Lisa Peters
Name
Building a Solid Foundation With Phonological Awareness & Letters (Pre-K)
Session Type
Workshop
Track
Pre-K / TK Experience
Description

In this session, we will explore the essential components of phonological awareness and letter knowledge, two critical skills that intersect to enable a child to effectively read and write. Together, we’ll focus on paving the path for these foundational skills through a deep dive into:

  • Letter Sound Articulation: Understanding how to accurately pronounce and effectively teach letter sounds.
  • Iconicity: Discovering how letters and sounds connect to meaningful concepts, enhancing comprehension and retention.
  • Movement: Integrating physical activity to strengthen memory and support multisensory learning.

We’ll also break down the various levels of phonological awareness, providing you with a clear, step-by-step strategy to help children develop these skills. By the end of the session, you’ll leave with a practical plan and the confidence to teach phonological awareness and letter knowledge effectively, setting your students up for lifelong literacy success.

Common Core Standards
PreK: Emerging Literacy

Reading Domain B: Phonological Awareness
Word and Sentence Awareness: Identifies individual words in spoken sentences.
Compound Words: Combines, manipulates, and deletes compound words, often with pictorial or gestural support.
Syllable Awareness: Blends and segments syllables, including in multisyllabic words.
Rhyming and Alliteration: Recognizes and identifies rhyming and alliterative words, sometimes with pictorial support.
Onset and Rime: Blends and segments familiar one-syllable words into onset (initial sound) and rime (rest of the word), with or without support.

Reading Domain C: Alphabet Knowledge
Letter-Sound Correspondence: Recognizes and produces at least 20 distinct letter-sound correspondences.
Session Research
Foorman, B. (2016). Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten through 3rd Grade.

Honig, B, Diamond,L & Gutlohn, L. (2018). Teaching Reading Sourcebook.

Blevins, W. (2024). Differentiating Phonics for Maximum Impact.

Burkins, J & Yates, K. (2021). Shifting the Balance.