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5.2: Phonological Awareness Continuum

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    216659
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    Phonological awareness is an overarching term that is used to explain several levels of the sound structure of language. These levels of phonological awareness overlap in terms of when children are able to manipulate units of sound within each level. The levels can be thought of as a continuum of learning. Importantly, phonological awareness is not sequential, where children must master one level before moving to the next level. Rather, children’s skills at multiple levels of the phonological awareness continuum may develop at the same time (Anthony, et al, 2003).

    Figure 5.2.1 illustrates the phonological awareness continuum; see https://youtu.be/k0IDVed9dUU for an animation with details.

    Phonological Awareness Continuum

    Arrows showing Phoneme, Onset-Rime, Syllable, Word, and Development of Phonological Awareness.

    Figure 5.2.1

    Children’s Abilities Vary Across the Phonological Awareness Continuum

    At the beginning of preschool, most children will already be somewhere on the phonological awareness continuum. For example, some children may be able to identify initial sounds in words while others are still working toward hearing different sound structures within words. Regardless of where children are on the continuum, phonological awareness instruction can begin. With the appropriate support from teachers, all children can make progress along the phonological awareness continuum, and all children can improve their sensitivity to sounds and skill at manipulating them.

    Teaching and Learning Along the Phonological Awareness Continuum

    Since children enter preschool with diverse developmental levels of phonological awareness, teachers first need to determine where each child is on the continuum. Instruction does not necessarily need to start at the beginning of the phonological continuum for all children, nor does the entire continuum need to be taught in preschool. For example, children who begin preschool already proficient at blending and segmenting compound words likely do not need to spend a lot of time practicing with those larger units of sound. Growth is key when it comes to the phonological awareness continuum. So, no matter where a child starts, it is important only that he or she make adequate movement during the preschool years. To be most effective, phonological awareness instruction needs to be explicit and delivered primarily in small groups.

    Continuum of Emergent Reading Development: Phonological Awareness

    The chart below shows a general developmental progression of when you can expect to see these phonological awareness related behaviors or skills appear.

    Developmental Progression

    CLLD 2.3. Learning Spoken Language is Composed of Smaller Segments of Sound

    Early Infancy

    0-8 months

    • Listens and attends to culturally and linguistically familiar words (including rhymes and songs) (CLLD2.3a)
    • Begins to create speech and non-speech like sounds (e.g., babbling) (CLLD2.3b)

    Later Infancy

    6-14 months

    • Begins to imitate sounds they hear in their everyday environment (CLLD2.3c)

    Early Toddler

    12-24 Months

    • Orally repeats a few words of culturally and linguistically familiar rhymes and repetitive refrains in stories or songs or directions/ requests from adults or peers (CLLD2.3d)

    Later Toddler

    22-36 Months

    • Orally produces or reproduces simple culturally and linguistically familiar rhymes or sings favorite songs (CLLD2.3e)
    • Imitates most sounds of language using familiar words (CLLD2.3f)

    Early Preschool

    34-48 Months

    • Imitates and enjoys rhyme and alliteration (e.g., Jalisa jumped) (CLLD2.3g)
    • With instructional support, distinguishes when two words rhyme and when two words begin with the same sound (e.g., boy/toy, dog/dad) (CLLD2.3h)

    Later Preschool

    44-60 Months

    • Begins to rhyme and produce rhymes of simple words (CLLD2.3i)
    • Begins to orally segment and combine compound words (e.g., lunchbox segmented is lunch box; when combined it is lunchbox) (CLLD2.3j)
    • Begins to segment and combine syllables (e.g., purple segmented is pur-ple; when combined it is purple) (CLLD2.3k)
    • Begins to identify the initial and final sound in words (e.g., /b/ in bat) (CLLD2.3l)

    Table 5.2.1 A Continuum of Emergent Reading Development: Phonological Awareness. Content is from Virginia’s Early Learning & Development Standards (ELDS): Birth-Five Learning Guidelines. It is used with permission of the creators and is not an open education resource covered by a Creative Commons License. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/sh...90605072570000

    References

    Anthony, J. L., Lonigan, C. J., Driscoll, K., Phillips, B. M., & Burgess, S. R. (2003). Phonological sensitivity: A quasi‐parallel progression of word structure units and cognitive operations. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(4), 470–487.

    Virginia’s Early Learning & Development Standards (ELDS): Birth-Five Learning Guidelines. https://www.doe.virginia.gov/home/sh...90605072570000


    5.2: Phonological Awareness Continuum is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Marcia Kosanovich, Beth Phillips, Kari Willis & Christine Pegorraro Schull, Leslie La Croix, Sara E. Miller, Kimberly Sanders Austin, and Julie K. Kidd.