Phonological Awareness

Glasgow Dyslexia Support Service

What is Phonological Awareness?

“The skills that involve reflecting on, processing and manipulating speech sounds.”Carroll, JM; Bowyer-Crane, C; Duff, FJ; Hulme, C; Snowling, MJ 2011:6

Curriculum for Excellence

I enjoy playing with the sounds and patterns of language, and can use what I learn. LIT 0-01a/LIT 0-11a/LIT 0-20a

Why is Phonological Awareness important?

Bradley and Bryant’s work in the 1980s showed that:

‘Phonological ability in pre school children is one of the biggest predictors of later success in reading ability.’

Prof. J. Elliott’s 2014 review of research refers to this work as ‘ground breaking’ and citing Scarborough goes on to say:

‘Phonological Awareness appears to be a better predictor of reading ability in general than reading disability in particular.’

HMIe’s Perspective

Recent research into best practice, commissioned by

HMIe, found that one of the key features of effective

support was ‘improving the phonological

processing skills of dyslexic learners’.

Elliot et al, 2007, pvi

Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland (2014)

The Executive Summary states that ‘specific

phonological awareness activities’ are amongst the

‘more significant approaches to differentiating

lessons for children and young people ’.

Scottish Government, 2014:2

Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People

with DyslexiaEducation Scotland 2014

(National)

Stages of phonological awareness

1. Awareness of words

2. Blending syllables to make a word

3. Breaking words into syllables

4. Awareness of rhyme

5. Blending of speech sounds (phonemes)

6. Awareness of where a phoneme is in a word

7. Breaking words into phonemes

8. Deleting phonemes/syllables within words

9. Substituting phonemes within words

10. Transposing phonemes within words

Awareness of the Rhythm of Speech

Awareness of the Rhythm of Speech

1. Words in a SentenceCan a learner isolate the words in an orally delivered sentence?

The dog kennel is red.

Find the word ‘kennel’.

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1

2

2. Blending Syllables Can a learner blend syllables to make a word?

spider

3. Segmenting Syllables Can a learner break a word up into syllables?

How many beats?

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1

2

4. Awareness of rhyme Can a learner identify rhyming words?

Find the Odd One Out

What else rhymes with ?

/t/

5. Awareness of speech sounds (phonemes)

Can a learner identify initial phonemes?

6. Awareness of Phoneme Positions Can a learner identify the position of a given phoneme?

Beginning Somewhere in the middle At the end

Where do you hear the phoneme /m/?

/ b/

B

/ k/ / d/

/ f /

/ g/

/ h/

/ j /

/ l/

/ m/

/ n/

/ p/

/ kw/

/ r/

/ s/

/ t/

/ v/

/ w/

/ ks/

/ y/

/ z/

/ zh/

/ ch/

/ kh/

loch

/ sh/

/ th/

/ th/

them

/ wh/

/ ng/

/ a/

/ e/

/ i/

/ o/

/ u/

/ ā/

/ ē/

=

/ ī/

/ ō/

/ ū/

/ au/

/ oi/

/ oo/

/ ou/

Use Pure Sounds

http://www.oup.com/oxed/primary/literacy/phonics/

/ar/

/er/

/or/

/ur/

/ŏŏ/

?

Use pure sounds

Basic Scottish Phonemes

/s/ /t/

Add the letters used to write each phoneme if they are at that stage.

s t o p

7. Awareness of phonemes that a learner delivers Can a learner orally split a word into phonemes?

ckich

/i//ch/

/p//o/

/k/

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1

2

s

8. Awareness of phonemes in deletion tasks

Can a learner orally remove phonemes in a word?

t a n d

A learner who can complete deletion tasks has the ability to isolate and sequence the phonemes in a word.

10. Phoneme Transposition

Can a learner change red fox into fed rox?

9. Phoneme Substitution Can a learner give the word if they are asked to change a phoneme?

Change the /h/ in hat to a

/m/?

Change the /i/ in rib to an /o/?

This level of phonological awareness may not be reached by some learners.

When a learner, at any stage or level, is having difficulty

with reading or spelling

it is always of value to

check for and address gaps in their phonological awareness.

Stages of phonological awareness

1. Awareness of words

2. Blending syllables to make a word

3. Breaking words into syllables

4. Awareness of rhyme

5. Awareness of speech sounds (phonemes)

6. Awareness of where a phoneme is in a word

7. Breaking words into phonemes

8. Deleting phonemes/syllables within words

9. Substituting phonemes within words

10. Transposing phonemes within words