PHONEMIC

AWARENESS
Chapter 3: A Bit of Different Take
ISABEL L.BECK & Mark E. Beck (2013)
CHAPTER REVIEW

■ In this chapter of the book “Making sense of phonics – the

hows and whys the authors review some commonly accepted
notions about phonemics awareness, discuss the inherent
difficulties of developing phonemic awareness and
demonstrate that phonemic awareness can be taught.
■ Then, they review about three perspectives on the relationship
between phonemic awareness and decoding and finally
suggesting phonemic awareness activities that could be done to
the children.
Phonemic Awareness Can Be Hard for
Young Children???
■ 1. blending
■ 2. segmenting
■ 3. manipulation
How it can be hard?

1) The first major problem in the identification of phonemes within words is that a child
does not perceive subsounds in a word.
2) Phoneme segmentation is hard because phonemes often overlap in speech production.
3) Young children who have not yet learned to read is that they do not have much
knowledge of English orthography, which is essense of spelling.
Solution

■ Teach phonemic awareness and early decoding in parallel, in a reciprocal supporting

relationship (Isabel & Mark ,2013)
Use of Letters with Phonemic Awareness

■ If an activity could be conducted with the light off, it was a phonemic awareness
because it was auditory only. (oral activity)
■ If the activity required the lights be on, it was phonics because phonics involves seeing
letters.
■ Phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when such instruction is imparted
through the use of printed letters. Once letters are used, they have discarded the more
common view of phonemic awareness as a purely auditory task in favor of phonics
which additionally includes the visual system (Bus & van Ijzendoorn,1999)
■ They believe that decoding can be taught with the inclusion of phonemic awareness and
that phonemic awareness can be taught by incorporating letters.
Example of a One-Letter Phonemic
Awareness Activity.
■ 1. Initial Position
■ 2. Final Position
■ 3. Medial Position