Phonemic Awareness (continued)
Source: Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall
Topics: Middle Years (5-9), Alphabet, Phonics and Sound, more...
Again, the National Reading Panel (2000) cites converging evidence that provides strong support that a combination of phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence training is necessary to understand the alphabetic principle (Adams, 1990; Ball & Blachman, 1991; Byrne & Fielding-Barnsley, 1990; Mann, 1993; Rack et al., 1992; Snowling, 1991; Spector, 1995; Stanovich, 1986; Vellutino, 1991; Vellutino & Scanlon, 1987a; National Reading Panel, 2000).
The results of an intervention study with kindergartners clearly indicated that phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence significantly enhanced later reading and spelling performance more so than training in letter-sound correspondence alone (Ball & Blachman, 1991). Similarly, in teaching young preliterate children to acquire the alphabetic principle, Byrne and Fielding-Barnsley (1989) found that only those who learned phonemic segmentation and phoneme identification skills and graphic symbols for initial sounds were able to correctly choose between mow and sow after they had been taught mat and sat.
A third study examined the effects of a metacognitive component on phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence instruction with kindergarten and first grade children (Cunningham, 1990). The study compared two instructional approaches across kindergarten and first grade: (1) letter-sound correspondence and skill training in phonemic awareness, and (2) letter-sound correspondence, skill training, and instruction in strategic use of phonemic awareness skills in context of reading. Adding explicit instruction in strategic application of the skills to instruction in letter-sound correspondence and skill training in phonological awareness resulted in significant improvement in reading. Specifically, improvement was noted in letter-sound correspondence knowledge, word recognition, and reading comprehension. Cunningham (1990) concluded that the difference was explained by contextualized instruction that included (1) instruction in and demonstration of conspicuous strategies, (2) guided practice, and (3) strategic and purposeful review of previous lessons in addition to the combination of phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence instruction.
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