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What is Phonemic Awareness and Why Teach it?

Byamoffatt
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Have you ever heard the term phonemic awareness and wondered what it is?

I get a lot of emails from parents who are ready to teach their child how to read. They tell me that their children know their letters and their sounds, therefore they are Ready to READ! “Where do we start and what do we do next?” they ask.

I LOVE their enthusiasm! I LOVE their willingness to dive right in.

However… diving into a full-blown reading curriculum at that early stage is not the next step. Instead, to build a strong foundation for reading success, children need to master Phonological/Phonemic Awareness.

Phonemic Awareness is such an integral part to reading and writing. Unfortunately, many teachers skip over teaching this, but the truth is that it's just as important as learning phonics! Check out these 9 hands-on ways to help children learn to segment and blend words, and watch your children become confident readers with strong decoding and spelling skills!

What is Phonological/Phonemic Awareness?

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate sounds (phonemes).  This skill provides a strong foundation for early reading success. As students become more proficient in hearing, identifying and manipulating sounds, they can successfully move onto segmenting and blending words. Therefore, a systematic and cohesive approach to teaching phonological awareness can build confident readers who are less likely to struggle with decoding and spelling skills. Students with strong phonemic awareness are much more likely to be successful readers.

Who Can Benefit from Phonological/Phonemic Awareness?
Reading instruction is important for all students. A strong foundation in phonological/phonemic awareness can benefit:
*Beginning Readers
*Struggling Readers
*Students with autism or other developmental disabilities
*Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students

Authentic Phonemic Awareness is done without printed words. It is all about the sounds that letters make. It gives students the ability to work with sounds, manipulate sounds and master these sounds in a variety of ways. When students are able to do these skills successfully, they are able to jump into phonics with a lot less struggle.  Phonics (not Phonemic Awareness) works with connecting the sounds to printed letters and words.  When you target phonemic awareness first, it allows a child to focus on one thing…sounds.  However, when you try to teach both phonemic awareness (sounds) and phonics (linking sounds to letters and words), it can be overwhelming and frustrating for children learning to read.

When a child struggles with reading, the gaps are often connected to a lack of phonemic awareness skills. Fortunately, going back and reinforcing these skills can help fill in the gaps and build stronger readers.

Within my Phonemic Awareness Bundle, I have provided an opportunity to practice many skills necessary to give children a strong foundation with sounds. Let’s take a look at this bundle, see how it works and why it is an important component to reading success.

Phonemic Awareness is such an integral part to reading and writing. Unfortunately, many teachers skip over teaching this, but the truth is that it's just as important as learning phonics! Check out these 9 hands-on ways to help children learn to segment and blend words, and watch your children become confident readers with strong decoding and spelling skills!The pictures and activities that I am about to show you below are all stored in my Phonemic Awareness Kit. This is EASY to set up and just requires a box and some file folders. This method keeps me organized and all of my materials are in one place. When my teaching materials are organized, I am more equipped to meet the needs of those that I am teaching.

How to make a Phonemic Awareness tool kit- Keeping your resources organized makes it so much easier to teach the foundational skill for reading.
 
Phonemic Awareness is such an integral part to reading and writing. Unfortunately, many teachers skip over teaching this, but the truth is that it's just as important as learning phonics! Check out these 9 hands-on ways to help children learn to segment and blend words, and watch your children become confident readers with strong decoding and spelling skills!
 

In this post, I will show you 13 different activities to help build phonemic awareness.

Here are the individual packets included in the bundle:
 
 
Also Included in the Bundle:

This bundle has everything that you’ll need to set a strong foundation for reading readiness.  In addition to the activities, the bundle includes pre-assessments, quarterly scopes, lessons plans, post-assessments and progress trackers.

 
Assessments:
 

The mid-assessments help you to identify the pace of a student’s learning, while the post-assessment gives you the opportunity to gage mastery of the skills that have been taught.  The assessment trackers allow you to easily identify small groups and students who may benefit from scaffold or extension activities.

Scope:

The scope gives you a brief outline of the skills that will be introduced and reviewed on a weekly basis.

Lesson Plans:

Each lesson plan offers a brief introduction or review that can be implemented in a large or small group.  This lesson is then followed by an activity to allow students to practice what they have learned.  A section of anecdotal notes to assist in your teaching.

 

What are the Components to Phonemic Awareness?

I like to start with and include the following packets when teaching phonemic awareness:

Let’s start with Beginning Sounds. This is a great place to start, but it is typically the only component of phonemic awareness that many people implement.

1. Beginning Sounds Pocket Chart

Once you print out the letters and picture cards, it is a great idea to set them up and get them organized. Therefore, I print, laminate and cut out all of the pieces.

Although you typically don’t want to use printed letters or words when teaching phonemic awareness, I found it helpful with the pocket chart cards. It lays a great foundation for beginning sounds.

Each set of pocket chart cards has a picture of the beginning sound for every letter of the alphabet.

 
Once the cards have been printed and laminated, I like to keep them stored and organized in a file folder system. This allows me to keep the contents of my Phonemic Awareness Kit organized and ready to use.
This is how I store the Beginning Sound Pocket Cards…
I started by purchasing file folders and library cards. The library cards below are a peel and stick kind. That makes it easy for me to place 6 cards on one file folder.
I will have a total of 5 file folders for this activity:
File #1: A-F
File #2 G-L
File #3 M-R
File #4 S-X
File #5 Y-Z
Beginning Sounds are a great place to start when introducing phonemic awareness to your students. Teaching phonemic awareness sets a strong foundation for phonics and reading skills for beginning and struggling readers.
 
Once the cards and the file folders are ready to go, simply paperclip the picture cards to the back of each set and slip them into the library card envelope.  This system keeps you organized and makes the cards easy to access.
Beginning Sounds are a great place to start when introducing phonemic awareness to your students. Teaching phonemic awareness sets a strong foundation for phonics and reading skills for beginning and struggling readers.
 
Each of the five file folders look like this…
Beginning Sounds are a great place to start when introducing phonemic awareness to your students. Teaching phonemic awareness sets a strong foundation for phonics and reading skills for beginning and struggling readers.
 
First, when you teach the beginning sounds, start with one sound at a time. Introduce the letter and sounds that the letters make. I like to use a pocket chart system for this packet. This is a portable one, but you can use any size pocket chart you have.
Beginning Sounds are a great place to start when introducing phonemic awareness to your students. Teaching phonemic awareness sets a strong foundation for phonics and reading skills for beginning and struggling readers.
When students become more proficient in mastering the letter sounds, they increase the difficulty of the activity by having them sort two or more sets at the same time. For example, you might have individually taught the beginning sounds for b and d. You can up-level the activity by having all the pictures for these two sounds out and have the student sort the picture cards next to the correct letter.
 
Put  5-6 letters out that correspond with the specific beginning sound the students are working on. Students say the beginning sound for each picture and then cover it with their marker. For example…/d/../d/…dog. Just like the traditional Tic-Tac-Toe game, 3 in a Row wins the round. If a student wins the round, they take the letter d. Whoever wins the most letters, wins the game!
 
 
 
 
Next, you want to further support beginning sounds with the
3. Beginning Sounds (Cut and Paste) Packet
This packet also has two options: a colored version and a black and white version.
 
You can keep this set organized in your in a file folder system as well.
You will need 2 file folders and paperclips to organize all of those little pictures.
 
Beginning Sounds Cut and Paste Packet- Beginning Sounds are a great place to start when introducing phonemic awareness to your students. Teaching phonemic awareness sets a strong foundation for phonics and reading skills for beginning and struggling readers.
The cards the sets are numbered. This will help you keep the sets together and in case they get scattered (which they will) you can place them back with their set. This system helps you keep everything organized. Organization is KEY!  
 
Now that your child/student has fully mastered their beginning sounds, they are able to move onto middle and ending sounds. By practicing, isolating and mastering these sounds, students are getting ready to move onto phonics. This is where they will be able to connect the sounds of spoken language to the printed letters.
 
Therefore, the next step in the process would be to work on the
4. Middle Sounds (Medial) Cut and Paste Packet
Hearing the middle sounds in a word can be challenging for kids. While they are practicing hearing the middle (medial) sound, they are also working on the beginning sound. They are isolating the beginning in order to hear the middle. Therefore, you are essentially enforcing the concept of sounding out words, which is a skill needed for phonics.
 
For example, the upper row of pictures are:
cap, web, wig, top, nut
Each short vowel sound is represented on each set.
Now students work to hear and match a picture that has the same vowel sound.
cat, bed, bib, frog, tub
This simple skill is helping prepare students to sound our simple CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words when they begin to work on phonics.
The Middle Sounds Cut and Paste Packet provides students the chance to build phonemic awareness by isolating the sounds and matching the pictures. Perfect hands-on fun!
Likewise, this simple skill can be implemented with a pocket chart to teach or practice middle sounds.
The Middle Sounds Cut and Paste Packet provides students the chance to build phonemic awareness by isolating the sounds and matching the pictures. Perfect hands-on fun!
 
 
After Middle (Medial) Sounds, students work to hear the ending sounds.

When beginning readers start to read, they often delete the ending sound and make up their own sound. For example, if they see (or even sound out) the “ca..” in a word, they automatically assume that it must be the word CAT.   They don’t take time to sound out the ending sounds. Beginning readers often make up words as they go. However, by strategically focusing on ending sounds, you can eliminate this problem, and help students to hear the ending sounds in each word. By focusing on this skill of isolation sounds, you are helping to prepare a student to read successfully and with a lot less struggle. You are laying a foundation for success when they start to learn phonics.

 
#5 Ending Sounds (cut and paste) Packet
 
Keep the picture cards organized in a file folder system.
For the ending sounds packets, you will need  2 file folders.
File #1 Sets 1-11
File #2 Sets 12-22
The Ending Sounds Cut and Paste Packet provides students the chance to build phonemic awareness by isolating the sounds and matching the pictures. Perfect hands-on fun!
 
Once students have worked to hear and isolate each individual sound, they can move on to segmenting and blending sounds.
 
#6 Segmenting and Blending Cards (Push and Blend)

This is a FUN packet to work with as students use hands-on manipulatives to hear each sound and blend the sounds together. This task really helps set students up for success when it comes to phonics and sounding out words. I like to use these counters when segmenting and blending sounds in a word.
This is a picture of a rat. Even the word mouse would work.
The word rat has three sounds /r/ /a/ /t/….rat.
Students put a counter up for each sound they hear. This helps them isolate each sound in the word. If there are 3 circles, that means they must hear and isolate those 3 sounds. This really helps students to SLOW DOWN and isolate every sound.
Once they finish pushing up the counters for each sound, they sweep their finger across the arrow to blend the word.
Segmenting and Blending Cards provide students the chance to build phonemic awareness by slowing down to isolate the sounds and then blend them together. Perfect hands-on fun!The same thing can be done with play dough. All in all, having a child use some sort of manipulative helps the learning becomes more kinesthetic and hands-on. Notably, the physical aspect helps the brain connect what they are learning.
Begin by having students make a playdough ball for each circle on the mat. As they segment the phonemes (sound out each sound), they smash a ball.
It’s FUN, they like doing it, and they are really forced to hear each sound!
SUPER EFFECTIVE!!
Once again, they would use the arrow to sweep and blend the sounds to make the word.
Segmenting and Blending Cards provide students the chance to build phonemic awareness by slowing down to isolate the sounds and then blend them together. Perfect hands-on fun!One of my favorite ways to segment words and to blend them is with a slinky.
Not only are these activities great for developing phonemic awareness skills, but it also helps students  build spelling skills.
Segmenting and Blending Cards provide students the chance to build phonemic awareness by slowing down to isolate the sounds and then blend them together. Perfect hands-on fun!
This packet contains 240 words for students to segment and blend! This provides them with a LOT of opportunities to practice and master that necessary skill of segmenting and blending phonemes (sounds) to make a word.
This packet works with words that have 2, 3, 4, and 5 phonemes (sounds).
 
#7 Counting Syllables (Visual and Tactile)
 
The Counting Syllables Packet allows students to work with and master syllables in words. When a student can successfully chunk words into syllables, it also helps with decoding and spelling. When they begin to learn more phonics rules, they are able to implement those rules into the chunks they hear.  When a child knows how to decode syllables, they become more fluent readers who can better comprehend the text they are reading.
 
 
#8 Counting Syllables Sorting and Clip Cards
The Counting Syllables Sorting and Clip Cards are similar to the Visual and Tactile packet, except this activity include numerals to note how many syllables are in the word.
The counting syllable cards can be used in two ways:
Option #1
Sort into containers by the number of syllables.NOTE: If students are struggling to hear the number of syllables in a word, have them place their hand under their chin. The mouth will open and the jaw will drop with each syllable. Once the student feels the jaw tap their hand, they know that is one syllable sound.I use four containers to sort the syllable cards.
Counting Syllables Sorting and Clip Cards give students the opportunity to work with and master syllables in words in a fun way.Option #2
Use clothespins to clip the correct number of syllables for each picture.

 

Counting Syllables Sorting and Clip Cards give students the opportunity to work with and master syllables in words in a fun way.

 

#9 Time to Rhyme
With the time to rhyme cards, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
In the example below, the following words rhyme:
frog: dog, moon: spoon, bear: chair, pie: eye, car: jar
 
With the Time to Rhyme Cards, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
All of these activities are great for small groups or reading intervention.

 I like to use the pocket chart with this activity as well.

*For each set of cards, I also provide you with an answer key in case there is any confusion with the pictures.
In the example below, the following words rhyme:
cake: rake, jam: ram, dice: mice, king: ring, rug: mug
 
With the Time to Rhyme Cards, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
Once again, storing and organizing the sets is key to success!
For instance, you can keep the Time to Rhyme mats on a ring, flip and practice.
With the Time to Rhyme Cards, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
How do I organize this set?
I use two file folders to place the little cards in:
File folder #1: Sets 1-12
File Folder #2: Sets 13-25
The mini picture cards get paperclipped inside the file folder. Underneath each set of cards, I have them labeled. I simply pull the set out that I need for each Time to Rhyme card.
 
Once I am finished with the set, it goes back into my Phonemic Awareness Kit.
 
#10 Rhyming Strips (Odd One Out)
In this activity, students focus on hearing the rhyme in two pictures and identifying the “odd one out.” Although this seems like such a simple activity, it is one that many students really struggle with.
With Rhyming Strips, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
Here is an example:
Students flip and name the picture on the strip. In this case, they would say:
mop, hat, cat. They identify the rhyming set (cat and hat), and mark the odd one out (mop).
This simple task helps students to hear rhyming words, an important skill for reading success.
With Rhyming Strips, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
Here is one more example:
The words corn, horn and lamp. The odd one out is lamp.
With Rhyming Strips, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
Each set of rhyming strips is labeled with numbers. I printed the Rhyming Strips Answer Keys on colored paper to match each Rhyming Strip Set.  The answer keys correspond with the set numbers.
It tells you what the pictures are and which one is the odd one out.
Therefore, this set up makes it EASY for YOU (the teacher) and students can successfully move through the lesson without any delays.
With Rhyming Strips, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.

 

Once they have been printed out, you can place the colored pages in a binder or spiral bind them.
Then, once you are done using this activity,
you can also put it back into your Phonemic Awareness Tool Kit!
 
With Rhyming Strips, students work on hearing the ending sounds to identify a rhyme.
 
#11 Phoneme Substitution Cards
 
This packet is an extension to the Segment and Blend Cards. Students segment a simple CVC (consonant, vowel, consonant) word and change the beginning, medial or final sound of the word to create a new word.
 
 
As an extension activity, add magnet letters to practice sounding out and spelling the words.  Adding letters helps make the connection from phonemic awareness to beginning phonics and reading.
 
 
#12 Break the Code Sound Cards
 
In this fun puzzle game, students identify the initial sounds of each picture, then decide what word the initial sounds form.
 
 
Add magnet letters as an extension for beginning reading:
 
 
 
#13 Onset and Rime Cards
 
Once students have a good grasp on how to manipulate sounds, segment and blend, and chunk sounds into syllables, they are ready for Onset and Rime Cards.  In this activity, students complete the word by adding a word family to the initial letter.
 
 
 
I hope that this post is helpful in showing you how to successfully implement Phonemic Awareness.
Each packet is sold separately or you can purchase
The Bundle
Phonemic Awareness is such an integral part to reading and writing. Unfortunately, many teachers skip over teaching this, but the truth is that it's just as important as learning phonics! Check out these 9 hands-on ways to help children learn to segment and blend words, and watch your children become confident readers with strong decoding and spelling skills!
 
 
Where do I go after this?
 
After students have had a strong introduction to phonemic awareness, you can begin teaching the alphabet in conjunction with this bundle.  I suggest finishing at least one-quarter of phonemic awareness instruction before introducing the Alphabet Curriculum.  This way, students have a good chance to practice this vital skill.
 
 

After the Alphabet Curriculum, here is the next stop:
CVC Word Families
The CVC NO PREP Packets include activities to help students learn how to build words and read.Learning to read should be such a special time for kids!
Keep enjoying the journey!
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Annie

 

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Annie Moffatt

Annie Moffatt is a former elementary school teacher and homeschool mom with a passion for helping young learners thrive. With a background in early education and a heart for making learning fun, Annie designs engaging, low-prep resources that build confidence and success in the classroom. Her hands-on, kid-friendly approach has supported thousands of teachers and parents around the world in creating joyful learning experiences for their students.

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45 Comments

  6. Hello
    I was recently referred to your site by a seasoned homeschooling. I love this post and plan on buying the entire package. Can you please tell me how you teach the oo, qu,ee and etc. As these groupings of letters sound differently.

    Thank you,
    A new fan

    Reply

  7. Hi,
    I am a brand new Kindergarten teacher and I am so thankful to have come across your posts. I have already purchased several of your TPT products. Thanks for making this process of information a lot simpler. Wish me luck!!!

    Reply
  10. Pingback: Curriculum Choices 2016-2017 - Moffatt Girls

  12. Do you have more directions on setting up the kit or is it just each of the numbered sections above are the files in the kit?

    Reply

  13. I have been on Teachers Pay Teachers and cannot figure out how to purchase your stuff!
    I wish it wasn’t so difficult to order!
    My daughter, who lives out of state, has purchased your products.
    I cannot see any place to Oder! So SAD!
    Love your stuff that I have seen.
    Disappointed,
    Lynn McPherson

    Reply

  14. This article is very helpful. A good refresher and the set is perfect to use with younger students and those struggling.

    Reply

  19. Where did you purchase the bin for the kit? I scanned the post and comments, but didn’t see if you mentioned it anywhere.
    I am looking forward to using this. We homeschool and my oldest understood phonics a lot more than my current kindergartner. I am hoping this will help us!
    Thanks, Laura

    Reply

    1. Hi Laura!

      I can’t remember exactly where I got the bin from, but you can use a standard file folder box like this one: click here. That box should have enough room for you to include some of the manipulatives also. If you are short on space, you can get one like this: click here. I hope that helps!

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply

    2. Hi Jocelyn,

      Yes, the Phonemic Awareness Bundle can be purchased as a PDF and printed from home or school. Here is a link to where you can purchase and download the bundle: Click Here.

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply

  21. I LOVE this!!!! I am a Kindergarten Teacher and having your kit, all organized in once small space, sounds heavenly! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply

    1. Hi Ala!

      I’m not sure exactly where I got them from, but I found quite a few on Amazon by searching “library card pockets.” Here is one that seems reasonably priced and is colorful: Click Here. I hope this helps!

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply
  24. Pingback: CVC Words
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  26. This is the best phonemic/phonics activities. I’m new in teaching and this will be helpful! Thank you for sharing this!

    Reply

    1. Hi Khanyi,

      Thank you so much for your sweet words! Let me know if you need any help finding resources.

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply

  27. I have a 5 yr old boy I am starting 5k with at home. He still can’t identify each letter by name nor does he know the sound to all of them. Which kit should I start with? It looks to me like I could use this with some cvc word,/ reader books as his phonics instruction for 5k?

    Reply

    1. Hi Aubrey!

      That’s a great question! I would move to the Alphabet Curriculum if you’ve already started introducing Phonemic Awareness. Here’s a link to the Alphabet Curriculum blog post: Click Here.

      I hope that helps!

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply

  28. Hi dear Annie,
    I just love your enthusiasm in teaching kids and your own daughters. I’m a full-time mom with three precious kids.I’m also a private English tutor. I’d love to use this material to teach my kids and my students as well. The lessons look fun and organized! I love that! However I’d love to know if this lesson is appropriate for kids who are not English speakers. I’m for Taiwan by the way. Are there any guidance or suggestions for young learners whose mother language is Mandarin. Which item(curriculum)would you recommend me to use? Thanks so much for your time!
    Ps. My kids’ age are 2,5,and 7. Students are 3, 5 and 8.

    Reply

    1. Hi Vanna,

      These activities would be great for non-English speakers as you are teaching them English. You can gage how quickly you move through the activities based on how easily they pick up the concepts.

      I hope this helps!

      Kindly,
      Annie

      Reply

  30. Im a classroom teacher turned stay at home mom about to begin her homeschool journey! love your products and plan to use your math and many of your literacy pieces for our curriculum. I love how you share suggestions on how to best organize the materials. Would you be able to share. A photo of what the time to rhyme folder storage looks like ?

    Reply

  31. Hello!
    I just purchased the alphabet curriculm and phonemic awareness bundle. I read where you suggest to start with the phonemic awareness? Do you recommend going in the order of the lesson plans? Reason I ask is because I tried the rhyming lesson 1/ day 1 and my daughter was confused. She can recite her ABCs but can’t identify the letter nor sound yet. What do you suggest? It’s my first year to homeschool.

    Reply

  36. Hello Annie,
    Before I start the phonemic awareness pack do you sell any materials related to learning the alphabet and sounds please?
    Erica

    Reply

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