Neshaminy Title I
Spotlight on Literacy: Phonemic Awareness
Dear Neshaminy Families,
Neshaminy Title I Spotlight on Literacy is a series of on demand mini workshops that provide families with background knowledge, strategies and resources to support learners at home with reading and related areas. Each issue will focus on a specific area of literacy. You will learn a definition for the given skill and learn how or why it is important to reading. Additionally, one of our NSD reading specialists will model a skill related activity that you can try at home with your reader.
In this issue, Ferderbar ES Title I Reading Specialist, Pam Haggerty, shares her expertise in phonemic awareness, a reading related skill. Happy reading!
Sincerely,
Kim Maurizi
Title I Reading Specialist
Phonemic Awareness: What is it?
Phonemic awareness differs from phonological awareness and phonics. Phonological awareness is a broad category of awareness of all levels of the speech sound system that not only includes phonemic awareness but also counting words in sentences, rhyming, syllables, onset-rime, and alliteration. Phonics has to do with written language. It is concerned with letters and letter patterns that represent the sounds of the English language.
Phonemic awareness sounds like:
- recognizing which words in a set of words begin with the same sound
("Bell, bike, and boy all have /b/ at the beginning.")
- isolating and saying the first or last sound in a word
("The beginning sound of dog is /d/." "The ending sound of sit is /t/.")
- combining, or blending the separate sounds in a word to say the word
("/m/, /a/, /p/ – map.")
- breaking, or segmenting a word into its separate sounds
("up – /u/, /p/.")
Phonemic Awareness: Why is it Important?
**You may print the activities from the below links. Included in the description is the number of pages for print in each activity. If you do not have access to a printer, please email your Title I Reading Specialist for a print copy of the activity. Reading specialist contacts can be found at the end of the newsletter. In the email, be sure to provide the name of the activity, your child’s name and grade.
Parental & Family Engagement Support
We have a Title I Reading Specialist available at each building to assist parents with supporting their child’s academic progress between home and school. One of the roles of the Title I Reading Specialist is that of a coordinator who provides opportunities for parents to participate in workshops and activities that will greatly benefit students. Also, the Title I Reading Specialist organizes and conducts, planning meetings with parents and volunteering opportunities that will help influence academic success. For more information, please contact the Title I Reading Specialist at your student's school:
Neshaminy School District Title I
Email: mburkholder@neshaminy.org
Website: https://www.neshaminy.org/domain/2561
Location: 2250 Langhorne Yardley Road, Langhorne, PA, USA
Phone: (215) 809-6554