Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
1. Is there a reason for the order in which letters are introduced?
Yes. Meet the Superkids and Superkids' Club teach children to write each letter along with learning its name and the sound it stands for. Letters are therefore taught in an order based on similarity in shape. For example, the first six letters taught all have a circular formation and the next six are formed with straight lines. Teaching letters in this order makes it easier for children to learn how to form the letters and gives them kinesthetic reinforcement for each letter's shape.
2. Why is it important for children to develop the decoding habit?
The program teaches children to rely on decoding because decoding is the most reliable process for unlocking the written word. Children are taught to figure out and then blend the sounds of letters as the letters appear in words from left to right. This gives them a strategy for reading unknown words, so they don't have to guess. By applying the simple decoding equation, children can read hundreds of words by the end of the first Superkids level and, by the end of the program, can decode almost any word in the English language.
3. How important is it for children to practice blending letter-sounds?
Blending sounds smoothly is one of the most important skills that children must master in learning to read. Beginning with Unit 6 (S) in Meet the Superkids, children should practice blending for at least 10 minutes every day in addition to the practice they get during lessons. Refer to the Quick Guide to Blending and the Big Book of Blending for lists of words and activities to use for this additional blending practice.
4. Why is only one sound introduced for each letter?
Teaching only one sound for each letter removes the element of guessing and allows children to develop strong word attack and blending skills. For example, if children learn two sounds for the letter c (/k/ and /s/), then they must guess which option is correct when reading a word such as cat. By expecting children to remember only one sound for each letter and to decode only words with those letters and sounds, the program builds children's confidence and self-sufficiency as readers.
5. Why does Meet the Superkids teach only the short sounds of vowels?
Words with short vowels are easier for beginning readers to decode because only one letter stands for the vowel sound. Short-vowel words can be decoded by starting with the first letters and blending the sounds in sequence. Children have to use more complex rules to read words with long-vowel sounds. For example, to read the word note, children must notice the word ends in e and know that the e is silent and the o is long. The program teaches long vowels and vowel variants beginning in Level 3, after children have developed strong decoding skills with short-vowel words.
6. What should I do if children already know other sounds for a letter?
Let children know that some letters stand for more than one sound, but, for now, they need to remember only one sound for each letter. Explain that in time they will learn all the letters and all their different sounds.
7. Does it matter if I introduce other sounds for the letters?
Yes, this causes problems for new readers. If you introduce other sounds, children will have phonetic options to choose from when decoding words. Dealing with these options can confuse beginning readers and prevent them from developing confidence in their decoding skills and automaticity as they blend.
8. Why are final and medial sounds introduced early in the program?
Children are taught that each letter stands for a unique sound, regardless of where it appears in a word. Understanding this concept enables children to read words by starting at the left and blending letter sounds in sequence.
9.Why aren't consonant blends taught?
The program teaches children to read words by blending sounds in sequence from left to right. Once children have learned the sounds of individual consonants, they blend two consonants together just as they blend all the sounds of the word in sequence. It would be wasted effort to teach blends, such as sl or gr, as units, rather than simply two letter-sounds to blend together. Note, however, that consonant digraphs, such as sh and ch, do represent sounds that are different from blending the two letter-sounds together. Digraphs are taught in Level 3.
10. Does the program teach sight words from the Dolch Basic Word list?
Yes. In Level 1, children learn how to decode and encode 21 high-frequency words from the Dolch list. In addition, the words a, I, and the from the Dolch list are taught as Memory Words—words that are memorized because they are not decodable. Children continue to read and spell other Dolch words in the next levels. By the end of Level 4, children can read and spell all 220 words on the Dolch list.
11. Is it okay to introduce more sight words than are taught in this level?
No. If children are overloaded too soon with nondecodable sight words, they will not rely upon their decoding ability. Developing the habit of decoding is so critical for children's continuing success as readers that it is important not to undermine it.
12. How can I assess children’s phonemic awareness and phonics skills?
Use the phonemic awareness and blending activities in the Daily Routines to informally assess children’s skills. By doing the routines daily, you will be able to observe whether children are mastering the new letter-sound and retaining the other letter-sounds they've been taught. Use the Progress Tests to formally assess skills after designated units.
13. How many words are children able to read at the end of kindergarten?
In the Superkids' Club Student Books, children read 350 words, but are able to decode many, many more using the letter-sounds they have mastered.
