Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

Strengths and Weaknesses

By
Elizabeth Tesson
 Phonics

• The definition for Phonics: a method to teach how to read and pronounce words learn
sounds, letter groups and syllables.
• Examples:

• (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2005)

 Phonics Strengths

• Is to learn how to learn alphabet principles

• Develop phonological awareness
• Sounds and pronunciation with letters
• Practice Reading words and leads to word recognition

• (Stahl, Duffy-Hester, & Stahl, 1998)

 Phonic Weakness
• Do not use worksheets
• Do not teach rules
• Take over instruction
• Should not be uninteresting

• (Stahl, Duffy-Hester, & Stahl, 1998)

Instructional Strategies Weaknesses for Phonic

• Phonic rules are difficult to understand

• It is not interesting
• The stress level is high
• The phonic rules are not easy to learn

• (Tompkins et al. 2015) (Cihon, Gardner, Morrison, & Paul, P. (2008)

 Instructional Strategies Strengths for Phonics

• Instruction starts as early as kindergarten (Cihon,

T., Gardnerr, Morrison, & Paul, 2008).

• Sounding of the word

• Decoding
• Phonics rules

• (Tompkins et al. 2015) (Cihon, Gardner, Morrison, & Paul, P. (2008)

 Phonemic Awareness

• Definition phonemic awareness: sound and different phoneme

• (Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2005)

 Phonemic Awareness Weaknesses

• The Auditory implementation for differentiated instruction for special needs students is
challenging in spelling.
• Dyslexia students reading and spelling
• Speech impairment with students sounding out
• (Abu-Rabia, 2002)
 Phonemic Awareness Strengths

• Auditory for the student.

• Speech Sound based
• Manipulate phoneme
• 51 phoneme
• Phoneme Description

• (Abbott, Walton, & Greenwood, 2002)

Instructional Strategies Strengths for Phonemic
Awareness
• Evidence based practice
• The teacher will choose materials
• Progress for the student can be documented
• The teacher can have a checklist to implement
• checklist: student attention,
• Instruction examples: sound, phonemic segmentation, blending, deletion and phoneme
substitution by modeling and leading with opportunities.
• (Abbott, Walton, & Greenwood, 2002)
 Instructional Strategies Weakness Phonemic
Awareness
• The inability of the student to manipulate and recognize sound
• Attention to detail in sounds
• Practice decoding skills
• No understanding of letter representation
• (Louisa, & Tolman, 2017).
Checklist for Phonemic Awareness Hands On

• Words
• Rhyming
• Sentence Segmentation
• Syllable Segmentation
• Blending Segmentation
• Deletion and Manipulation of a word (Louisa, & Tolman, 2017)
 Weakness of Technology for Phonics and
Phonemic Awareness
• The pictures will help the regular education student in first grade but weighs to
much on clues form the picture so it is a weakness.
• The technology has integrated picture.
• (Nicholas, McKenzie, & Wells, 2017)
 Strengths in using Technology for
Phonics and Phonemic Awareness
• The use of technology has educational value.

• The teacher led activity is an advantage.

• (Nicholas, McKenzie, & Wells, 2017)

 Technology Websites for Phonics

• Examples are: Phonics word builder at

http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=WordBuilder&Cook
=
• Make a word at http://wwwstarfall.com/n/make-
a0word/an/play.htm/f
 Technology Websites for Phonemic
Awareness
• ABC mouse
• ABC ya
 Reference

• Abbott, M., Walton, C., & Greenwood, C. R. (2002). Phonemic Awareness in

Kindergarten and First Grade. Teaching Exceptional Children, 34(4), 20.
• www.abcmouse.com/1st_Grade
• http://www.abcya.com/alphabet_bubble_letter_match.htm_
• Abu-Rabia, S. (2002). PHONEMIC AWARENESS AND MIDDLE-EAR DISEASE
AMONG BEDOUIN ARABS IN ISRAEL. Reading Psychology, 23(4), 291.
 Reference
• Cihon, T., Gardner R, I., Morrison, D., & Paul, P. (2008). Using visual phonics as a strategic intervention to increase
literacy behaviors for kindergarten participants at-risk for reading failure. Journal Of Early & Intensive Behavior
Intervention, 5(3), 138-155.

• Examples are: Phonics word builder at http://www.iknowthat.com/com/L3?Area=WordBuilder&Cook=

• Make a word at http://wwwstarfall.com/n/make-a0word/an/play.htm/f

• Louisa, M., & Tolman, C.(2017).Why phonological Awareness is Important for Reading and Spelling Retrieved
from:http://www.readingrockets.org/article/why-phonological-awareness-important-reading-and-spelling
• Nicholas, M., McKenzie, S., & Wells, M. A. (2017). Using Digital Devices in a First Year Classroom: A Focus on the Design and Use of
Phonics Software Applications. Journal Of Education And Learning, 6(1), 267-282.
• Phonemic Awareness.(n.d.).July 2 from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictionary
• Phonics.(n.d.). July 2 from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictionary
 Reference

• Stahl, S. A., Duffy-Hester, A. M., & Stahl, K. D. (1998). Everything You Wanted to
Know about Phonics (but Were Afraid to Ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338-
55.

• Tompkins, Gail E & Campbell, Rod, 1945-, (author.) & Green, David, 1944-, (author.) &
Smith, Carol (Carol Margaret), 1954-, (author.) (2015). Literacy for the 21st century : a
balanced approach (2nd edition). Melbourne, VIC Pearson Australia
 Reference
• Free clip Art(n.d.)How can technology help with phonics instruction?.Retrieved
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