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Author Monographs

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics


By
Dr. Timothy Shanahan
Professor, Urban Education
Director, UIC Center for Literacy
University of Illinois at Chicago

Phonemic Awareness research (most notably the


and Phonics landmark reviews conducted by
Marilyn Adams [1990] and Jeanne
The role of phonics in learning
Chall [1967]). Something that
to read has been a matter of
makes the NRP phonics findings
some controversy. Phonics
even more convincing is the fact
proponents have argued that
that a rereview of the evidence
reading success depends
by critics of the report resulted in
on the early mastery of the
similar outcomes (Camilli, Vargas,
alphabetic principle (the
& Yurecko, 2003).
idea that letters and letter
combinations represent the
The National Reading Panel
sounds of language), while
examined 38 studies on the
opponents have challenged
teaching of phonics and found that it provided
this idea, claiming English spelling patterns
young children with a clear benefit in learning
are too complex and inconsistent to support
to read—students who were taught phonics
successful learning. But what does the
made faster early progress and ended up with
research say? Does phonics instruction
higher reading achievement. Additionally,
improve children’s reading development or
NRP looked at studies of phonemic awareness
not?
instruction (instruction that teaches children
to hear the sounds within words—an
National Reading Panel Findings important prerequisite to developing phonics
The National Reading Panel (NRP) examined skills). NRP found, on the basis of 52 studies,
the research on phonics instruction for the that phonemic awareness instruction
U.S. Congress (NICHD, 2000). NRP was also conferred a clear learning benefit to
required to determine what the research children. The panel concluded that phonemic
findings were in an objective and systematic awareness and phonics both should be
way, and its summary is the best and most taught and that it was important to carefully
current review of phonics published. The coordinate the teaching of these skills to
findings of the NRP phonics report are ensure that students made maximum progress
consistent with earlier examinations of the in reading.

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND PHONICS

Applications phonics instruction should be systematic; that


Phonemic awareness instruction should begin means it should be based on a well-planned,
in kindergarten and first grade and should sequential phonics curriculum that supports
continue until children develop the ability daily teaching. As with phonemic awareness,
to hear the sounds (or phonemes) within it is best to teach simpler concepts (such as
words. A word like cat has three phonemes the sounds of individual letters, the b sound
(three distinct language sounds), and a word or the s sound) prior to introducing more
like ship has three as well (it is the number complicated ones (e.g., when the letter c
of distinct speech sounds, not the number sounds like a k or an s). Similarly, it is best
of letters). For beginning readers the goal is to teach patterns that have a high frequency
to develop full segmentation ability, which in written English prior to focusing attention
means children must learn to divide words on those patterns that are less useful (the
or nonsense words into all of their sounds: consonant-vowel-consonant pattern in
sh-i-p. With this degree of phonemic words like mat, bed, sip, top, cup is more
awareness proficiency, students can hear common than the-tion pattern used in words
the sounds sufficiently to be able to make like nation). Phonics instruction should have
clear connections between sounds and letter clearly specified learning goals and sufficient
patterns. Studies indicated that children numbers of lessons to ensure those goals can
learn phonemic awareness be accomplished successfully.
best in small groups and that
knowledge of letter names It should be obvious that a
should be taught simultaneously sound program of phonemic
with phonemic awareness. It should be obvious awareness and phonics
Phonemic awareness programs that a sound program of instruction is an essential
were most effective when they phonemic awareness and ingredient in early reading
were kept simple—not trying phonics instruction is an success. This instruction needs
to teach too many skills at one essential ingredient in to be systematic and well
time—and when objects (such coordinated, ensuring that
early reading success.
as counters or letter cards) were children can hear the language
used to help students think sounds within words prior to
about the sounds. Most children trying to match those sounds
can develop sufficient phonemic with letters.
awareness skills in kindergarten and first
grade, but if they fail to do so, later instruction Biography
was still found beneficial. Timothy Shanahan is Professor of Urban
Education at the University of Illinois at
The teaching of phonics is most important Chicago where he is Director of the UIC Center
in grades K–2, the years when phonics for Literacy. He recently returned from a leave
instruction was found to improve all aspects of absence that allowed him to work as the
of reading and spelling ability. In the upper Executive Director of the Chicago Reading
grades, phonics can still help students with Initiative for the Chicago Public Schools,
word recognition. Phonics instruction includes a school improvement initiative serving
the teaching of letter-sound correspondences, 437,000 children. His research focuses on the
the pronunciations of spelling patterns, relationship of reading and writing, school
and decoding skills (that is how to apply improvement, the assessment of reading
this phonics knowledge to the reading and ability, and family literacy.
spelling of unknown words, including how Dr. Shanahan is currently Vice President of
to blend the sounds together). Effective the International Reading Association and

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND PHONICS

is on the Board of Advisors of the National National Institute of Child Health and Human
Family Literacy Center. He has published Development (NICHD). (2000). Report of the
more than 100 books, chapters and articles National Reading Panel. Teaching children to
on reading and writing. He served on the read: An evidence-based assessment of the
White House Assembly on Reading, and the scientific research literature on reading and its
National Reading Panel, a group convened implications for reading instruction. Reports of
by the National Institute of Child Health and the subgroups. [NIH Publication No. 00-4754].
Development at the request of Congress to Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing
evaluate research on successful methods of Office. Also available online: http://www.
teaching reading. He currently chairs two nichd.nih.gov/publications/nrp/report.htm
other federal panels: one that is reviewing
literacy research on language minority children Torgesen, J. K., & Mathes, P. G. (2000). A
and one on preschool and family literacy. He basic guide to understanding, assessing, and
is co-editor of the Illinois Reading Council teaching phonological awareness. Austin, TX:
Journal. Pro-Ed.

A former primary grade teacher, Dr. Shanahan Publications by Timothy Shanahan


earned his M.A. at Oakland University and Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Willows, D. M.,
his Ph.D. at the University of Delaware in Schuster, B. V., Yaghoub-Zadeh, Z., &
Reading Education. He received the Albert Shanahan, T. (2001). Phonemic awareness
J. Harris Award for outstanding research on instruction helps children learn to read:
reading disability and the Milton D. Jacobson Evidence from the National Reading Panel’s
Readability Research Award, both from the meta-analysis. Reading Research Quarterly,
International Reading Association. He earned 36, 250–287.
the Amoco Award for Outstanding Teaching
and the University of Delaware Presidential Pikulski, J. J., & Shanahan, T. (1980). A
Citation for Outstanding Achievement. He comparison of various approaches to
was inducted into the Illinois Council Hall of evaluating phonics. Reading Teacher, 33,
Fame in 2002. 692–702.

References Shanahan, T. (1980). Three explanations of


Adams, M. (1990). Beginning to read. reading disability. In M. L. Kamil & A. J. Moe
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. (Eds.), Perspectives on reading research
and instruction. (Twenty-ninth Yearbook
Camilli, G., Vargas, S., & Yurecko, M. (2003). of the National Reading Conference, pp.
Teaching children to read: The fragile link 301–308). Washington, DC: National Reading
between science and federal policy. Education Conference.
Policy Analysis Archives, 11, 1–52.
Shanahan, T. (In press). The National Reading
Chall, J. (1967). Learning to read: The great Panel Report: Practical advice for teachers.
debate. New York: McGraw-Hill. Naperville, IL: Learning Point.

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill
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