Phonological awareness definition

Have you ever heard of the term phonological awareness? It is an important ability that will affect one’s reading and comprehension skills. The term is often used interchangeably with phonemic awareness skills, but there are a few differences between the two. 

What is phonological awareness and examples

Phonological awareness is the ability to understand the dynamics and rhythm of the oral language. It is an individual awareness of the structure of phonology and the sound of each word. 

As a result, it is one of the most important factors for reading success. The most common example is being able to recognize rhyming words, separate a sentence into words, identify the number of syllables, word recognition, and so on. 

Phonological awareness exists in several different forms, and it is crucial to know all about them. 

4 critical phonological awareness skills

There are four main levels of phonological awareness you can notice. And each of these levels represents a different part of the ability to understand the language. It is something people learn along with the language, and it is a lot simpler for native speakers. 

The reason for this, of course, is that they are exposed to the language 24/7, and they absorb the information since they are born. The ability to understand alphabetic principles can be noticed in early childhood. 

Word level

The first category is for understanding words in a sentence. In some places, you will notice that this falls into the listening category. A person will be able to hear and understand each individual word in a sentence, and testing for this is quite simple. 

You can read a sentence and let the listener tell you how many words are in it. Furthermore, blending and segmenting words is also important. The listener can blend words together to give them new meanings. 

Syllable level

The next skill on the list is being able to separate a word into syllables. The idea behind this skill is the same as for sentences, only on a smaller scale. You can take any whole word, and see if a person can split it into syllables (or small groups). 

They can also try and finish words with a syllable missing, or recognize the part of the word that is similar in words like compare and complete. 

Onset-rime level

Being able to determine whether words rhyme is a huge part of understanding a language. There are plenty of different ways to test this skill, and the simplest form is to take a look at words and see whether they rhyme. 

If you want to take it to the next level, you can create a list of words, and someone will have to find the one that doesn’t rhyme. The final part of the phonemic awareness activities would be to think of a word that rhymes with the one provided by the teacher (or instructor). 

This is also one of many reasons why nursery rhymes are so common and popular. 

Phoneme level

The final skill is to understand phonemes or different sounds. There are 44 phonemes in the English language, and each represents a possible sound people create when talking. Mastering this skill means that the listener will be able to determine words with the same phoneme at the beginning, speak the word without the use of the first sound, and so on. 

You can always test this skill by asking which word doesn’t begin with the same sound and use words such as bat, bed, food, and ball. Or any other word you want. You can also blend sounds, focus on individual phonemes, and so much more. 

How does phonological awareness relate to language acquisition?

Phonological awareness is one of the key factors for successful reading and spelling. Each of these language skills will play an important role in the outcome, and it is crucial that young children practice it. 

What is interesting is that there is a direct correlation between reading skills and phonological awareness. And children who are good at one will be good at both. This is the primary reason why teachers have been checking phonological awareness among kindergarten or first-grade children since it can allow them to predict reading skills later on in life. 

More importantly, it gives them time to work with struggling readers and help them overcome difficulties and disabilities (such as dyslexia). It also works great for auditory learners. 

Other ways to help children with phonics and reading

Since phonological awareness can be quite important, everyone is looking for ways to help children that are struggling. And there are plenty of ways to approach the problem. Naturally, it is highly recommended both parents and teachers be included in the process, and teaching children will help them have an easier time learning this way. 

Listening and learning

In the past couple of years, many companies have been working on accessibility tools for various devices, and they can be more than helpful for education. A perfect example is Speechify and its audiobook platform. 

Using Speechify will allow children to hear books instead of reading instructions, and they can easily work on improving their literacy skills by following along with the text if they have a physical edition of the book. 

And fortunately, there are plenty of books they can use. Today, you can find audio versions of almost any book you can imagine, and Speechify offers a rich library you can use. 

Boost comprehension

Being involved in your child’s learning can be more than helpful. You can always ask them questions about the book or text they are reading and see whether they understood the content. 

This can be achieved by asking questions such as “what do you think the narrator meant there?” or “what do you think will happen next?” These will help them be more involved in the process and boost comprehension. 

Explore and motivate your child to learn

Exploring is always important for children. And you can go through different texts together. Try and find topics that will be interesting to your child and help them be focused on the content. 

You can also read aloud with them, and motivate them to do the same. Try to explain to them that reading is important and go through different books and magazines together. 

FAQs

What is the meaning of phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness is individual awareness of the structure of words and individual sounds. It is one of the most important factors for reading and comprehension, and it can be a predictor of the ability to read later on in life. 

What is a good definition of phonemic awareness?

It is the ability to hear, identify, and alter sounds that make spoken words. These are also called phonemes, and they are the smallest units of sound. It also includes decoding, substituting, deleting, alliteration, changing letter sounds, and other interventions to create new words. 

What is phonological awareness in simple terms?

Being able to understand and hear speech sounds that make words, and know how to work with them in spoken language. There are several different skills that are essential for phonological awareness.