"The two best predictors of early reading success are alphabet recognition and phonemic awareness."- Marilyn Jager Adams

There is a lot to digest in terms of the jargon and objectives that little ones need to become reading ready.

For many of us teachers, we have been taught in the university, read professional books, and participated in these pre-reading activities. We know what phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, and phonics is...but for many parents and some homeschooling teachers....it all sounds so similar and confusing.

I have to admit, for me I need a visual representation AND examples to help me digest it all too! So these visual images, will do just that. They will help clarify these big and important words that your teachers, tutors, or dyslexia therapists may use to assist your child in the reading process.

Today we begin with phonological awareness. It's the BIG umbrella term for the elements you see written below it. These are skills that focus on the sound in our spoken language, not the print just yet. These are skills that through singing rhyming songs, clapping out syllables, focusing on individual sounds within words, helps set the stage for your child or students. When working with my six year old students in dyslexia therapy, there is a great focus on this.

I hope this can give you a better idea of what phonological awareness is. Phonemic awareness is a part of phonological awareness and these slides will explicitly explain the various phonemic awareness skills children need to become great readers.

These activities are something you can do each day to assist your child. Hope this can provide clarity for the terminology you hear surrounding early reading.