What is Phonemic Awareness

By: ChildrenLearningReading.com

Phonemic Awareness refers to the capacity to identify, perceive, and manipulate the tiniest units of sound called phonemes. It is important to note that phonemic awareness is a sub-component of phonological awareness, rather than being the same thing. Specifically, phonemic awareness is more focused and specialized, concentrating solely on phonemes and how to manipulate the individual sounds that form words. For instance, the separate sounds of /c/, /a/, and /t/ blend together to create the word "cat." Conversely, phonological awareness encompasses not only phonemic awareness but also the ability to hear, distinguish, and manipulate larger units of sound, such as onsets and rimes.

Phonemic awareness, is a crucial skill for children to acquire early on as it plays a significant role in their reading and spelling abilities. Although there is no set age at which children can learn to read, I firmly believe that if a child can speak, they can learn to read. In fact, children as young as two years old can develop phonemic awareness skills, which can lead to them becoming fluent readers. To witness this in action, please take a moment to view the video below, which showcases a remarkable 2-year-old (2 yr 11 months) reading with ease

Below are a few of the most frequently practiced phonemic awareness abilities with students and young children:

• Phonemic identity - the capacity to recognize common sounds across different words, such as /p/ being the shared sound in "pat," "pick," and "play."


• Phonemic isolation - the skill of distinguishing the individual sounds in words, for example, recognizing that /c/ is the starting sound in "cat," and /t/ is the ending sound.


• Phoneme substitution - the ability to substitute one phoneme with another to create a new word. An instance of this would be changing the /t/ in "cat" to /p/, resulting in "cap."


• Word Segmenting - when the parent says a word like "lap," and the child identifies the individual sounds that make it up, such as /l/, /a/, and /p/.


• Oral blending - the capacity to form words from individual sounds. For example, when the parent says the separate sounds of /r/, /e/, and /d/, the child blends them to produce the word "red."

Various studies have indicated that phonemic awareness is the most significant predictor of reading success in young children. Additionally, research has found that children who possess a high level of phonemic awareness tend to achieve success in reading and spelling, while children who struggle with phonemic awareness are more likely to experience challenges in learning to read and spell. Consequently, it is crucial for parents to assist their young children in developing strong phonemic awareness skills.[1]

The ability to orally blend and segment words is essential for children to develop their reading and spelling abilities. As per the National Reading Panel, oral blending enables children to develop reading skills by transforming printed letters into sounds that merge to create words. Furthermore, word segmenting aids children in breaking down words into their individual sounds (phonemes), which assists them in learning to spell unfamiliar words.

When a young child starts to acquire and master phonemic awareness skills, they will encounter a completely new realm of print and reading. This will expand their world to an entirely new dimension of excitement and amusement. They will have the ability to read books they find engaging, gain a deeper comprehension of the world around them through written materials, and experience a great deal of pleasure by creating new nonsensical words through phonemic substitutions.

For example, one father taught his daughter to read at a young age - when she was a little over 2 and a half years old. Before she turned three, she would run around the house saying all types of silly words using phonemic substitution. One of her favorite was substituting the letter sound /d/ in "daddy" with the letter sound /n/. So, she would run around him in circles and repeatedly say "nanny, nanny, come do this" or "nanny, nanny, come play with me" etc... Of course, she only did this when she wanted to be silly and to make him laugh, at other times, she would of course properly refer to him as "daddy", and not "nanny". She is well aware of the differences between these words and is fully capable of using phonemic substitution to change any of the letters in the words to make other words

>> Click here to learn more about the simple, step-by-step phonics and phonemic awareness program

Notes:

1. Cognition. 1991 Sep;40(3):219-49. The relationship of phonemic awareness to reading acquisition: more consequence than precondition but still important. Wimmer H, Landerl K, Linortner R, Hummer P. University of Salzburg, Austria.