Remedial Reading Newsletter

Spring 2005

Dear Parents,

Several parents have asked me to explain the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics. Phonemic awareness and phonics are not the same but are mutually dependent. Phonemic awareness focuses on the sound units (phonemes) used to form spoken words; phonics instruction associates sounds to written symbols (i.e., the alphabet). Together, they help children develop word-recognition skills, namely the ability to “sound out” unknown words. Once beginning readers have mastered sound-symbol relationships and applied them to print, they can approximate the pronunciation of most printed words.

Before phonics can be taught, phonemic awareness is essential. Children must be able to hear and manipulate oral sound patterns before they can relate them to print. Phonics instruction builds on a child’s ability to segment and blend together sounds he or she hears. Without this ability, children have difficulty with basic decoding skills---an integral component of any reading program.

Studies show that connections between oral language and print must be thoroughly developed to achieve reading success. A pre-reader’s knowledge of letters and their names is important, but not enough. Familiarity with letters, combined with a sensitivity to phonetic structure, is essential for early reading success.

Hope you find this information helpful!

Diane Streeter