The Best Thing to Teach Beginning Readers

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The Best Thing to Teach Beginning Readers

Post author:Debora Marines
Post published:October 10, 2020
Post category:Early Literacy / Tips
Post comments:0 Comments

Reading Skills For Beginning Readers By Teach Magically

Do you teach beginning readers?

If you teach beginning readers, you need to focus on so much more than guided reading and sight words! You need to focus on phonological awareness (PA) skills. These skills are the basis for all reading.

Phonological Awareness, the Best Skill for Beginning Readers

PA is the understanding that words and sentences can be divided into smaller parts that can be manipulated. Therefore, understanding phonological awareness prepares students for later reading. Instruction in PA includes phonics, word analysis and spelling. PA is like an umbrella over many skills.

Blog about phonological awareness Teach Magicallt

Phonological Awareness skills flow from easier to harder. The learning doesn’t follow an order. Each task is difficult in its own way. Above all, the learning flows at different rates for each child so be sure to continue to teach all the skills regularly.

Check out the skills in order from easiest to hardest on my phonological awareness skills page.

Beginning Reading Skills

Word Awareness, the easiest skill, includes tracking words in sentences. It also includes rhyming and alliteration. These skills can be practiced through stories and poems. For example, use Humpty Dumpty to focus on the letters, words, sentences, and poem. Check out how at Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme Activities.

Syllable Awareness involves blending or segmenting a word into parts.

Onset-rime Awareness is the ability to make a rhyming word. This skill depends on knowing that rhyming words have the same ending sound. It means being able to tell if words rhyme or not.

For example, thumbs up if cat and hat rhyme, is an easy task.

On the other hand, producing a rhyme is harder. For example, tell me a word that rhymes with cat.

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The Hardest Thing to Teach Beginning Readers

Phonemic Awareness, most sophisticated level of PA, is understanding that words are made up of individual sounds or phonemes. It starts by blending and segmenting. Changing the sounds within the word to create a new word is extremely difficult. Therefore, check out some fun activities to help with PA.

Phonemic Awareness is more highly related to learning to read than are tests of general intelligence, reading readiness, and listening comprehension (Stanovich, 1993).

In conclusion, be sure to check these skills if you are teaching beginning readers or readers that are struggling! Learn more information about the order of these skills and ideas on this PA Page. (click).

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