What is phonological awareness?
Phonological awareness involves the auditory and
oral manipulation of sounds. It refers generally to the
awareness of words, syllables, or phonemes
(individual speech sounds).
Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological
awareness. It refers specifically to the awareness of
individual sounds in words such as /s/ /i/ /t/ in sit.
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN
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The spoken words consist of individual sounds
(phonemes).
How words can be segmented (pulled apart) into
sounds, and how these sounds can be blended (put
back together) and manipulated (added, deleted, and
substituted).
How to use their phonemic awareness to blend
sounds to read words and to segment sounds in
words to spell them.
Why is phonological awareness
important?
An understanding of how to detect, break apart,
blend, and manipulate the sounds in spoken
language is needed in order for students to
understand letter-sound associations.
Students must understand that words are made up of
speech sounds, or phonemes. Research indicates that
the most critical phonemic awareness skills are
blending and segmenting (NICHHD, 2001).
HOW TO TEACH IT
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Phonemic Awareness
Provide explicit and systematic instruction focusing
on only one or two phonemic awareness skills at a
time, such as segmenting and blending.
Link sounds to letters as soon as possible using
letters as manipulatives for segmenting and blending
activities. Use screening and progress monitoring
phonemic awareness assessments to inform
instruction.
Provide intensive interventions for students who are
not making adequate progress.
Time: Allow 20 hours of targeted instruction
throughout each year with individual sessions of no
more than 30 minutes.
Grouping: small group instruction is preferable to
individual or whole group instruction.
Use active teaching strategies such as modeling,
demonstration, and explanation.
Phonics
What is phonics?
Phonics is the understanding that there is a
relationship between sounds (phonemes) and
their spellings (graphemes).
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN
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Accurate and rapid identification of the letters
of the alphabet.
The alphabetic principle (an understanding that
the sequence of sounds or phonemes in a
spoken word are represented by letters in a
written word.
Phonics elements (e.g., letter-sound
correspondences, spelling patterns, syllables
and meaningful words parts). How to apply
phonics elements as they read and write.
Why is phonics instruction
important?
Phonics instruction helps beginning readers
understand the relationship between letters and
sounds. It teaches students to use these
relationships to read and write. Research has
shown that direct systematic phonics
instruction is appropriate and beneficial for
advancing students’ skills from kindergarten on
(NICHHD, 2001).
HOW TO TEACH IT
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Provide explicit, systematic phonics instruction
that teaches sound-symbol relationships in
sequence.
Provide explicit instruction in blending sounds
to read words. Include practice in reading texts
that are written for students to use their phonics
knowledge to decode words.
Provide ample opportunities for students to
practice spelling words they can decode and
decoding words they can spell.
Use screening and progress monitoring
assessment to inform phonics instruction.
Provide intensive instruction to students who
are not making adequate progress in decoding,
using diagnostic assessment to target specific
sound-syllable associations or decoding skills
with which students need additional practice.
Fluency
What is fluency?
Why is fluency important?
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN
HOW TO TEACH IT
Fluency is the ability to read text quickly,
accurately, and with proper expression (also
called prosody). All three elements contribute to
effective reading comprehension. Students who
can decode print accurately and effortlessly and
who can make it sound like talking when they
read aloud will better comprehend what they
read.
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How to decode isolated words accurately.
How to read connected text automatically with
appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression.
Studies show that 75% of students with
comprehension difficulties have underlying
fluency issues (Duke, 2001). Research links
standardized achievement test scores and
fluency rate, the number of words read correctly
per minute (Fuchs, L.S., Fuchs, D., Hosp, M.,
Jenkins, J., and Joseph R., 2001). Fluency
instruction improves reading achievement
(National Reading Panel, 2000).
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Provide opportunities for students to practice
reading isolated words.
Provide opportunities for students to practice
repeated oral reading with guidance from
teachers, peers (e.g., partner reading) and/or
parents.
Provide opportunities for students to real aloud
in groups (e.g., choral reading) or to reread text
independently (e.g., reading along with
audiotape).
Periodic assessment of reading fluency to
monitor student progress toward achieving
established fluency benchmarks.
Vocabulary Instruction
What is vocabulary development?
• Vocabulary is the knowledge of words and
their meanings. Vocabulary development
focuses on words beyond basic sight words. It
involves words that are rich in meaning.
• Oral vocabulary is the set of words for which
students know the meanings when they are
spoken or read aloud to them. Emergent readers
have a much larger oral vocabulary than print
vocabulary. Developing students’ oral
vocabulary will help them to better comprehend
text read to them. Oral vocabulary also helps
readers make sense of words they see in print.
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN
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The meanings for most of the words in a text so
they can understand what they read.
How to apply a variety of strategies to learn
words meanings. How to make connections
between words and concepts.
How to accurately use words in oral and written
language.
Why is vocabulary development
important?
 Reading and writing vocabulary are words
for which students know the meanings when
they read and write them. Comprehension of
text depends on understanding the words in
a selection, and competent writing requires
extensive and specific word knowledge.
Students learn the meanings of many words
indirectly as they listen to spoken language
and read, but expanding students’
vocabulary must include direct instruction
in specific word meaning.
HOW TO TEACH IT
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Provide direct, explicit instruction to help
students learn word meanings.
Provide many opportunities for students to read
in and out of school to encourage indirect
learning of vocabulary.
Introduce new vocabulary in multiple contexts.
Engage children in daily interactions that
promote using new vocabulary in both oral and
written language.
Enrich and expand the vocabulary knowledge
of English language learners.
Actively involve students connecting concepts
and words.
Text Comprehension
What is Comprehension?
Comprehension is an essential part of
successfully developing 21st century
literacies. It is a vital tool for reading in
our modern age, a vehicle through which
we:
▪ gain meaning from the words
someone else has constructed,
▪ learn something new, to confirm
something we think,
▪ understand another’s viewpoint
WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO LEARN
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How to read both narrative and expository
texts.
How to understand and remember what
they read.
How to relate their own knowledge or
experiences to text.
How to use comprehension strategies to
improve their comprehension.
How to communicate with others about
what they read.
Why is Comprehension important?
Without “thinking, wondering, and
pondering,” as I call it, reading becomes
simply word calling. That type of
“reading” has little or no benefit to the
reader or those that might listen to him.
HOW TO TEACH IT
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Explicitly explain, model and teach
comprehension strategies such as
monitoring, use of graphic and semantic
organizers, asking and answering
questions, previewing and summarizing;
use of multiple strategies (e.g., cooperative
learning and reciprocal teaching).
Provide opportunities for students to
practice using strategies when reading
connected narrative and expository text.
Include pre-reading, reading, and postreading comprehension activities during
instruction.
Promote thinking and extend discourse by
asking questions and encouraging student
questions and discussions.
Provide extended opportunities for English
language learners to participate.
Use screening and progress monitoring
assessment to track the progress of
individual students. Follow up with
diagnostic assessment to target specific
strategies with which students may need
additional intervention.