It is vital that children learn how to read, in order for them to become productive citizens. Reutzel and Cooter (2013, p. 7) assert that it is impossible for a person to live a productive, happy and healthy life without the ability to read. Reading is defined by Mesmer and Griffith (2005-06, p. 367) as the ability to recognise words and understand the meaning of both individual words, and the sentences they form, thereby drawing meaning from text. However, Reutzel and Cooter (2013, p. 9) argue that, with the introduction of technology, reading has become a multifaceted ability which requires the learning of a complex set of skills, concepts and knowledge which enable a person to understand text presented both on paper and in various digital
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Phonemic awareness is one component of a broader skill know as phonological awareness. Phonological awareness involves being able to identify and manipulate parts of oral language such as words, syllables, onsets and rimes (Yopp & Yopp, 2009, p. 1). To illustrate, a child who has developed phonological awareness would be able to clap out syllables of a word, recognise rhyming words and alliteration and be able to manipulate sounds in words. Phonemes are the smallest unit of spoken language (Yopp & Yopp, 2000, p. 130). The English language is made up of about 44 different phonemes (Yopp & Yopp, 2009, p. 3). For example, the word dog has one syllable which is made up of three phonemes /d/ /o/ /g/. Phonemic awareness is the realisation that all words are made up of a sequence of phonemes and that these phonemes can be taken apart, put back together, rearranged, omitted or added, to change the meaning of the word (Hill, 2006, p. 135). It is important that children grasp this concept because when they are introduced to written language, they will learn that each spoken sound is recorded separately by one or more grapheme. If a child is unable to separate words in spoken sounds, then they will experience difficulty attempting to record and decode written words (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), 2001). In fact, Stanovich (1993-94, p. 284) claims that a child’s level of phonemic awareness, rather than IQ or socio-economic background, is the best predictor how easily early reading skills will be acquired. Phonemic skills can be taught using various games and activities which increase in difficulty and require children to: identify phonemes (what sound is the same in car, cat and can), categorise phonemes (which is the odd one out hat, mat, sat, car), blend phonemes to form words (put together these sounds to make a word /s/ /a/ /t/), segment words into
Phonemic awareness is one component of a broader skill know as phonological awareness. Phonological awareness involves being able to identify and manipulate parts of oral language such as words, syllables, onsets and rimes (Yopp & Yopp, 2009, p. 1). To illustrate, a child who has developed phonological awareness would be able to clap out syllables of a word, recognise rhyming words and alliteration and be able to manipulate sounds in words. Phonemes are the smallest unit of spoken language (Yopp & Yopp, 2000, p. 130). The English language is made up of about 44 different phonemes (Yopp & Yopp, 2009, p. 3). For example, the word dog has one syllable which is made up of three phonemes /d/ /o/ /g/. Phonemic awareness is the realisation that all words are made up of a sequence of phonemes and that these phonemes can be taken apart, put back together, rearranged, omitted or added, to change the meaning of the word (Hill, 2006, p. 135). It is important that children grasp this concept because when they are introduced to written language, they will learn that each spoken sound is recorded separately by one or more grapheme. If a child is unable to separate words in spoken sounds, then they will experience difficulty attempting to record and decode written words (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD), 2001). In fact, Stanovich (1993-94, p. 284) claims that a child’s level of phonemic awareness, rather than IQ or socio-economic background, is the best predictor how easily early reading skills will be acquired. Phonemic skills can be taught using various games and activities which increase in difficulty and require children to: identify phonemes (what sound is the same in car, cat and can), categorise phonemes (which is the odd one out hat, mat, sat, car), blend phonemes to form words (put together these sounds to make a word /s/ /a/ /t/), segment words into