Rethinking Instruction in Phonological Awareness: Focus on What Matters!

The importance of phoneme awareness for acquiring the alphabetic principle and for learning to read has been documented since the 1970s, gaining broad recognition when the National Reading Panel Report was published in 2000. Since then, instruction to foster phonological awareness has become routinely recommended for the early grades.

However, the widespread practice in schools is to target awareness of larger phonological structures such as words, syllables, and onset-rimes before focusing on phonemes, with attention to the phoneme not occurring until well into kindergarten or first grade.

During this hour-long on-demand webinar, Dr. Susan Brady examines studies that raise questions regarding whether following this “continuum” is necessary and/or beneficial for students. She also discusses:

• The developmental sequence of phoneme awareness
• The importance of conducting phoneme awareness activities with letter knowledge and handwriting
• The benefits of this approach for all students

Watch this webinar to deepen your understanding of how and when to teach phonemic awareness to set students up for reading success.

Presenter:

Dr. Susan Brady
Professor Emeritus
Department of Psychology
University of Rhode Island