Just read Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom Curriculum

[MouseBandit]

LOVE THIS!! It is a GREAT book, based on swedish or dutch program for developing phonemic awareness in K and 1st. (Dark in the front room because baby is sleeping and I can't read what it says now, LOL!)

 

It's geared towards classroom teachers, but nearly everything will be straight-across applicable to the homeschool.

 

Basically games to play with your child to develop, sequentially, the listening skills needed to possess phonemic awareness. First chapter gives some GREAT research. Apparently, phonemic awareness is NOT something that comes automatically to children, unlike their ability to learn their native language. It's just too subconscious, too automatic. And, it seems that across the board, children who enter Kindergarten having trouble with phonemic awareness, have trouble learning to read, and that lasts with them through the years. Conversely, children who have developed phonemic awareness universally have an easier time learning to read and develop into better readers. I think they quoted that something like 25% of middle-class kindergarteners are being identified as not having sufficient phonemic awareness, and the percentage was higher for disadvantaged children. Pretty convincing stats.

 

The chapters that follow are suggested games, presented sequentially in the order they should be introduced. Simple, to the point, quick little things that the kids will love and a few can be done with one or two kids as a 15-20 minute session, or could be done anytime, mostly anywhere - like in the car, waiting for appointments or in line - way cool.

 

There's also two suggested schedules - one for K and one for 1st, that start with introducing the first games, and then revisiting those while adding 1 or 2 new ones each day. The K schedule give you suggestions for day-by-day for the first 4 weeks, then some samplings from later through the year. They also include a chart that you can copy to keep track of what games you played each day, so you can make sure you're hitting them and reviewing them frequently enough, or however you want to. I didn't really look at the 1st grade schedule.

 

Also has a few appendices, including a great one of rhyming books they suggest with little blurbs about each one. VERY NICE.

 

I am LOVING this book! It makes so much sense, lays it all out super easy (totally open and go!), and I think it will make a HUGE difference for my 4yo dd.

 

We are planning on doing WRTR (well, also waiting to get my hands on SWR and check that out, LOL!) but in the edition I have, phonemic awareness is mentioned, but not really scripted or broken down too much. Even in the Spalding K Teacher's Guide, the phonemic awareness activities are just breaking down and and then blending the new words. I really felt like there was a LOT that could and maybe should be done prior to that level.

 

THIS BOOK is exactly what I was hoping for. Something to do for a while BEFORE I dive into WRTR or memorizing the phenomes (did I use the right term?) too much.

 

When I first started reading WRTR and learning about phonics (I was a sight-reader, knew NOTHING about phonics except that Hooked on Phonics apparently worked for everyone else, ha ha!) I was really surprised at how little phonemic awareness my dd was showing. Really freaked me out - I thought she might not be ready to learn to read at all. Now I'm getting the bigger picture (but yeah, she's NOT really ready to learn to read totally until she DOES have that phonemic awareness, although it can and should be done alongside other components of multi-sensory phonics, especially after the first few weeks/months it sounds like).

 

Anyway - :thumbup: Two BIG thumbs up for this book!! I ordered it from FACE (http://www.facebookstore.net) but I am sure it's available lots of places.

 

Has anyone else read or used this?? I'd love to hear your experiences!!

 

Tracey in Oregon

[misidawnrn]

Thanks, I am going to check it out.

[JadenCalebMom]

Thanks for the post! My son has been diagnosed with auditory processing disorder and is weak in phonemic awareness, so I will be heading out to the bookstore soon to get this one!

[MouseBandit]

I am just SO impressed with this book. I can't believe it isn't more widely discussed! Really seems to me like phonemic awareness is a BIG deal, and this is such a practical, fun way to make that happen!

 

Glad you're going to check it out!!

 

I'll update again in a couple of weeks with our progress!

 

Tracey

[T'smom]

Thanks for this! I've already requested it on ILL.

[Lecka]

I am looking at getting this book! Thanks for the review!

 

I believe it is the book used in "The Good School" by Peg Tyre -- the program that uses "Troll Talk."

 

I did remedial phonemic awareness with my older son after K and it is hugely helpful. I am looking for this for my two younger kids. My older son is still having some trouble with rhyming and he cannot do phoneme deletion yet -- so I think it would be good for him, too. He is blending and segmenting very well right now (finishing 1st grade) but I have heard on another thread that you can go back to phonemic awareness with slightly older kids so that they can finally learn to rhyme well.

 

If you are interested in another book -- Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz talks a lot about phonemic awareness and is very interesting.

[Soror]

Oh, thanks for the rec. Ds had a horrible time with this and I wouldn't mind something around to give me ideas of things to do with dd, especially as it is games and such.

[lmrich]

Phonemic Awareness is HUGE! I think it is not embrasses because it is game based (in a way); it is hard for the teacher to boldly tell parents and administration - no this game we are playing is so important.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[MeganW]

Thank you thank you! We spend a lot of time going to appts in the car - this will give us something productive to do!

[paulasue]

Thanks for posting this. This is something I need to learn more about and how to work with my DS.