Phonemic Awareness is our goal.........
(Middle School): Please read Phonological Awareness and Intervention and Phonological Instruction for Older Students.
(Elementary): Please view Cox Academy’s Early Literacy: Lessons 1-4.
Then, both (Middle School) and (Elementary) please respond to the following prompt:
“Mastery of every skill on a phonological awareness continuum is not the goal; phonemic awareness is. Even if you have to scale back to teaching larger sound units, never stop teaching phonemes. Instead, do both simultaneously.” - (Cox Academy) What are you currently doing for phonemic awareness instruction in your classroom [to promote reading and vocabulary skills]? Based on what you’ve learned so far, will you be making any changes? Why or why not?
When I first starting listening to Cox Campus, I really didn't realize that I do all of those things in a nutshell, but I just didn't have the correct terminology for everything I was doing. We are currently working on the Solar System unit and inquire a lot of reading to understand the concepts. I incorporate reading on a daily basis in science and social studies, and vice versa; when I'm in Reading class; I incorporate Science and Social Studies topics. This allows my students to gain familiarity with the vocabulary and word usage in the unit, as well as level two and three terms. One word that I can think of is astronomer. Some of my kids got stumped on this word, so we said the word, sounded out each letter, then blended. We broke the word apart to determine how many syllables it has then I told them to sound out the word again. There were no words that we could use to rhyme with it that made sense, but the syllabication and segmentation helped. Another word Regolith, which is the covering of the bedrock on the moon's surface was a tricky one. Not only do I let my students see the dictionary (phonetic spelling of the word - we also listen to the correct pronunciation) which is very helpful. My students were segmenting the re-go-lith, which sounds correct, but after we did our research and broke the word down into syllables and blended the phonemes, we realized that it was reg-o-lith. Those are some of the steps that I take when reading unfamiliar or difficult vocabulary terms to help my students become better readers, because sometimes there is no syntax around the sentence to help them; they just have to know how to pronounce the word without prior meaning.
ReplyDeleteI also use texts pertaining to science and social studies during reading. I often find when they don't know how to pronounce the word, they do not know the meaning of the word, so it is a great time to introduce content related vocabulary as well as work on segmenting and sounding out words.
DeleteDr. Askew; I love that you are referring to the dictionary! Students get to see the written phonetics, as well as, listen to it. It's a great way to emphasize a readily available resource they have at the click of their mouse! :) I think that asking students to take turns and "look up" the words for the class is also a great way to get them to spell, think, hear and say...really PROCESS the word, will also impact their learning and help them to "own" new words.
DeleteIt is hard for upper grade teachers to sometimes understand the need for these skills. Thank you.
DeleteYes! The dictionary is a major resource for students if they know how to use it. I need to add more references to this as we work with words. We use our word list of definitions, but I need to add more dictionary, and thesaurus, work as well.
DeleteI am currently using the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program which includes components of rhyming, phoneme isolation, working with syllables, segmenting words, adding and deleting phonemes and phoneme-grapheme connections. This routine lasts approximately 10-15 minutes which I do with both the Kindergarten and First grade classes. I also utilize Recipe for Reading which is a multisensory Orton Gillingham based program. This I use mostly during Skills Block with my small groups. Last year I dove deep into learning about phonemic awareness and the best way to develop it with my students. The Cox lessons reinforced that I am meeting the necessary components in teaching phonemic awareness and I do not plan on making any changes at this time.
ReplyDeleteI really like that you are blending Heggerty components with Orton Gillingham.
DeleteThese lessons in the class definitely has the earlier years written all over it. It is a majority of your day, I am sure. Blending different programs is the best way to get the "best" of all the parts. Unless(or until) the county mandates a certain program, picking and choosing the best parts of each is ideal.
DeleteI second that!! I also instruct phonics and phonemic awareness daily.
DeleteJust this month I have been playing some active games that practice phonemes skills. Your students are enjoying it
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLLtesYrhLw&t=152s
When working with Tier 2 and Tier 3 students in 2nd-5th grade, the routine of beginning the lesson with blending and segmenting phonemes has already been established by Mrs. South. This routine, which includes hand motions and blending/segmenting boxes, is helping students to be more aware of the phonemes in words, which will in turn help them when they are reading and writing. I would love to include these skills, as well as phoneme identification/categorization, phoneme deletion/addition, phoneme substitution, and syllables, as “word games” in my reading clubs. These skills can easily be targeted to the grades and students I have that day, and can be easily done in just a few minutes.
ReplyDeleteI, too, think I can try to incorporate some of the routines of segmenting, specifically. In music, I do introduce academic language in all grade levels. However, I have not broken the academic language down in such a way as described in the routines of the early literacy instructional practices. I will start simple, one step at a time.
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea! Being in a different environment(reading club), the students would have no idea that they are practicing these skills if put into word games. Yay!
DeleteI think it is great that you are going to create word games to use during Reading Club to reinforce the phonemic awareness skills they are learning in class. I am sure the students will have fun while they are getting more practice with the needed skills.
DeleteI am excited that you added this to the reading club! I will try to encourage more of my students to attend! Thanks
DeleteIn 3rd grade, these skills are incorporated in our daily reading of relevant texts, pertaining to our current vocabulary words, science, or social studies. When the students encounter a word they are unsure how to pronounce, we break it down, sounding out each syllable. Many times my students are also unsure of the definition of some of these multisyllabic words. We are currently learning about context clues, so we incorporate that also to determine the meaning of the word, after we have established how to pronounce it.
ReplyDeleteWhat percentage of students do you think needs this type of support?
DeleteThat so true! I realize that not only do my students not understand how to pronounce the word, they also have difficulty understanding the meaning of the word. That's a good way to establish deep reading by utilizing context clues to establish meaning.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe I have ever specifically tried to look at phonological awareness while teaching. I can say that with the scientific terms, I try and spend time explaining affixes' and sounding out the different parts of words. I also encourage my students to look up the pronunciation of difficult terms so we can all practice (I still struggle with precipitate). One of the articles specifically mentioned that instruction for enhancing awareness of speech sounds is relevant for older students inattentive to the internal details of spoken words. The key word is inattentive. When I stumble over my words I have rushed- I was inattentive. I use these as teachable moments to show my students that we can all fall into the trap of being inattentive to the words we are reading or speaking causing issues. For me this is the largest takeaway, to be aware that it is often not an ability issue, but one of inattention where we as a collective just need to take time to review the phonemes/parts of a word to help us use it correctly.
ReplyDeleteI think inattentiveness is something that both teachers and students struggle with. We have so many things or assignments to do that we feel like we have to hurry up and get things done, and that often leads to skipping over something important. I like how you are using teachable moments and pointing out your own inattentiveness to students. Knowing that teachers still make mistakes and have trouble with things help students know that it is okay to make mistakes or struggle, and hopefully will help students be more aware so that they do not make the same mistake.
DeleteI agree! Even my littles try to rush. I like the idea of using inattentive.
DeleteI have begun really working more on syllables and phonemes with upper elementary. In the past, my vocabulary instruction centered around meanings, context, and writing the words using correct context. I spent very little time segmenting syllables. I have added this into the vocabulary and writing instruction. We use the recording tool lots to record segmenting and blending syllables. This is great because they can go back and listen to the words. They can also see how other students have blended and segmented. After we have orally blended and segmented, the students write it . Finally they use the words in paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you are now adding in aspects phonemic awareness into your vocabulary lessons. I also like that you are using the recording tool with the students. I think the students will greatly benefit form this as it gives them more practice with segmenting and blending.
DeleteWith 5th and 6th graders, we don't do phonological awareness, but we do come across words we may not know how to pronounce in our reading which involves phonics. I have modeled breaking down words a lot since, let's be honest, science has a lot of words that are not typical everyday language. I have them listen to me blend/break it down, and then I get them to repeat it after me(which is a part of phonological awareness). This is not something I do daily, but when the opportunity presents itself I make sure the students break down words into phonemes in order to read the word phonetically. It is important to take any opportunity that arises in the classroom to model and practice the phonological awareness in upper grades since we don't do so explicitly.
ReplyDeleteI love that you are modeling the correct pronunciation of words that students may not know or are unfamiliar with! Getting them to repeat it after you is great too - knowing how to say a word and knowing its meaning are important for students to be able to use, incorporate, and “own” the word in their vocabulary.
DeleteI will be adding more resources for my elementary students. I introduce many musical terms and don't always have time to dig into the words themselves. I am currently working on a CANVA resource that will house my academic language-accessible to my students for review.
ReplyDeleteI knew we could all benefit from this information. Thank you for focusing on literacy through music!
DeleteThat's a great idea! I would love to see what you create!
DeleteI would also love to see what you create. I recently had this shared with me, and while I can't actually use it, I thought the idea was fantastic. I'd love to do something like this for my class. https://read.bookcreator.com/CheW3vzGkOWIVmWyJI6pxbcSnyo1/f0aWW50OScGsUb6M16RRGw/RXL-GhNkRxSNEjxizihBdQ
DeleteAs I read "Phonological Awareness and Intervention" one suggestion stood out because it was something that I have never done before and that was the manipulation task of removing a letter from a word. Kilpatrick took the word clap and asked students to remove the letter l to see if they could manipulate and then read the new word. I found this interesting because I have modeled how to break words apart but have never suggested removing a letter. Kilpatrick suggested this was a good way to determine if the student has phonemic awareness. I am reminded of Four Blocks from many years ago which was all about word manipulation as well as Word Ladders both of which have value and are something that students enjoy. I will definitely be on the lookout for more opportunities to encourage word manipulation.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the game Wordle. I know I have seen some teachers put up a wordle board to challenge students as part of their literacy center, but did not connect it to phonemic awareness.
DeleteI have also been thinking of the four blocks model we used . Some similar characteristics in the word work for upper grades for sure!
ReplyDeleteI can repeat everything that Elizabeth Treadwell stated. I also use the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness program and Orton Gillingham daily. I especially dive deeper with my skills group. I focus in on reteaching and shoring up phonics skills my students are lacking. I did find something interesting in regards to rhyming. When I taught kindergarten rhyming was a skill that we worked on almost daily. It was interesting that Cox Campus stated that rhyming isn't always a good indicator of reading fluency. I found this to be true. i always had students that we fluent readers and were able to comprehend but lacked the ability to rhyme orally. When writing out word families they did fine. On the other hand i would have struggling readers that could rhyme all day long! So i agree that rhyming is important but not a true indication of future reading ability. I will be adding more instruction and practice of syllable segmentation. I feel like this is a great addition to my phonics instruction.
ReplyDeleteMany of my students came to me with sight word goals. This was such a common goal for students up until recently when the focus has been taken away from sight words and placed on phonemic awareness! This year I have been focusing more on the phonemes and the syllables of the words and having students blend the phonemes together to make the word. I see often the students can recognize a sight word but they can not sound out the phoneme or blend the new word with the phoneme addition or substitution. These are skills we have been working on in my classroom this year and will continue to work on as the year progresses.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see the change in goals for our students who are struggling readers. A few years ago - sight words were the main goal. Now we are seeing goals related to phonemic awareness.
DeleteWe have had to be aware of phonemic patterns as we work with tier 2 vocabulary. Some of the words included in our word list are very new to some students (5th and 6th grades). We've had to break down some of these words in order to find familiar parts, learn to pronounce them, and be able to add these new words to our vocabulary repertoires. This is also very applicable when tackling tier 3 academic vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the articles, I think I do a great deal more in my work with phonological processing rather than phoneme awareness. I like the ideas presented in the first article of not lumping all the students together. That instruction needs to be based on their current level. In my own class, I see a couple of things more frequently. Those would be mispronunciation and correctly reading the information, but not being able to restate, summarize, or remember it afterwards. It's almost like the task of reading the selection took so much work, the student was unable to understand the ideas that the words create when placed together in sentences, paragraphs, and articles.
ReplyDeleteAs far as how I presently address this, I do a good deal of what was suggested in that I stop a student when a word is mispronounced and model the correct pronunciation, and then have the student repeat it back correctly. I also try to talk a good deal through explanations. I want my course to be a discourse between my students where we all share ideas, connections, and thoughts.
The problem that I always feel I am running up against is time. With so many standards to address, and some so incredibly vague while others are so incredibly explicit, I often don't feel there is time to stop and support reading skills in the way some of my students may need them. I certainly try to supplement with vocabulary acquisition prior to units, utilize aides built into platforms like gallopade, examine morphological patterns, and provide graphic organizers; however, at the end of the day, I still feel like some students are not able to really comprehend the material presented in the manner I would like. But this is also something I need to grasp, they are working, and I am working, so it's all a process.
I agree with your thinking that the process of reading can be so hard for some students, greatly impacting their comprehension. I think you do an outstanding job previewing vocabulary with students before a unit begins. This is a great way to build their background knowledge - which will play directly into their comprehension.
DeleteWe have access to a program called Read Live for our sped students. You might recognize it as Read Naturally. I have mainly used it with students who struggle with fluency. However, there is a warm-up section that reinforces letter sounds, blends, prefixes, suffixes, etc. I would like to start using this more with my Skills students who struggle with reading. I would also like to incorporate opportunities to work on phoneme deletion, addition, and substitution.
ReplyDeleteOften in PE I am introducing new words that are PE specific vocabulary. Now I realize that I have the opportunity to practice phonological awareness and phonemic awareness in each lesson. For example the I can statement this week is about manipulative skills. I can use hand motions, clap out syllables, syllable deletion, etc in my lesson opening.
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