Learning to read can be quite an overwhelming task for small children. In fact, if you think about it, it’s astounding that children are even capable of learning to read in such a short amount of time.Cognitive learning theory examples however, before they begin to read print, they must have an adequate foundational understanding of how sounds in words work. That is where phonemic awareness comes into play.Cognitive learning theory examples what is phonemic awareness?

In easy-to-understand terms, phonemic awareness is the ability to identify, think about, and manipulate sounds in spoken speech.Cognitive learning theory examples this is NOT the same as phonics. Phonemic awareness is actually a critical skill that is a precursor to reading letters. That’s why phonemic awareness instruction should NEVER involve print.Cognitive learning theory examples if you find yourself working with letters or printed words, then you have skipped a step and crossed the line into phonics. This is a very important point.Cognitive learning theory examples research tells us that it’s essential to focus on phonemic awareness in the classroom before reading can begin. We want to ensure that children have a solid understanding of the sounds of speech before we start phonics instruction.Cognitive learning theory examples

Nowadays, we are facing an added difficulty, though. In today’s early-childhood classrooms, teachers are feeling an ever-increasing pressure to get their students reading.Cognitive learning theory examples it is easy to lose sight of the developmental process and try to skip steps in order to get our kids reading books as soon as possible. There is just one problem: skipping steps is not going to work.Cognitive learning theory examples children’s progress in reading will be limited if they haven’t learned to think about the sounds in words.

As early childhood teachers, we need to remember that we can’t skip past phonemic awareness skills.Cognitive learning theory examples we can’t just barge ahead in the hope that all of our students have arrived in our classroom complete with the full-blown skills of thinking about and manipulating sounds in their minds.Cognitive learning theory examples on the other hand, we also can’t afford to spend a lot of time doing phonemic-awareness instruction. I am happy to tell you the good news that we don’t have to!Cognitive learning theory examples phonemic awareness instruction can and should be done in small pockets of time throughout the school day. In fact, oral language and phonemic awareness can often be taught and reinforced in as little as five to ten minutes per day.Cognitive learning theory examples

Here are five quick, easy, and fun phonemic awareness activities that are perfect for the beginning of the school year in any early childhood classroom.Cognitive learning theory examples yes, you heard me correctly – that word was F-U-N. I know fun has become an undesirable notion in many schools today. But I assure you that these activities will be fun and that your students really will learn about our amazing language!Cognitive learning theory examples I have also included activities that require little or no preparation – things you can do on the fly! Although these activities don’t cover the full range of phonemic awareness skills needed to produce great readers, they are still fantastic activities to begin any school year!Cognitive learning theory examples listening

The ability to listen closely is a key ingredient of phonemic awareness. This is the part of instruction that is skipped most often, because teachers assume that young children know how to listen.Cognitive learning theory examples they may not! Furthermore, if they don’t, they’re not ignoring you. It’s just that they don’t understand what “listen closely” means. They have to be taught.Cognitive learning theory examples the listening game.

One of the first phonemic-awareness activities I do with my students, even as soon as the first day, is to bring their attention to noises.Cognitive learning theory examples after lunch, we come back to the classroom and all the children lie quietly on the floor. It’s not naptime, but it’s a great time to unwind, which is important for young children.Cognitive learning theory examples as we lie there quietly for five to ten minutes, we listen for sounds. We all stay perfectly still and quiet. We become “sound spotters.” we don’t use our eyes – we use our ears.Cognitive learning theory examples there are always sounds and weird noises you can hear in a school building. We may hear the air conditioner, doors closing, teachers talking, stomachs growling.Cognitive learning theory examples the possibilities are endless! Your part is to talk about the sounds you and the children hear. Use a little teacher enthusiasm and exaggeration to get the kids interested in this activity.Cognitive learning theory examples the key phrase is, “who can spot a sound with their ears?” “moo-moo,” where are you?

How to play: all the children sit in a circle. One child lies down in the middle of the circle and covers his or her eyes.Cognitive learning theory examples the teacher chooses another child to go somewhere in the room and pretend to be a cow by making a “moo-moo” sound. The child in the middle of the circle – with eyes still covered – points in the direction of the animal sound.Cognitive learning theory examples this game is great because it gets children to listen closely for sounds and for where the sounds are coming from. It also prepares their ears to listen more closely to sounds in words.Cognitive learning theory examples when the child in the middle correctly identifies the sound and direction, he or she gets to go next and make a different animal sound. Rhyming

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Rhyming is such a great phonemic awareness activity! Most children easily grasp the concept of rhyme. Some need a little help, though. Using word-play with rhyming helps children notice that sounds in our language have meaning and follow certain patterns.Cognitive learning theory examples again, this is a precursor skill to seeing sound patterns reproduced in print – as a phonemic awareness practice, it is purely auditory.

The absolute best way to introduce rhyming to your students is by reading lots of fun rhyming books, poems, and songs.Cognitive learning theory examples act silly and have fun! The more fun you have with the rhymes, the more the kids will notice the rhymes and enjoy the activities. Exaggerate the silliness of the rhyme.Cognitive learning theory examples the poem “down by the bay” and the book “silly sally” are perfect examples of how rhyme can be super fun! In my box

How to play: get a small box and place some pictures in it with pairs of familiar words that rhyme (like box/socks, cat/hat, or chair/bear).Cognitive learning theory examples use enough pictures so that everyone in your class has a turn. Sit in a circle with your students. Start with a child you know is strong in rhyming.Cognitive learning theory examples hold the box and choose a picture. If the picture shows a cat, say “in my box, there’s a cat”. Call on him or her to come up with a rhyming word.Cognitive learning theory examples the child might say, “in my box, there’s a hat” (or some other rhyming word). After he or she answers with a rhyming word, hand him or her the box.Cognitive learning theory examples now he or she gets to choose a card and continue the play. Syllables

Working with and noticing syllables within words is important, because it makes students aware of how words can be split up into smaller parts, according to their sounds.Cognitive learning theory examples our ultimate goal is to work on individual phonemes (vowels or consonants), but children must first learn the concept of “parts of words.” it’s easier for young children to start with larger parts of words and then work their way down to the smaller, discrete individual sounds of phonemes.Cognitive learning theory examples we are building a bridge from hearing words to hearing phonemes. Bippity boppity bumble bee

How to play: the teacher begins by telling the students they are going to learn a new game – it’s a different version of old macdonald, and it’s kind of a silly version.Cognitive learning theory examples the teacher begins singing, “old macdonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O. And on that farm he had a /ti/ /ger/, E-I-E-I-O”. Of course, the kids think the introduction of the tiger is wildly funny, but notice what they have actually done: without being told, they have mentally combined the syllables /ti/ and /ger/ to realize what the animal was!Cognitive learning theory examples it’s huge! Then I show the children a picture of a tiger and they feel proud that they figured out the animal – and they think it’s too funny!Cognitive learning theory examples again it’s lots of fun, and they really think we are just playing a game.

The most important thing to keep in mind as an early childhood teacher is that phonemic awareness can be such a fun time!Cognitive learning theory examples it shouldn’t be long drawn-out lessons. All you need is five-to-ten-minute pockets of time each day. Phonemic awareness activities are also great to use during transition times throughout the day.Cognitive learning theory examples I often use the ten minutes before lunch, and sometimes during group restroom breaks, to practice and reinforce listening and oral language skills.Cognitive learning theory examples and the payoff is big! If you give phonemic awareness the attention it deserves, your students will be richly rewarded when it’s time for them to start reading!Cognitive learning theory examples