stages of child development when introducing different phonemic awareness activities.  Some research indicates that children gain control over larger units of sound before they are able to gain control over smaller units of sound (Yop & Yop, 2000).

• What unit of sound are you trying to emphasize? 
• What type of operation or tasks should be performed with the units of sound being emphasized?
• Do you want the activities to be strictly oral?

Check out this great article by (Yop & Yop, 2000),  which lists a variety of books, songs, and game ideas to support the development of phonemic awareness skills.

Reading Rockets provides helpful research and instructional resources to teach phonemic awareness skills.

Reading Rockets also a wonderful resource for educators and parents that provides helpful phonemic awareness activities.

Readwritethink.org is another useful site that offers an assortment of phonological and phonemic awareness activities and lessons to support teachers. Lessons can be found that will also meet the learning needs of diverse learners. What is great about this site is that it provides classroom resources, lessons, and professional development articles.

Some other important terms related to phonological and phonemic awareness that influence a child’s early literacy skills:

Alphabetic knowledge– Ability to recognize that words are comprised of letters

Auditory discrimination– The ability to hear different similarities and differences in phonemes and words  Example: Say these sounds /f/ /b/.  Are they the same or different?

Phonetics– The study of the speech sounds occurring in languages

Phonics- Knowledge of sound-symbol relationships

Phoneme-The smallest unit of sound

How can educators support English Language Learners to develop phonological awareness skills?

• Be intentional when using visual models, gestures and manipulative when modeling lessons
• Involve ELLs in peer and cooperative learning
• Provide additional work on English phonemes that are not present in the students’ home language
• Provide individual support when possible
• Introduce highly engaging Children’s Literature

To learn specific ways parents and educators can support phonological awareness read this article.