Learn about phonological awareness, the ability to hear and manipulate units of sound within words. Then discover strategies to help students develop phonological awareness skills—with 10 free rhyming books for read-aloud experiences at school and at home!
What Is Phonological Awareness and Why Is It Important?
Phonological awareness skills help students break the “reading code.”
To decode words, students must be able to hear and manipulate sounds within words so they can connect those sounds with the letters that represent them. Students need explicit, systematic phonological awareness instruction to do this.
“Because oral language is experienced as a continuous stream of speech, breaking it into smaller units of sound is not intuitive—these skills must be taught explicitly,” said Julie Christensen, M. Ed., in a Waterford webinar on phonological awareness.
Scarborough’s Reading Rope identifies phonological awareness as an essential subskill that contributes to proficient word recognition skills and reading success.
The opposite is also true.
A lack of phonological awareness skills can lead to reading difficulties. Many older students who struggle with reading do not have foundational phonological awareness skills.
Breaking the Reading Code
Phonological awareness skills, when put together with phonics skills, help students break the reading code to decode words.
With plenty of practice decoding words by linking letters and sounds, students build a large bank of words that they recognize automatically. This large bank of sight words makes fluent reading possible.
Fluent reading supports comprehension by allowing students to focus their attention on the meaning of what they read rather than using their cognitive energy to decode many of the words. These are the puzzle pieces of reading. Phonological awareness is key.
👂 Phonological Awareness Activity Ideas for Elementary Students
But what does phonological awareness instruction look like?
Rhyming wordplay in books, songs, and games, is one of the most engaging and effective ways to practice phonological awareness skills in class.
- Teachers will help students identify rhyming pairs. “Listen. Cat, hat. Do they rhyme? What about these words? Cat, pan.”
- Students can be asked to produce rhyming words. “What rhymes with cat?”
- Or as a quick phonological awareness check, teachers may share a list of words and ask their students to find the one that does not rhyme with the others, such as, “cat, sat, map, rat.”
Teachers can also help students segment words into syllables.
- Through syllable-splitting activities, students can concentrate on the sounds in different words by hearing each syllable spoken aloud.
- Teachers may guide their students in breaking words down by saying, “after, af – ter.”
- They might ask students to clap their hands as they say each syllable or to hold their hand against their chin to feel their chin move with each syllable.
To meet the differing needs of their students, you may see teachers delivering phonological awareness instruction in small groups.
📚 10 Free Rhyming Books to Teach Phonological Awareness Skills
Rhyming books and games are simple ways to help children practice phonological awareness skills. Share these ten free rhyming books with teachers for engaging read-aloud experiences.
Each one is available to download in English and Spanish and can also be shared with families for developing phonological awareness at home. Families can also use this phonological awareness sheet for learning.
1. The Apple Tree (El Árbol de Manzanas): What does this farmer spy growing from the tree? Two delicious apples to enjoy!
2. Ox Kissing a Fox (El buey dándole un beso a la zorra): Sing along to the classic nursery rhyme “Down By the Bay” while practicing different letter sounds.
3. Little Rabbit (El pequeño conejo): Little Rabbit is hungry! Learn what kinds of delicious veggies this rabbit likes to eat.
4. Quack, Quack, Quack (Cua, Cua, Cua): These little ducks are as adorable and unique as the feathers on their backs. Count the ducks, then have fun singing along to this popular nursery rhyme.
5. The Itsy Bitsy Spider (Pequeña Arañita): Your students likely already know and love this nursery rhyme! Sing along together to practice rhyming words with your class.
6. One Elephant Went Out to Play (Un elefante salió a juga): This elephant is having a wonderful day outdoors! Can having a friend join in on the fun make it even better?
7. This Little Pig (Este Cochinito): Five little pigs are spending their day in different ways. Can your students guess what they will be doing?
8. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (Destella, destella pequeña estrella): Isn’t the night sky beautiful? Sing this nursery rhyme along with this printable book, then see if your students can pair the words that rhyme.
9. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe (Uno, dos, amarra mi zapato): Early elementary students can practice counting and rhyming with this engaging picture book.
10. Mary Had a Little Lamb (Mary Tenía un Borreguito): Mary and her little lamb are inseparable. But what happens when it’s time for Mary to go to school?
Explore Science of Reading Resources for Educators
Read Waterford’s Science of Reading article series to learn about research-based instructional strategies for creating classroom lesson plans. Get started with:
- Phonics and Decoding for Elementary Students
- Understanding and Teaching Reading Fluency
- Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension
Find on-demand video series led by early education experts through Waterford’s Science of Reading Webinar Library, featuring topics chosen with educators in mind like:
- An Overview of the Science of Reading: From Research to Instruction
- Phonological Awareness: The Structure of Spoken Language
- Professional Learning: Teaching the Science of Reading
- And more!
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