Where do I start when fixing phonemic awareness?

Step 1 Assessment in Pre-reading

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The student splits syllables differently than the instructor would. Example: Teacher: Say sister but don’t say sis. Student: ster (You expected ter.)

Medal, Metal, Meddle, Mettle in Step 2 Syllables in Pre-reading

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The student spells syllables incorrectly, such as spelling comin for common.

The Rabbit’s Habits in Step 2 Syllables in Pre-reading

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The student is struggling with tier 1 and tier 2 phonics and does not know how to sound out words.

Step 3 Articulation in Pre-reading

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The student struggles with phonemic awareness lessons.

Step 4 Phonemes in Pre-reading

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The student can pronounce the sounds in words one at a time but cannot blend the sounds into words.

Step 5 Blending in Pre-reading

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The student can’t grasp how a letter, which is a marking on a page, can “make a sound.”

Step 6 Sound Effects in Pre-reading

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Reading words with “r” and “l” in them is hard.

The River Level in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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Misspelling tr and dr, such as chree for tree and jress for dress, is common.

Trumpet and Drum in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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The student does not realize that “s” can also represent the /z/ sound.

A Visit From My Busy Cousin in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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During reading, the student adds letters that are not there.

The Camp Cap in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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Misspelling words with “ng” and “nk” is common.

The Boxing Ring and Ice Rink in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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The student mispronounces words ending with “ed.”

A Thing of the Past in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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The student spells consonant blends that do not exist, such as “sd,” “sb,” and “sg.”

Sdop Sbending Money on Sgoops of Ice Cream

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What are all the less frequent consonants?

Tricky Consonant Letter Strings in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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How do I explain “qu”?

Halloween Queen in Step 7 Consonants in Pre-Reading

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The student spells “c,” “k,” or “ck” at random.

Spelling the /k/ sound

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How do I explain all the sounds for the letter Y?

Y Not? in Step 8 Vowels in Pre-Reading

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What is an easy, fun way to teach short vowels?

Box Vowels and The Race in Closed Syllables

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The student cannot differentiate between short /e/ and short /i/.

Echo and Itchy in Closed Syllables

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How do I teach schwa?

A Bonnet and a Ribbon in Closed Syllables

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The student puts the stress on the wrong syllable.

Summon the Dog in Closed Syllables

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What is an easy, fun way to show students the sequence involved in decoding big words?

The Treasure Chest in Closed Syllable Rules

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The student confuses short /e/ with silent e in the middle of a word.

Lifetime and Valentine in Silent e Syllables

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How do I explain soft c and g?

Silent e Holding Down Two Jobs in Silent e Syllables

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The student misreads words with o-n-e in them, such as done, gone, and tone.

Not Just ONE in Silent e Syllables

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The student mispronounces silent e endings such as age, ice, ace, ine, ite, ive, and ate. (enrage, cottage)

Silent e Syllable Endings in Silent e Syllables

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Where do I find examples of words with vowel combinations?

Vowel Team Syllables

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How do I explain vowels affected by the letter r?

Vowel + r Syllables

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The student reads humbled as hum, bled (as in my nose bled.)

Consonant + le Syllables

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The student can’t tell if the vowel is pronounced short or long.

The Pilot Can Pivot in Open Syllables

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The student only knows two sounds for the letter i.

When i says E in Open Syllables

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How do I make the six syllable types less abstract?

Drawers in Your Brain in Open Syllables

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How do I learn what the prefixes and suffixes are and what they mean?

Adding Prefixes and Suffixes

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What’s a good way to teach words that aren’t very phonetic?

High Frequency Words

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How do I teach words that look similar, like very, every, and ever?

Eye-Benders

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My student decodes words but does not recognize them as real words because their vocabulary is so limited.

Vocabulary

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My students cannot read large numbers in texts, such as 25 708. (25,708 in the U.S.A.)

Reading Numbers

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How can I learn more about how the brain reads?

Check These Out

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