Phonemic Awareness: An Introduction Phonemic Awareness What is it?:  Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. What is it not?:  Phonemic awareness is not phonics.  Phonics refers to how letters and sounds correspond and how we decode those words. Why is it important?:  Phonemic awareness is important for students to understand phonics.  Phonemic awareness helps kids make the leap from sounds →  letters → decoding. A student’s ability to manipulate individual sounds in words is a strong predictor of later reading success.  Phonemic awareness also aids in vocabulary and fluency.  The National Reading Panel found that “students who had a solid foundation in phonemic awareness had improved ability to read and spell in the long run.” The Scoop: Isolation Blending Segmenting Manipulation (adding, deleting, and substituting phonemes) There are four main categories of phonemic awareness: Full Show Notes Here Additional Resources & References: Resources:  Phonemic Awareness Bundle Phoneme Grapheme Mapping Literacy Center Phonemic Awareness Bundle References: What Does Phonemic Awareness Mean? Making the Most of Phonemic Awareness My Top 5 Phonemic Awareness Activities **Did you miss signing up for my podcast email sequence?  When you opt-in, you get an email each day a podcast is released, plus a portion of an intervention e-book that corresponds to and compliments each podcast’s subject.**