Phonemic Awareness Lesson Plan Ideas for Preschool and Kindergarten Interventions

First things first... What is phonemic awareness?  Is it the same as phonological awareness?

The answer?  Phonemic awareness is under the umbrella of phonological awareness.  Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words, Phonemic awareness is the ability to manipulate the sounds or phonemes in a spoken word.

Learning to read starts with phonemic awareness.  Phonemic awareness simply is listening to, producing and playing with sounds…  If you are old like me, you may have developed most of your phonemic awareness skills from your parents singing nursery rhymes to you or by watching Sesame Street.   I know my own kids developed a LOT of phonemic awareness from Blue’s Clues.   

Where do I start teaching phonological awareness? 

Rhyming is usually the first skill that a child develops.  They learn rhyming by hearing rhyming is books and songs.   They start to hear that some words sound the same at the end.  Nursery Rhymes are the absolute best way to practice rhyming.

Get your sample here

After rhyming I find it easiest to think that there are two main goals of phonemic awareness…blending sounds together, and segmenting sounds apart.  It is good to practice both skills daily.  

Blending and Segmenting are the Big Picture

There are subcategories below each of these but if you start with blending and segment words, they might just get it with practicing at that level. If they cannot blend a word after a while independently, then try breaking it down to saying the syllables in a word, the first sound in the word and blending the onset and rime of the words. 

A super fun way to practice first sound

Same with segmenting if they cannot segment all the sounds in the word then try segmenting off the first sound in the word.   The ultimate goal is to be able to blend and segment words, and the quicker they can get to that goal the quicker they will become readers.  

If your student can blend and segment 2-3 sound words, get them into text! Do not hold them back because they cannot do earlier phonemic awareness skills. The earlier skills are just steps to help to the blending and segmenting. Some kids might not need the steps, they can just jump to the top.

Get yours here

How to Teach Phonemic Awareness

When I first started learning about phonemic awareness, it was thought to be something that is can be “done in the dark”.  There is more research out now that encourages you to included print into your phonemic awareness practice as early as possible.  This helps get that brain firing.

This can be as simple as using words that you will be teaching in your phonics lesson.  

SEGMENTING:

Your script could be...

Tell me all the sounds you hear in the word… 

Say a word to the student and have them break the word into sounds.

Example:

Teacher: Tell me all the sounds you hear in the word cat.

Student: /c/ /a/ /t/

Segmenting Ideas

Segmenting "Mother May I" : Have two to three students stand side by side.  Give the first students a word.  They can take a step for each sound in the word.  Give the next student a word they can take a step for each sound they hear.  The student that reaches you first is the winner.

Hop the sounds:  Instead of having the students just say the sound.  Have them hop out the sounds like a rabbit.  Get them up and moving.  Gross motor activities always gets the brain wiring! 

Pull apart the sounds: Use a slinky.  Pull is slowly apart as you say the sounds in a word.  

BLENDING:

Your script could be...

I’m going to say the sounds in the word, you tell me the word...  

Say the sounds of a word to the student..

Example:

Teacher: I'm going to say the sounds in the word, you tell me the word, /c/ /a/ /t/.

Student: cat

Blending Ideas:

Get them moving:  Have students hop for each sound in the word then blend the word, jumping jack the sounds, squat the sounds…

Give each student a letter in a word have them stand in front of the class and each say their sound and have the class blend the word.

**MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE activity to do with both segmenting and blending is to line students up by calling out the student's name in letter sounds and having them try to figure out who the student is. It is also fun for students to break apart the sounds in their friends' names.

Phonemic Awareness Lesson Plans

When I first started teaching, I would write out my phonemic awareness plans for the week using a lesson planner like this.  This helped me be intentional in my activities and organized.

Get your copy here

In Conclusion  

Phonemic awareness is important to teach students.  It is one of the number one predictors of reading success.  Practice some sort of segmenting and blending every day.   Read books with rhyme and alliteration to your students.  Play with sounds, play with their names, do silly poems, read Nursery Rhymes, have fun with WORDS!

Thanks for reading friend!

Amy

As always, if you ever have any questions feel free to email me at 180daysofreading@gmail.com

BOOKS I RECOMMEND: (affiliate links)

Phonemic Awareness in Young Children 

Phonemic Awareness Playing with Sounds to Strengthen Beginning Reading Skills

Equipped for Reading Success

Nursery Rhymes and Good Ol' Times Dr. Jean CD

If you liked this blog post, you might also like: 

I used to hate teaching syllables 

Unlocking the power of reading fluency

How to teach a Science of Reading Lesson

Another game you might like....

Simple Easter Egg Hunt Idea: NO CANDY! { Fun way to gift a gift card! }

UGH. Easter egg hunts. I NEVER know what to put in the eggs. Sound like you? Try this scrambled gift card Easter egg hunt this year!

One year I hid dollar bills in the eggs. I had a wad of dollar bills in my purse for weeks after because the boys traded them in for money to use online. I racked my brain for something different and came up with this scrambled gift card Easter egg hunt.

Get your simple Easter Egg Hunt HERE

How does it work?

Download the product. Decide if you will use the editable or printable product. Purchase a gift card for your child. Take the 16 digit code on the card and copy it onto the egg cards. Cut up the egg cards and hide the cards in plastic eggs. Leave the recording sheet out for your child to use. After they find the eggs, they will match and record the code onto the recording sheet. After all the digits are full, they will have the code they can use to purchase what they want! I guarantee it will be a HIT!!! Even with your TEENS!

This is a great product to use at home with your own kids, but how can you use it in the classroom?

You could use gift cards and use them to purchase something that the class has needed. BOOKS maybe? This will save you from buying a bunch of junk for the eggs and get something nice for the classroom.

OR

Make it a secret word. If you search 16 letter words, there are a lot of them. What a great way to practice syllabication and reading big words!

Get it at my ETSY POP UP SHOP HERE

How to make your new year resolutions stick | free printable goal trackers included

 Happy New Year!

This year I am obsessed with a new way to look at planning for the new year.  I've been reading a lot about HABITS.  These are the key to success.  So instead of making new year resolutions this year, I am looking at implementing new HABITS this year.

I've been dabbling in this since the school year started and have found some real success with HABIT STACKING.  This means taking something that you don't like doing and pairing it with something you do like doing.   I have paired a TV show that I can only watch in the kitchen with cooking and emptying the dishwasher.  I also listen to podcasts while I clean.

I am going to make 2024 the best year yet!

I know in 2023 I made a TON of progress toward my goals, but I have little visual "proof" of my journey.  This year I wanted a way to find a way to see my growth.  I made some planning sheets to share with you.

24 for 2024

First, I am writing 24 goals for 2024.  I did this for 2023 and just recently went back to see what I had accomplished.   It was a really great way to reflect back on the year.

daily tracker

This next one I am SO excited to use.  At the end of the year, I will be able to see the entire year of progress on one sheet!  What a great visual for tracking progress.

weekly tracker

I have some business goals that I needed to track weekly this year, so I am going to try these weekly trackers.

mood tracker

This one I'm interested to see what it looks like at the end of the year.  I have never tracked my mood on a daily basis.  I like to think that I have mostly good days, but I guess I will see very soon.  I am going to color in each heart a different color, then each day color the box that matches my mood. 

 Who is on the journey with me?  I would love to see your planning sheets.   Tag me on Instagram @180daysofReading and show me what goals you are working on!

Cheers to a fabulous new year friend! 

Amy

Unlocking the Power of Reading Fluency: A Guide to Supporting Struggling Readers

Reading is a fundamental skill that opens the door to a world of knowledge, imagination, and communication. For many children, learning to read comes naturally, but for some, it can be a challenging journey. Struggling readers often face difficulties in reading fluency, which can impact their overall comprehension and enjoyment of literature. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of reading fluency and discuss effective strategies for teaching fluency to struggling readers.

Understanding Reading Fluency:

Reading fluency is more than just reading words on a page; it involves the ability to read with accuracy, speed, and appropriate expression. Fluent readers can decode words effortlessly, recognize common sight words, and grasp the rhythm and intonation of a text. Fluency is a crucial component of proficient reading, as it directly influences comprehension and engagement with the material.

Identifying Struggling Readers:

Before diving into strategies for teaching fluency, it's essential to identify struggling readers. Common signs may include:

1. Slow and labored reading.
2. Difficulty decoding unfamiliar words.
3. Limited expression while reading.
4. Avoidance of reading aloud.
5. Poor comprehension despite word recognition.

Sound like someone you know?

Keep reading.

Strategies for Teaching Reading Fluency:

1. Model Fluent Reading: Demonstrate fluent reading by reading aloud to the students. Use expressive intonation, appropriate pauses, and varied pitch to model what fluent reading sounds like.

printable fluency passages

1. Repeated Reading: Encourage students to read the same text multiple times. Repeated reading helps build familiarity with words, enhances confidence, and improves reading speed.

2. 
   

3. Audio Support: Provide audio recordings of texts for students to listen to while following along with the text. This can help them internalize the rhythm and flow of fluent reading.

4. 
   

5. Read Aloud Sessions: Conduct regular read-aloud sessions where students take turns reading aloud in a supportive environment. This helps build their confidence and provides opportunities for peer modeling.

6. 
   

7. Phrased Reading: Teach students to read in phrases rather than word by word. This helps in maintaining a natural flow and understanding the syntactic structure of sentences.

Sentence Card Games

1. Use of Poetry and Songs: Introduce poetry and song lyrics to make reading more enjoyable. The rhythmic and melodic elements can enhance fluency while capturing the students' interest.

1. 
   

2. Fluency-building Activities: Incorporate fun activities such as choral reading, echo reading, and reader's theater to make fluency practice engaging and interactive.

3. 
   

4. Monitor Progress: Regularly assess students' fluency by recording reading samples and tracking their progress over time. Celebrate improvements and adjust instruction accordingly.

Teaching reading fluency to struggling readers requires patience, creativity, and a tailored approach. By incorporating a variety of strategies and creating a positive and supportive reading environment, educators can empower struggling readers to unlock the doors to literacy, comprehension, and a lifelong love of reading. Remember that each student is unique, and a personalized approach can make a significant difference in their reading journey.

Click here to try some free fluency activities.