COR - The Componentes of Reading - Part 2 - Phonological Awareness

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS

Continuing our series on COR Instruction - The Components of Reading and Writing, this month's topic is Phonological Awareness. To see last month's post on DECODING, go HERE.

The ability to recognize and manipulate rhymes, syllables, and phonemes is a foundational skill of reading. Phonological awareness skills are so crucial to reading that they can be used in preschool and kindergarten to predict later reading ability (Paulson, 2018). Phonemes are the speech sounds (consonants and vowels) that distinguish one word from another (ie., pit vs. pat). They may be represented by one or more letters (ie., phone vs. fun). There are many products designed to work on phonological and phonemic awareness, but they rarely connect to a meaningful context.

Phonological Awareness Activities based on the HOT ROD series of decodable books were designed to use the same words found in the stories. The activity below is from the Gods and Gifts Activity Book based on Gods and Gifts: Three Greek Myths Retold. "No Gift for Man" is the first story of the Greek creation myth in that book.

Find information about the Gods and Gifts Activity Book HERE.

FREE ACTIVITY - Rhyme Time

This activity uses rhyme and alliteration to work on phonological awareness skills. The Gods and Gifts Activity Book includes six different Rhyme Time Activities.  The complete downloadable PDF for this activity may be found HERE. 

Rhyme Time explores one way that book content can be incorporated into phonological awareness activities. The educator creates a list of target words from the story in the left column. In the right column, list words that either rhyme with the target word or start with the same sound. Students then circle words from the story that rhyme and underline alliterations (words that start with the same sound). They then create a sentence that uses alliteration, which helps them understand and use literary devices. Additionally, switching between these three tasks requires students to use cognitive flexibility at both the letter-sound and meaning levels. We will have a deeper conversation about Cognitive Flexibility next month, so stay tuned.

You can use any decodable book or even a traditional storybook in a similar way by making lists of target words from the book and then finding words that rhyme.

ADDITIONAL FREEBIES

Two additional free phonological awareness activities, including applications for speech-language pathologists, will be available in my April 18th, 2025 newsletter for subscribers. You may sign up for my newsletter HERE. 

COR - The Components of Reading - Part 1 (Decoding)

Many different skills or Components of Reading and Writing (COR) are needed for students to become proficient readers and writers. In celebration of the recent release of my new resource, The Raven Remix Activity Book, I will explore a different component each month and share a free activity from one of my activity books to demonstrate how you can support student reading and writing. The bicycle diagram above shows how a wide range of skills can be addressed by starting with a book and using that context to improve content knowledge while simultaneously addressing literacy subskills.

This month my focus is decoding. If you have been following my blog or reading my newsletters, you know about my series of decodable books - HOT ROD (Higher Order Thinking through the Reading of Decodables) for grades 4-8. The Scope and Sequence most closely aligns with the Sounds-In-Syllables program which is based on the Science of Reading. The Scope and Sequence may be found on the Resource Menu on the Website. The chapter book Hank the Tank: Animal in the Spotlight may be accessed for free if you have a membership to Kindle Unlimited.

What you may not know is that each decodable chapter book also has a companion activity book to explore all of the components of reading typically addressed in a Structured Literacy Lesson such as flashcards for word reading practice, sentence reading, dictation, phonological awareness activities, vocabulary, and morphology with games and activities to support each area. In addition, therapists, tutors, classroom teachers, and parent educators can explore additional activities for sentence structure, paragraph writing, essay writing, creative writing, and more.

DECODING 

Most regular English words are based on six main syllable types. When students learn these syllable types and become proficient at breaking words down into manageable units, they are better equipped to tackle longer words. Level 3 of the HOT ROD series covers four syllable types: open, closed, consonant-le syllables, and the vowel teams, ee, and oo. What makes a book decodable is when stories include only the syllable types a student has previously been taught.  The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles focuses on two-syllable words. The examples below of Open and Closed syllables emphasize those patterns in the first syllable of the word. Final consonant-Le is a pattern found at the end of words. 

Open Syllables - A vowel makes its open or long sound when nothing comes after the vowel in that syllable. (examples: silent, spiral, request, relax, broken, ladle, table, maple)

Closed Syllables - A vowel makes its closed or short sound when it is followed by a consonant. (examples: sudden, simple, socket, skillet, splendid, reddish, riddle, little, middle). In the first 6 words, the second syllable is also a closed syllable.

Consonant -le - This final stable syllable is found at the end of words (examples: ladle, table, maple, riddle, pickle, puzzle, riddle, kettle)

Vowel Teams - When two or more letters work together to make one vowel sound, it is a vowel team. There are several. Only oo and ee are used in Level 3. (examples: sleeping, creeping, greeted, book, wooden).

The Raven Remix Activity Book provides numerous ways to practice these words to prepare students to read them in the story found in The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles. 

FREE ACTIVITY

The Long Vowel Word and Sentence Deck is a free Digital Resource at Boom (TM) Learning. You will need a free Boom account to use this activity. 

This deck includes a keyword and sound card for each long vowel along with words and sentences that may used for both reading and spelling practice. For dictation, read the content of each card to the student and instruct them to write the sentence.  

ADDITIONAL FREEBIES

Two additional free decoding activities, including Four-In-A-Row Gameboard for Final Consonant-le and Articulation Flashcards for Speech-Language Pathologists, will be available in my March 28th newsletter for subscribers. You may sign up for my newsletter HERE. 

COMING UP

To become proficient decoders, students need to practice distinguishing between the different graphemes (letters) and the phonemes (sounds) those letters represent. Next month we will discuss Phonological Awareness. English is a morphophonemic language. That means that in addition to understanding phonemes, students need to understand how morphology impacts both meaning and word pronunciation. Watch for that topic coming soon!

The Raven Remix Activity Book is a companion resource for The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles from the HOT ROD Series of Decodable Books Level 3. Access to downloadable PDFs and online games explore over 50+ activities supporting decoding practice, reading comprehension, writing, and speech-language development. It is available on Amazon. 

Sign up HERE for the Carolee Dean, Author newsletter and receive a FREE digital copy of my book, No Gift for Man. You will also receive monthly updates, book news, and FREEBIES.

Twelve Writing Prompts - One for Everyone Month

Start the new year right with Twelve Different Writing Prompts - One for Every Month by revisiting my 2024 Year of AWE - Authentic Writing Experiences below. SIGN UP for my newsletter for new resources coming all through 2025 that will be based on my HOT ROD Activity Books.

January - Explore how to turn thank-you notes into a powerful literacy experience. Find highlights in the January Blog.

February - Read about an Edgar Allan Poe Valentine Scandal and get tips for creating acrostic poems. Find highlights HERE.

March - Get ideas for using food and recipe writing to celebrate culture. Students learn how to write step-by-step directions for a practical and fun purpose. Find highlights HERE.

April - Download the FREE poetry writing PDF Activity called Pandora's Lunch Box. Learn how to write List Poems HERE.

May - Explore using summer vacation themes to research topics and create information posters HERE.

June - Create a Nature Journal and encourage students write down their observations about the natural world HERE. 

July - Stimulate the imagination of young people by exploring inventions at your local fair. If you don't have the opportunity to go to a real fair, read the book, Mr. Ferris and His Wheel. Read more HERE.

August - Read a book and write a letter to the author. Discover tips for connecting with authors and for writing multi-paragraph letters HERE.

September - Plan a day at the museum and discover tips for using photographs and captions to summarize the experience HERE.

October - In celebration of the release of my new book, The Raven Remix: A Mashup of Poe Titles, this month's Authentic Writing Experience is about Scary Stories. Find it HERE.

November -in addition to being a famous poet and short story writer, Poe was also a magazine editor and literary critic. Visit my BLOG for details about Poe's other career and to discover tips for helping students write book reviews.

December - Learn how to write song spoofs HERE by enjoying this Edgar Allan Poe inspired rendition of "Jingle Bells."

Sign up HERE for the Carolee Dean, Author newsletter and receive a FREE digital copy of my book, No Gift for Man. You will also receive monthly updates, book news, and FREEBIES