Phonemic Awareness & Phonics

Ehri (2004) writes, "Phonemic awareness instruction teaches beginners to analyze and manipulate phonemes," which are defined as "the smallest units of sound" (p. 153). Phonics uses this awareness to build correspondence between phonemes and letters, and then begins to show students "how to use these to decode and spell words" (Ehri, 2004, p. 153). The National Reading Panel (NPR) analyzed experimental studies that met rigorous standards (including the use of a control group), trying to determine whether or not phonemic awareness tasks help students to master phonics and then whether or phonics is more effective than other methods.

This meta-analysis concluded that phonics is indeed better at teaching reading than other methods, when such instruction is begun early in the educational process. However, once students have started to learn to read using another method, such as whole language, moving to a purely phonics system is not as effective. Ehri (2004) writes, "Phonics needs to be combined with other forms of instruction to create a comprehensive reading pr

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Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)

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