Phonemic Awareness

Basic reading instruction is a complex process of deciphering symbols to understand a text. Symbols are letters making up words while words make sentences which, in turn, make text. Letters are graphical symbols with names. When reading, a student pronounces not the letter names but the sounds of the letters. Thus, when reading, he/she reproduces the sound to form a word through its graphical (letter) model. Understanding text is not possible without correct reproduction of a sound form; therefore, the teacher’s initial instructional goal is to develop the sound recognition skill. When the goal is achieved and a student can distinguish and blend sounds, the next step is to associate those sounds with a letter to form a word, and the final step is to comprehend what is being read.