Developing Phonological Awareness in Young Learners

“If they can’t hear it, they can’t say it. If they can’t say it, they can’t read it. If they can’t read it, they can’t write it.” – Dr. Louisa Moats

Teaching children how to read is one of the most important responsibilities of an educator. Reading is not a natural process—it must be explicitly taught. Research from the National Reading Panel (2000) and the Science of Reading movement emphasizes that early literacy instruction should be explicit, direct, and systematic, ensuring that every child develops strong foundational skills to become a proficient reader.

Phonological awareness is a critical pre-reading skill that allows children to recognize and manipulate spoken language at different levels—words, syllables, and individual sounds (phonemes). It is a strong predictor of later reading success (Snow et al., 1998) and must be intentionally taught in a systematic progression before students can master decoding and spelling.

Why Phonological Awareness Matters:

• It is a strong predictor of reading success (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008).
• It supports decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling).
• Without it, students struggle with phonics, reading fluency, and comprehension.

For students at risk for reading failure, students with IEPs, English Language Learners (ELLs), and Multilingual Learners (MLLs), targeted instruction is essential to prevent reading difficulties.

Systematic Instruction for Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness develops along a continuum, moving from larger linguistic units (words and syllables) to the smallest unit of sound (phonemes). Below is a structured, research-based progression of instruction.

Step 1: Word Awareness (Understanding Words in Spoken Language)

Objective: Help students recognize individual words in spoken language.

Explicit Teaching:

• Model by saying a sentence and clapping for each word.
• Have students repeat the sentence and count the words aloud.

Gradual Release of Responsibility:

• I Do: “Listen to my sentence: ‘I love reading books.’ Let’s count the words.” (Clap each word.)
• We Do: “Now let’s try it together: ‘We are in school today.’ Count the words!”
• You Do: Students listen to a sentence and count the words independently.

Differentiation for At-Risk Students, IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs:

• Use visual cues (place cubes or counters for each word).
• Provide gestures or tapping movements to reinforce concepts.
• Allow ELLs and MLLs to practice in small groups with peer modeling.

Step 2: Compound Words (Breaking and Blending)

Objective: Teach students how words can be broken into parts (e.g., “butter” + “fly” = “butterfly”).

Explicit Teaching:

• Say a compound word, then break it into two parts.
• Ask students to blend the two parts back together.

Gradual Release of Responsibility:

• I Do: “Listen to the word ‘sunflower.’ Let’s break it: ‘sun’—‘flower’.”
• We Do: “Let’s try ‘basketball’ together. Say the two words: ‘basket’—‘ball’.”
• You Do: Provide words for students to break apart and blend back together.

Differentiation for At-Risk Students, IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs:

• Use picture cards (e.g., show a picture of a sunflower and separate the words).
• Provide visual supports such as written words in large print.
• Allow extra time for processing and provide repetition.

Step 3: Syllable Awareness (Segmenting and Blending)

Objective: Teach students to identify syllables in spoken words.

Explicit Teaching:

• Introduce syllables by clapping, tapping, or using manipulatives.
• Start with 2-syllable words and progress to multi-syllabic words.

Gradual Release of Responsibility:

• I Do: “Listen to the word ‘banana.’ Clap with me: ‘ba-na-na’ (3 claps).”
• We Do: “Now let’s try ‘butterfly’ together!”
• You Do: Students practice clapping out words independently.

Differentiation for At-Risk Students, IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs:

• Use visual cues (show pictures of multi-syllabic words).
• Provide oral modeling for students needing additional support.
• Allow small-group practice before independent attempts.

Step 4: Onset-Rime Awareness (Blending and Segmenting)

Objective: Teach students to separate the beginning sound (onset) from the word family (rime).

Explicit Teaching:

• Model onset-rime segmentation (e.g., “/b/-ig/”).
• Have students blend the parts back together.

Gradual Release of Responsibility:

• I Do: “Listen to ‘b-ig.’ The first sound is /b/, and the rest is ‘-ig.’”
• We Do: “Let’s do ‘c-at’ together!”
• You Do: Students practice segmenting and blending onset-rime pairs.

Differentiation for At-Risk Students, IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs:

• Use letter manipulatives for hands-on practice.
• Provide word family charts to reinforce patterns.
• Give extra time and repeated exposure.

Step 5: Phonemic Awareness (Manipulating Sounds)

Objective: Teach students to identify and manipulate individual phonemes in words.

Explicit Teaching:

• Start with simple CVC words (e.g., “man” → /m/ /a/ /n/).
• Progress to deleting and substituting sounds (e.g., “cat” → change /c/ to /b/ → “bat”).

Gradual Release of Responsibility:

• I Do: “Listen to ‘mat.’ Let’s say the sounds: /m/ /a/ /t/.”
• We Do: “Now let’s try ‘sit’ together!”
• You Do: Students segment and manipulate phonemes independently.

Differentiation for At-Risk Students, IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs:

• Use Elkonin boxes with counters for visual segmentation.
• Provide kinesthetic support (tapping fingers for each sound).
• Scaffold instruction by starting with simpler words and increasing complexity.

Research-Based Strategies to Reinforce Phonological Awareness

• Daily Routines:Embed phonological awareness activities into morning meetings, transitions, and circle time.
• Songs & Chants:Use nursery rhymes, fingerplays, and rhythmic patterns to enhance auditory discrimination (Goswami, 2001).
• Movement-Based Activities:Use clapping, stomping, or jumping to engage kinesthetic learners.
• Multisensory Techniques:Incorporate visual (letter cards), auditory (songs), and tactile (sandpaper letters) approaches (Moats & Tolman, 2019).
• Small-Group Instruction:Provide targeted support to at-risk students using explicit instruction, modeling, and guided practice.

Supporting At-Risk Students, Students with IEPs, ELLs, and MLLs

For Students with IEPs (Dyslexia, Learning Disabilities)

• Use multisensory instruction (Orton-Gillingham, tapping sounds).
• Provide explicit, small-group instruction (IES Practice Guide, 2008).
• Incorporate assistive technology (text-to-speech, audiobooks).

For English Language Learners (ELLs) & Multilingual Learners (MLLs)

• Focus on oral language development (August & Shanahan, 2006).
• Teach cognates (e.g., family → familia).
• Provide visual supports and gestures.

For All At-Risk Readers

• Conduct early screening and frequent progress monitoring (Torgesen, 2002).
• Use explicit, systematic phonics instruction (National Reading Panel, 2000).
• Provide consistent, daily practice in small groups.

Empowering Students Through Systematic, Explicit Teaching

As teachers, we have the power to change lives through reading instruction. Phonological awareness is not just an early literacy skill—it is the foundation for reading success. By using explicit, direct, and systematic instruction, we can prevent reading failure and set all students on the path to literacy.

When we teach with intention, we give students the keys to unlock the world of reading. Let’s ensure every child has access to high-quality literacy instruction—because every child deserves the opportunity to read, learn, and succeed.

“When we teach reading the right way, we build confident, capable readers for life.”

Research References

• August, D., & Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Ehri, L. C. (1995). Phases of development in learning to read words. Journal of Research in Reading, 18(2), 116-125.
• National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
• Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
• Torgesen, J. K. (2002). The prevention of reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35(4), 331-340.