It's All About the Sounds

What should every parent should understand about reading? It's all about the sounds. I want to provide parents a clear understanding about reading. As a student and a teacher I just wanted a clear answer to how to teach a child to read successfully. I did not have time to read through, what felt like a thousand pages, just to find the answer. So, I want to provide an easy to understand information.

Phonological awareness (Verbal/Visual)	Rhyming	Syllables	Sounds
	Nursery Rhymes	clap out the parts	identify environmental sounds
	Songs	count the parts	same sounds
	Word families		different sounds
	Games with pictures		Count the sounds
Phonemic Awareness	Segmenting	Blending	Letter sounds
	pull words apart by the sounds cat = c-a-t	put the sounds together c-a-t = cat	emphasize sounds more than names
	Elkonin boxes	Use arm to touch the sounds. Shoulder= beginning sound elbow = middle sound wrist = ending sound	Since prior knowledge of segmenting and blending without knowledge of sounds has be provided, now real reading can begin
Phonics	Letters	Letters	Letters	Blends	Sight Words
Words read should only include the letters that have been learned.	m	h	b	s makes /z/	Introduce as the words as the corresponding letters are introduced.
	a	n	k	ch
	t	s	l	sh
	i	f	j	quiet th – thumb
	d	v	r	buzzing th - the
	g	z	u	qu
	c	e	w	ng – king
	o	p	x	ck
			y

This process provides confidence in young children by building upon skills they previously learned. In my classroom this entire process, expect the blends and sight words, is completed in the first semester. My students are not just reading, but they are confident and successful readers.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will respond as quickly as I can.

*Font in table is by Hello Literacy.