Professional Library: Phonemic Awareness

Author(s): Donald J. Richgels

Source: The Reading Teacher , Nov., 2001, Vol. 55, No. 3 (Nov., 2001), pp. 274-278
Published by: International Literacy Association and Wiley

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 Professional
Library
Phonemic awareness
Donald J. Richgels

how you use your tongue and throat,

touted as if they are the missing link,
The last dozen years can be char that lack of phonemic awareness is how
the you shape your lips, how you part
acterized, without too much ex only obstacle in the way of most your
chil teeth?is identical. Yet speakers
aggeration, as the Age of Phonemic and listeners rely on that very small
dren's becoming fluent readers and writ
Awareness. Adams's (1990) compre ers. Very few phonemic awareness difference, that contrast; it is all that
hensive review of research about be programs or methods provide teachers signals two very different English
ginning reading established that early with adequate background information meanings, an animal that says "Quack"
word identification depends on phone about phonemes and awareness and a a small fold sewn into a garment.
versus
mic awareness. Her review had a ma number of other essential linguistic con 2. A definition of awareness that em
jor impact on subsequent research and structs?information that they needphasizes in conscious attention. This is in
especially on classroom practice. order to be wise consumers of those contrast
pro to the unconscious perception
Numerous journal articles and books grams and methods. of and use of phonemes that drives pro
have been written and whole kinder duction and comprehension of speech.
garten and first-grade literacy curricu Speakers and listeners don't need con
la designed with the purpose of Criteria for evaluating phonemic scious awareness of phonemes; begin
promoting young children's phonemic awareness materials ning readers and spellers do.
awareness. 3. The realization that phonemes are
I suggest that adequate background
As usually happens when some fact for informed decision making about not discrete entities, but rather are cat
about reading and writing processesphonemic
re awareness instruction shouldegories within which there is much vari
ceives new and widespread attention, include at least the following five For example, even while it is
ation.
the results have been mixed. Certainly,factors: important in spoken language to be able
some children come to early literacy in 1. A definition of phoneme that tells to perceive the slight difference be
struction without the requisite phone how phonemes work in spoken lan tween l?l and lil in duck and tuck, it is
mic awareness and should be taught guage.
it. Phonemes are the smallest units equally important to ignore differences
That it can be taught is pretty widely of ac
sound that matter in a language. In in pronunciations of /d/, for example in
other words, it is the combining and
cepted; as usual, how it should be taught rudder and radish. This is no problem
is much debated. That not all children contrasting of phonemes that makes for speakers and listeners, for whom it
need phonemic awareness instruction words possible. Consider that in is all automatic, all a matter of uncon
is often overlooked. English, for example, the phonemes /d/, scious perception. It can be a problem
Some methods for teaching phonemic lui, and /k/ are combined to make the for beginning readers and writers. To
awareness can be described as isolated word duck, and the l?l and l\l phonemes them phonemes can seem slippery con
skill instruction, others as more holistic,
are contrasted when distinguishing the structs, difficult to identify in the stream
contextualized instruction. Some arewordsex duck and tuck. The difference in of speech.
plicitly offered as supplements to other
the pronunciations of l?l and l\l is slight. 4. Delineation of the differences
teaching and learning about literacyItinis only that for l?l you use your voice among phonological, phonemic, and
kindergarten and first grade; others and
arefor It/ you don't; everything else? phonic. Phonological awareness is

274 The Reading Teacher Vol. 55, No. 3 November 2001 ?2001 international Reading Association (PP. 274-278)

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awareness of anything to do with the awareness and their roles in language. broader term phonological awareness,
sounds of language, from intonation These are by far the most numerous of but its focus is clearly on phonemic
patterns and the sounds of words and the phonemic awareness books, and awareness. For example, a section titled
syllables (duck is emphasized different they can be further divided into two "What Is Phonological Awareness?"
ly in / saw a duck, Did you see a duck? subcategories as follows: begins, "To understand the concept of
and Watch out for that duck!), to the Activity books that include at least a phonological awareness, one must first
sound of a phoneme. Only sounds of fair amount of accurate and helpful lin know what a phoneme is. A phoneme
phonemes are involved in phonemic guistic background information for is the smallest unit of sound in a lan
awareness; thus, phonemic awareness teachers. Some of these describe isolated guage that makes a difference to its
is a subcategory of phonological skill activities; some describe more meaning" (p. 1). In this same section,
awareness. Phonics is use of phoneme holistic, contextualized activities. the authors define phonological aware
letter correspondences to aid word Activity books that fall way short of ness in terms of phonemic awareness:
identification. It is only in phonics, and meeting the criteria in my list. These "Acquiring phonological awareness ac
not in phonemic awareness, that also include programs of mostly isolated tually involves learning two kinds of
spelling l?l with a d and /k/ with ck is skill work and programs of more holis things about language. First, it involves
an issue. tic instruction. The former amount to
learning that words can be divided into
5. An appreciation of the small, albeit nothing better than old-fashioned phon segments of sound smaller than a sylla
necessary, part that phonemic aware ics activities. The latter may promote ble. Second, it involves learning about
ness plays in beginning reading and phonemic awareness, but they are not individual phonemes themselves" (p. 2).
writing. There are many other equally clear about?and thus will not help Later, Torgesen and Mathes are cor
necessary contributors to successful teachers who are unclear about?the
rect and quite explicit about the differ
reading of words and especially of constructs and distinctions in my list of
ence between phonological and
whole texts. Beginning readers and criteria.
phonemic: "[Phonological] can be used
writers also need, for example, concepts
when referring to all levels of aware
of print; the message concept; and ap Guidebooks ness of the phonological structure of
preciation of genres, text forms, and
words.... [Phonemic] is frequently used
purposes of writing. Furthermore, ac to describe tasks or instructional activi
complished readers and writers seldom A Basic Guide to Understanding, ties that are focused specifically on the
need conscious awareness of phonemes.
It helped them in the beginning stages
Assessing, and Teaching individual phonemes in words" (p. 8).
Phonological Awareness But then they go on to acknowledge,
of their mastery of an alphabetic code,
"In this manual, we usually use the term
but their fluent reading and writing are Joseph K. Torgesen and Patricia G.
phonological awareness because it is
automatic enough that they no longer Mathes. 2000. Pro-Ed (8700 Shoal
more general, but often we are referring
need to attend to individual phonemes Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78757-6897,
to awareness at the level of the
and think about what letters correspond USA). 88 pp. Softcover. ISBN
to them. 0890798443. US$18.00. phoneme" (p. 8). I wish that they had
I looked at books with phonemic preserved the distinction by using
phonemic awareness when that is what
awareness ox phonological awareness
in their titles. They fall into the follow Teaching Phonics, Phonemic they mean, as is the case in the majori
ty of times they use phonological
ing two categories: Awareness, and Word awareness.
Guidebooks. These are short (less
than 100 pages), written to be read in
Recognition Bishop and Bishop's guidebook also
their entirety, chapter-by-chapter, with Ashley Bishop and Suzanne Bishop. is comprehensive and provides addi
1996. Teacher Created Materials tional practical information; it meets
the idea that the reader will come away
informed about the linguistic bases for (6421 Industry Way, Westminster, CA most of my five criteria. The addition
phonemic awareness teaching and 92683, USA). 76 pp. Softcover. ISBN al practical information is in the form
1576901262. US$9.95. of suggestions for classroom applica
learning, and will be able to apply that
information in classroom assessment Torgesen and Mathes's guidebook is tions of ideas presented in each of the
and instruction. comprehensive; it meets all the criteria chapters about phonemic awareness,
Activity books. These are not orga in my list; and it provides detailed re the alphabet, phonics, structural analy
nized as expository texts, with chapters views of eight standardized and non sis, sight words, and context clues. For
to be read by teachers in order to learn standardized tests of phonological example, Bishop and Bishop provide
about phonemic awareness. They are awareness; eight individual, small the Yopp-Singer Test of Phonemic
collections of things to do with children, group, and whole-class programs for in Segmentation (Yopp, 1995), lists of
supposedly to promote or assess phone struction in phonological awareness; children's books for use with each skill
mic awareness. Most have introductions and four computer programs for pro they discuss, sample lesson plans and
that provide some background informa moting phonemic awareness. As its title extension activities, and a 100-item
tion for teachers about phonemes and suggests, it almost always uses the sight word list.

Professional Library 275

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 Thus, this guide goes beyond phone with instruction that allows them to do Each of these books begins with an in
mic awareness to provide information so" (p. 72). troduction that meets most or all of the
about and teaching suggestions for five criteria I listed earlier. As their
phonics and word identification. To subtitles suggest, Adams et al. and
Activity books with some good
achieve this wider scope, Bishop and Blachman et al. offer complete programs
Bishop sacrifice the depth of treatment linguistic background information for teaching phonemic awareness. Their
of phonemic awareness that Torgesen introductions give good basic linguistic
and Mathes provide. Bishop and information. Adams et al., for example,
Bishop, for example, never explicitly Phonemic Awareness in Young define phonemes as "the minimal units
define phoneme', they only imply a def Children: A Classroom of sound that make a difference to mean
inition?and one that is vaguer than Curriculum ing" (p. 3). About phonemic awareness,
mine in criterion 1?when they define they write that it is "explicit, reflective
Marilyn Jager Adams, Barbara R.
phonemic awareness as "the awareness Foorman, Ingvar Lundberg, and Terri knowledge" (p. 3) and that "[c]onscious
that sounds are in our language and that awareness of phonemes is distinct from
Beeler. 1998. Paul H. Brookes (PO
spoken words are made up of individual the built-in sensitivity that supports
Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285
sounds" (p. 9). Bishop and Bishop's, speech production and reception" (p. 3).
0624, USA). 180 pp. Spiral bound.
however, may be the more helpful of ISBN 1557663211. US$24.95. (See criterion 2.)
the two books for teachers who want Of all the authors reviewed here,
basic information about phonemes and Adams et al. are best at meeting my
phonics for use in designing their own Road to the Code: A third criterion: "Part of the difficulty in
assessments and lessons. acquiring phonemic awareness is that,
Phonological Awareness from word to word and speaker to
Their going beyond phonemic aware
ness heightens the need for Bishop and
Program for Young Children speaker, the sound of any given
Benita A. Blachman, Eileen Wynne phoneme can vary considerably. These
Bishop to meet my fourth and fifth cri
teria. They do. For example, in satisfac
Ball, Rochella Black, and Darlene M. sorts of variations in spoken form that
Tangel. 2000. Paul H. Brookes (PO do not indicate a difference in meaning
tion of my fourth criteria, their chapter
Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285 are referred to as allophones of a
on phonemic awareness begins,
0624, USA). 391 pp. Spiral bound. phoneme" (p. 3). Blachman et al. are es
We must remember that one goal of phonics in ISBN 1557664382. US$49.95. pecially clear about the difference be
struction is to assist students in understanding tween spoken language and written
the relationship between printed letters and
language, the difference that makes
speech sounds. Thus, in this chapter, we will
discuss the concept of phonemic awareness
Phonemic Awareness: Playing phonemic awareness an issue: "Explicit
awareness that speech can be segmented
awareness of sounds in our language. It will be with Sounds to Strengthen
into phonemic units, however, is not a
followed by a chapter that focuses on printed Beginning Reading Skills
letters?our alphabet. These two chapters must natural byproduct of learning to speak.
Jo Fitzpatrick. 1997. Creative In fact, becoming consciously aware of
precede a discussion on phonics if we want to
Teaching Press (PO Box 2723, these smaller linguistic units is only
develop a rich understanding of the process
students go through as they associate sounds
Huntington Beach, CA 92647-0723, necessary when learning to read" (p.
(phonemes) with symbols (graphemes), (p. 9)
USA). 128 pp. Softcover. ISBN xiii). (See criterion 3.)
1574712314. US$12.98. Both Adams et al. and Blachman et
Bishop and Bishop begin their al. offer structured, sequential lessons.
longest chapter, the one about phonics,
Phonemic Awareness Activities Adams et al. include a suggested
with the assertion, "Phonics does not
kindergarten schedule with sample ac
work very well" (p. 21), and they end for Early Reading Success: Easy, tivities for 26 weeks of instruction and a
that chapter by stating, "Teaching phon reproducible form for recording chil
ics skills to students is a viable instruc Playful Activities That Prepare
dren's achievements in 51 activities
Children for Phonics Instruction
tional process; however, it certainly is grouped in seven categories (Listening
not a perfect process" (p. 48). And they Wiley Blevins. 1997. Scholastic (555 Games, Rhyming, Words and Sentences,
go on, in the chapters on structural Broadway, New York, NY 10012,
Awareness of Syllables, Initial and
analysis, sight words, and context clues, USA). 64 pp. Softcover. ISBN Final Sounds, Phonemes, and Intro
to suggest ways to support students' 0590372319. US$9.95.
ducing Letters and Spellings). This
learning of other information, skills, record form provides a scope and
and processes that together with phon sequence of phonemic awareness
ics make successful reading possible. Phonemic Awareness Songs and skills. Blachman et al. offer 44 individ
(See criterion 5.) Their emphasis through Rhymes ual lessons, many with scripted teacher
out is on providing instruction in "a Wiley Blevins. 1999. Scholastic (555 talk and expected student responses.
balanced environment where students are Broadway, New York, NY 10012, There are 130 pages of reproducible
given authentic reasons to read and USA). 64 pp. Softcover. ISBN materials, such as Say-it-and-Move-It
write and are systematically provided 0590644092. US$15.95. sheets, Alphabet Picture Cards, Sound

276 The Reading Teacher Vol. 55, No. 3 November 2001

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Categorization Cards (with four pic and directions. Standard phonemic
tures for a "Which one of these things awareness techniques are included, but KinderSounds: Skills: Hands-On
doesn't belong here?" game), and often with a playful twist. For example Phonemic Awareness Activities
Bingo cards. Lesson 1 introduces mov one say-it-and-move-it activity is called
ing a token while saying a sound; by "Eat Your Words" and uses as tokens Lillian Lieberman. 2001. Monday
Lesson 13, activities include use of crackers and raisins that the children eat Morning Books (PO Box 1680, Palo
Elkonin boxes; Lesson 44 is a "Sound Alto, CA 94302, USA). 96 pp.
as they blend the sounds. Fitzpatrick or Softcover. ISBN 1576121291.
Bingo" game with both letters and pic
ganizes the activities into five levels: US$12.95.
tures for the short-a, short-/, r, b, and/
initial sounds. Adams et al. present Rhythm and Rhyme, Parts of a Word,
some lessons that use poetry, songs, and Sequence of Sounds, Separation of
rhyme stories, and Blachman et al. Sounds, and Manipulation of Sounds. Natural Learning from A to Z:
sometimes place target sounds or words Fitzpatrick is clear that "[a]lthough it
Thematic Activities and
in a text, such as "The Adventures of Ed can have visual overtones, phonemic Phonemic Awareness Emphasis
the Cat," which the teacher tells by awareness is basically oral in nature" for Letters and Letter Sounds
stretching out the pronunciation of (p. 7). Nonetheless, she offers a separate
words such as mad and cat and then Mary Jo Ayres. 1997. Natural Learning
"Moving into Print" section with activ (103 Sycamore St., Leland, MS 38756,
asking the students to "fix the words by
ities organized by the same five levels, USA). 160 pp. Softcover. ISBN
blending the sounds and saying the 0966129806. US$19.95.
but with the addition of letters. She pro
words normally" (p. 113). The Ed the
vides a Phonemic Awareness Inventory,
Cat stories, however, are insipid, and
the dominant approach in both pro also organized by the five levels of
phonemic awareness; word lists; repro Phonemic Awareness Through
grams is isolated skill instruction and
practice. Both programs are among the ducible picture cards; rhyming sen Language Play
eight instructional programs reviewed tences and stories; other game Jill Norris. 1998. Evan-Moor (18 Lower
in more detail in Torgesen and Mathes. materials; and a list of recommended Ragsdale Dr., Monterey, CA 93940
All of these activity books, by their children's books. 5746, USA). 113 pp. Softcover. ISBN
very nature, are more prescriptive and 1557996652. US$14.95.
Blevins's two books are similar in ap
teacher centered than the best holistic Lieberman's is representative of activ
proach to Fitzpatrick's. They have good
instruction. Still, Fitzpatrick's program ity books with many creative, sometimes
introductions; they provide a variety of
leaves more room for teacher and stu holistic activities, but without adequate
creative activities from which teachers
dent choice and creativity than do those introductory material to help teachers un
of Adams et al. and Blachman et al. can choose, including the songs and
derstand phonemic awareness. In its list
(Fitpatrick's is also less comprehen poems in Blevins (1999); and they are
of definitions, for example, phonemic
sive). Fitzpatrick advocates teaching organized by level of phonemic aware awareness is defined only as "[t]he under
phonemic awareness "in meaningful, ness, using Adams's (1990) five types standing that spoken words are made up
interactive games and activities" (p. 7) of phonemic awareness tasks (hearing of a sequence of sounds" (p. 12). It con
and admonishes, rhymes and alliteration, doing oddity tains 124 activity descriptions. Like those
[K]eep in mind that [phonemic awareness] is tasks, blending words and splitting syl in Fitzpatrick, each activity contains short
not an isolated skill. For meaningful reading lables, segmenting words by phonemes, lists of materials and directions. They are
development, phonological training should be and manipulating phonemes). The Songs organized by Adams's five levels of
incorporated into current reading materials or phonemic awareness, but there also are
and Rhymes book (1999) comes with an
programs. The goal is integrated practice, so two earlier levels. The titles Lieberman
audiotape, and with each song or poem
when doing the activities, choose vocabulary
are two activities labeled for the level of
gives these two earlier levels betray a
related to a current story or theme, (p. 7) confusion about phonemic awareness that
phonemic awareness required. is consistent with the book's poor intro
Fitzpatrick's introduction gives im duction. These levels are "Phonemic
portant linguistic background informa
Awareness for Words" and "Phonemic
tion. For example, meeting my third Activity books with poor or no
criterion, she notes that Awareness for Syllables," where the foci
linguistic background information are not on phonemes at all, but on hear
[Slounds (phonemes) are abstract in nature. ing words and syllables. These may build
I looked at many activity books that
For example, when we say the word dog, the
an appropriate foundation for later attend
three distinct sounds that form the word are not give little or no linguistic background
information in their introductions. Most ing to phonemes, but if they develop
heard separately?the phonemes are not audi
can serve as resources for teachers who awareness, it is phonological awareness,
torally divisible. The only way the sounds lui
not phonemic awareness.
lollglm heard is by thinking of them sepa want ideas, and in some cases specific
rately, one at a time. (p. 6) Ayres's is representative of those ac
lesson plans, for phonemic awareness tivity books that are not much different
For each activity, Fitzpatrick identifies instruction. I will mention three of these
from old-fashioned phonics books ex
the task and gives short lists of materials books. cept that they use the newly fashionable

Professional Library 277

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 term phonemic awareness. It has no in This is especially true for teachers who awareness, and phonics. I recommend
troduction; it begins with "Letter A lack necessary linguistic background in that anyone who teaches phonemic
Investigations" and proceeds through the formation. Those teachers will find no awareness read one or both of the
alphabet to "Letter Z Investigations," help in Norris's inadequate, one-page guidebooks I described. Torgesen and
each with art, tactile, baking, counting, introduction. Phonemic awareness is Mathes give the best linguistics tutorial
game, field-trip, book, and song sugges defined there as "knowing how spoken and then offer detailed reviews that will
tions. Most of these suggestions are un language works" (p. 1) and a phoneme help teachers to chose from published
elaborated, for example, in Letter A as "an individual sound" (p. 1). assessment measures and prepackaged
Investigations, "Make ant cookies (raisin instructional programs. Bishop and
cookies). Pretend they are ants" (p. 6) Bishop give a good linguistics tutorial
and "Visit an airport" (p. 7). This is ba A flood of phonemic awareness books and then help the reader to design good
sically a letter-of-the-week approach. To make informed decisions about phonemic awareness instruction, per
Ayers does not distinguish between phonemic awareness instruction, teach haps using some of the activity books as
phonemic awareness and phonics (see resources, perhaps even finding them
ers need to know more than what they
my fourth criterion); each investigation altogether unnecessary.
uses letters as well as sounds. will teach their students. They need to
know some basic linguistics; they need
Norris's is representative of activity
full understanding of the ideas I merely References
books that can seem to be easy answers
sketch in my five-item criteria list. The Adams, MJ. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking
to the phonemic awareness challenge. It and learning about print. Cambridge, MA:
market seems flooded with phonemic MIT Press.
offers 34 weeklong units, each with five
awareness programs and activity books.
minilessons using that week's chant, Yopp, H.K. (1995). A test for assessing phonemic
Too many fail to provide adequate in awareness in young children. The Reading
poem, or language game. It is organized
around the same five levels of phone formation about phonemes, phonemic
Teacher, 49,20-29.

mic awareness that Fitzpatrick uses.

Being given something to do each day
for 34 weeks may tempt some teachers
to see those 5 x 34 activities as all they The Professional Library features reviews of materials that support teacher
need to do about phonemic awareness. development in literacy education. Comments may be sent to the editor,
Teachers may use such books in a one Donald J. Richgels, Department of Literacy Education, Northern
size-fits-all manner and without under Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115-2854, USA. E-mail: richgels?
standing how the books' objectives fit
niu.edu.
in a larger emergent literacy curriculum.

278 The Reading Teacher Vol. 55, No. 3 November 2001

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