Page 28 - ABCTE Study Guide_Neat
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Answer
Choice D is the correct response. Remember that phonemes are the irreducible elements of spoken
language. When students recognize these individual sounds and are able to segment them, drop
them, and add them, those students are phonemically aware.
How Can I Teach a Struggling Reader to Make Letter-sound Associations?
First, monitor each student’s phonological awareness to verify whether he or she is on track with the
objectives you have set. In the course of your monitoring, you will be able to identify the specific
students who need further practice with the assessed objectives. You can also use the results of your
monitoring to determine the type of further practice that is needed; you’ve asked about letter-sound
associations, so we’ll say that is a need for several of your students. Ideally, you will also have
determined from your monitoring which specific letter-sound associations these students require more
work with.
When providing additional instruction, work with small groups of students showing similar needs.
Whole-group instruction is least effective for reviewing objectives needed by only a few students, as
those who have already mastered the objective may become bored and disruptive or may be
overeager to demonstrate what they know, giving the target students little incentive to apply
themselves to the lesson. One-on-one instruction sometimes puts students ill at ease; but small-
group instruction allows you to focus on specific objectives with a small number of students, while
providing a sense of insulation that encourages each student to participate.
Vocabulary Development
Like phonics instruction, vocabulary instruction works best when it is systematic and explicit. And,
while “explicit vocabulary instruction” can conjure up images of word lists, dictionaries, and weekly
quizzes, it doesn’t have to be boring or rote. The English language has seemingly endless twists and
turns, and these can be used to engage students more directly than memorizing definitions from the
dictionary. For example, you could dig a little deeper than the dictionary in examining the word "gave"
in the following sentences:
Marcus gave James $199.
John gave his wife a kiss.
She gave her patient an injection.
The troupe gave an excellent performance.
Review
• Phonics is part of a larger arc of instruction that begins with simple phonological
awareness concepts.
• Mastery of phonemic awareness—that is, segmenting and manipulating individual
sounds within words—is a necessary prerequisite for reading mastery, but letter-sound
associations (phonics) can be introduced before such mastery is attained.
• Awaken kids to necessary objectives through explicit, systematic lessons that
incorporate phonics in word study, spelling, and reading activities.
