1. Phonological Awareness
Glasgow Dyslexia Support Service

2. What is Phonological Awareness?
“The skills that involve reflecting on, processing and manipulating speech sounds.”
Carroll, JM; Bowyer-Crane, C; Duff, FJ; Hulme, C; Snowling, MJ :6
Curriculum for Excellence
I enjoy playing with the sounds and patterns of language, and can use what I learn.
LIT 0-01a/LIT 0-11a/LIT 0-20a
Point out abbreviation (PA)
Give an understanding of how a clear focus on teaching PA skills can impact on the development of literacy skills.
More info:
The word phonological comes from the Greek word ‘phono’ meaning voice/sound.
PA is all about oral and aural awareness, the spoken word/speech/hearing
PA is concerned with the sounds of language – nothing to do with written symbols. Not about matching written letters to sounds - that's phonics. Not alphabet abc but it’s all about phonemes-small units of sound /a//b//c/ and also sounds like /sh/ /wh/ /th/ /ch/ – we have 26 letters in the alphabet but we have approx 44 phonemes – units of sound.
PA teaches children to tune into the RHYTHM and sounds of spoken language. .
PA is not JUST the sounds of language but it is also an awareness of the structure/rhythm of language. Children need to be able to recognise the rhythm within words. This allows them to break down words into syllables. A syllable being part of a word that contains a vowel sound such as banana would be ban-an-a. We will look at syllables in more detail later.
PA is the ability to hear and play with the sounds of spoken language.
Before children can hear specific sounds/phonemes they need to develop their listening skills. They need to HEAR, DISTINGUISH, DISCRIMINATE AND PLAY with sounds of spoken language.
Play important word – play around with sounds – very early stages – interactive sound books –pushing buttons, pulling flaps. Much later before school playing with rhyming words -silly rhymes laura paura maura demonstrates they have grasped that the end of a word will sound the same to make it rhyme.
Why is it so important? It plays a vital role in developing reading and spelling skills. Research shows PA is very important in developing literacy skills
Good PA in EY provides a sound basis for the development of phonics, reading, spelling and writing
Must be ongoing practise – not a one of – ‘We did syllables last week! We did rhyme in last plan’ – requires daily ongoing practise.

3. Why is Phonological Awareness important?
Bradley and Bryant’s work in the 1980s showed that:
‘Phonological ability in pre school children is one of the biggest predictors of later success in reading ability.’
Prof. J. Elliott’s 2014 review of research refers to this work as ‘ground breaking’ and citing Scarborough goes on to say:
‘Phonological Awareness appears to be a better predictor of reading ability in general than reading disability in particular.’
Point out abbreviation (PA)
Give an understanding of how a clear focus on teaching PA skills can impact on the development of literacy skills.
More info:
The word phonological comes from the Greek word ‘phono’ meaning voice/sound.
PA is all about oral and aural awareness, the spoken word/speech/hearing
PA is concerned with the sounds of language – nothing to do with written symbols. Not about matching written letters to sounds - that's phonics. Not alphabet abc but it’s all about phonemes-small units of sound /a//b//c/ and also sounds like /sh/ /wh/ /th/ /ch/ – we have 26 letters in the alphabet but we have approx 44 phonemes – units of sound.
PA teaches children to tune into the RHYTHM and sounds of spoken language. .
PA is not JUST the sounds of language but it is also an awareness of the structure/rhythm of language. Children need to be able to recognise the rhythm within words. This allows them to break down words into syllables. A syllable being part of a word that contains a vowel sound such as banana would be ban-an-a. We will look at syllables in more detail later.
PA is the ability to hear and play with the sounds of spoken language.
Before children can hear specific sounds/phonemes they need to develop their listening skills. They need to HEAR, DISTINGUISH, DISCRIMINATE AND PLAY with sounds of spoken language.
Play important word – play around with sounds – very early stages – interactive sound books –pushing buttons, pulling flaps. Much later before school playing with rhyming words -silly rhymes laura paura maura demonstrates they have grasped that the end of a word will sound the same to make it rhyme.
Why is it so important? It plays a vital role in developing reading and spelling skills. Research shows PA is very important in developing literacy skills
Good PA in EY provides a sound basis for the development of phonics, reading, spelling and writing
Must be ongoing practise – not a one of – ‘We did syllables last week! We did rhyme in last plan’ – requires daily ongoing practise.

4. HMIe’s Perspective
Recent research into best practice, commissioned by HMIe, found that one of the key features of effective support was ‘improving the phonological processing skills of dyslexic learners’.
Elliot et al, 2007, pvi

5. Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia
Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland (2014)
The Executive Summary states that ‘specific phonological awareness activities’ are amongst the ‘more significant approaches to differentiating lessons for children and young people ’.
Making Sense: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia
Education Scotland 2014 (National)
Scottish Government, 2014:2

6. Stages of phonological awareness
1. Awareness of words
2. Blending syllables to make a word
3. Breaking words into syllables
4. Awareness of rhyme
5. Blending of speech sounds (phonemes)
6. Awareness of where a phoneme is in a word
7. Breaking words into phonemes
8. Deleting phonemes/syllables within words
9. Substituting phonemes within words
10. Transposing phonemes within words
Drawn from Peter Hatcher’s Sound Linkage
Carroll, Snowling & Hulme 2003:920 – “phonological awareness progresses through a relatively invariant developmental sequence”

7. Awareness of the Rhythm of Speech
So many of the Phonological Awareness skills are developed through early language experience
Clap along or use bouncing actions etc 7

8. Awareness of the Rhythm of Speech
South Lanarkshire/ Scottish Book Trust – Rap Battles (Herald article Oct ‘13) Word wars
Slam Poetry
Real A ‘Can’t Hold Me Down’, Edinburgh based rapper with dyslexia.

9. Words in a Sentence Can a learner isolate the words in an orally delivered sentence?
The dog kennel is red.
Find the word ‘kennel’.

10. 2 3 4 1

11. 2. Blending Syllables Can a learner blend syllables to make a word?
spi
der

12. 3. Segmenting Syllables Can a learner break a word up into syllables?
How many beats?

13. 2 3 4 1
Some children are confused about the task involved if the boards look the same. These can be varied.

14. 4. Awareness of rhyme Can a learner identify rhyming words?
Find the Odd One Out
What else rhymes with ?
Some children find this incredibly difficult – can be a memory issue. Consider this when choosing teaching approach.

15. 5. Awareness of speech sounds (phonemes)
Can a learner identify initial phonemes?
/t/

16. Where do you hear the phoneme /m/?
6. Awareness of Phoneme Positions Can a learner identify the position of a given phoneme?
Beginning Somewhere in the middle At the end
Where do you hear the phoneme /m/?

17. Basic Scottish Phonemes
/ar/
/er/
/or/
/ur/
/ŏŏ/ ?
Basic Scottish Phonemes
Use pure sounds
Schwa’s can also be heard in words: the, a cat etc. 17

18. Add the letters used to write each phoneme if they are at that stage.
7. Awareness of phonemes that a learner
delivers
Can a learner orally split a word into phonemes?
/s/
/t/
/o/
/p/ s t o p
/ch/
/i/
/k/ ch i ck
Add the letters used to write each phoneme if they are at that stage.

19. 2 3 4 1

20. s t a n d 8. Awareness of phonemes in deletion tasks
Can a learner orally remove phonemes in a word? s t a n d
Stand without s
Stand without d
Stand without t
Stand without n
A learner who can complete deletion tasks has the ability to isolate and sequence the phonemes in a word.

21. Change the /h/ in hat to a /m/? Change the /i/ in rib to an /o/?
9. Phoneme Substitution
Can a learner give the word if they are asked to
change a phoneme?
Change the /h/ in hat to a /m/?
Change the /i/ in rib to an /o/?
10. Phoneme Transposition
Can a learner change red fox into fed rox?
Split
This level of phonological awareness may not be reached by some learners.

22. When a learner, at any stage or level, is having difficulty with reading or spelling it is always of value to check for and address gaps in their phonological awareness.
Where to access the on-line assessments.

23. Stages of phonological awareness
1. Awareness of words
2. Blending syllables to make a word
3. Breaking words into syllables
4. Awareness of rhyme
5. Awareness of speech sounds (phonemes)
6. Awareness of where a phoneme is in a word
7. Breaking words into phonemes
8. Deleting phonemes/syllables within words
9. Substituting phonemes within words
10. Transposing phonemes within words
Add who/where we are 23