Previously we have discussed the steps to beginning to read and factors that lead to better readers. However in many cases I will hear parents or teachers complain that the child reads but does not know or cannot answer questions about what has been read. Understanding the text that was read is reading comprehension. Many feel that reading comprehension is something that must come natural to a child. However reading comprehension can also be taught and strengthened through instruction. Research has indentified six areas that can help improve reading comprehension. Monitoring comprehension: In this area students learn to monitor their … Continue reading →

Many beginning teachers and parents confuse phonemic awareness and phonics. They often feel that they are one in the same. However, while the two are closely connected, they are different. When teaching phonics there are many different programs and approaches that can be used. Several of the approaches overlap and intertwine with one another. During phonics instruction the teacher focuses more on the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds. Some different approaches include: Synthetic Phonics: In this approach the students are instructed how to change written terms into sounds to form words. Analytic Phonics: In this form of phonics … Continue reading →

A previous article discussed phonemic awareness and its importance. This article will take a closer look into how to effectively teach phonemic awareness to children. Phonemic awareness is a concept that can be learned and taught. During phonemic awareness instruction, children learn to recognize, manipulate, work with, and listen to spoken words. There are several activities that can be used to help teach phonemic awareness to children. Primary level teachers may use any or all of the following during their classroom instruction. Phoneme Isolation: During this activity children are instructed on how to find certain sounds in a word. For … Continue reading →