LETRS Unit 2 Session 2 Check For Understanding
QUESTION:
T/F Even after first grade, skills such as phoneme segmentation and blending of single-syllable words without consonant blends are good predictors of reading ability.
ANSWER:
False.
EXPLANATION:
Phonemic awareness, including skills like phoneme segmentation and blending, is a strong predictor of early reading success, especially in kindergarten and first grade. However, as students progress beyond first grade, their reading development depends on more advanced skills such as vocabulary knowledge, comprehension, and fluency, making phonemic awareness alone less predictive.
QUESTION:
Students’ ability to acquire phonemic awareness is not dependent on which of the following factors?
a. general language development and listening abilities
b. word comprehension
c. familiarity with vocabulary used in tasks
d. the amount of practice received
ANSWER:
b. word comprehension.
Phonemic awareness focuses on manipulating sounds in words, which does not require understanding the word’s meaning. Factors such as general language abilities, familiarity with vocabulary, and practice all influence phonemic awareness development, but word comprehension is not essential for this skill to develop.
QUESTION:
Which of these tasks could a student at the early phonological awareness level perform? Select all that apply.
a. determining whether cat and kiss begin with the same sound
b. segmenting and tapping the phonemes in the word slap
c. clapping and counting the syllables in the word pencil
d. saying the word marker, then deleting the last syllable and saying it again, mark
ANSWER:
a & c determining whether cat and kiss begin with the same sound clapping and counting the syllables in the word pencil
EXPLANATION:
At the early phonological awareness level, children can recognize similar beginning sounds (onset awareness) and work with larger sound units like syllables. These tasks, such as identifying the same starting sounds and counting syllables, are typical of early sound awareness but do not require more advanced phonemic skills.
QUESTION:
Which of these tasks could a student at the basic phonemic awareness level perform? Select all that apply.
a. saying the word flame, then deleting the phoneme /l/ and saying the word without it
b. saying the compound word rainbow, then deleting the first part and saying the new word
c. determining which sound should be changed to make the word stream into scream
d. segmenting and tapping the phonemes in the word beak
ANSWER:
b& d saying the compound word rainbow, then deleting the first part and saying the new word, segmenting and tapping the phonemes in the word beak.
EXPLANATION:
At the basic phonemic awareness level, students can manipulate and segment sounds within words. They can perform tasks like splitting compound words into parts and segmenting phonemes in simple words, but more complex sound manipulation (e.g., deleting internal sounds) is reserved for higher levels of phonemic awareness.
QUESTION:
Which of these advanced phonemic awareness skills do children typically develop last?
a. the ability to delete the final sound from a word
b. the ability to substitute sounds within words of 5-6 phonemes
c. the ability to reverse the first and final sounds in a word
d. the ability to delete the initial sound from a word that begins with a blend
ANSWER:
c. the ability to reverse the first and final sounds.
EXPLANATION:
Reversing the first and last sounds of a word is a highly advanced phonemic awareness skill. It requires a deep understanding of phoneme manipulation and comes after children have mastered easier tasks, such as sound deletion or substitution. This skill reflects a sophisticated level of sound manipulation that is developed later.
QUESTION:
Even after first grade, skills such as phoneme segmentation and blending of a single-syllable words without consonant blends are good predictors of reading ability.
ANSWER:
False.
EXPLANATION:
While phoneme segmentation and blending are strong indicators of early reading ability, they become less predictive of reading performance as students move past first grade. After this stage, other factors like comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency play a more significant role in reading success.
QUESTION:
Students’ ability to acquire phonemic awareness is not dependent on which of the following factors?
ANSWER:
Word comprehension.
EXPLANATION:
Phonemic awareness is about the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words, which can be done independently of a student’s understanding of the word’s meaning. Therefore, word comprehension is not a necessary factor for developing phonemic awareness, as the focus is on sound manipulation rather than meaning.
QUESTION:
Which of these tasks could a student at the early phonological awareness level perform?
ANSWER:
“Which words begin with the same sound, cat, kiss, and map?” (Match beginning sounds) AND “Clap the syllables in the word baseball” (segment syllables).
EXPLANATION:
Early phonological awareness includes tasks that focus on broader sound units, such as matching initial sounds in words and counting syllables. These activities help students build foundational skills needed for more complex phonemic awareness tasks that come later in their development.
QUESTION:
Which of these tasks could a student typically perform by age 7?
ANSWER:
“Say mit. (mit) “Say it again without the /m/.” (It) AND “Say bike.” (Bike) “Say it again without the /k/.” (Bye) …. Deletion of initial sound and deletion of final sound.
QUESTION:
Which of these advanced, or more complex, phonemic awareness skills is the most difficult for children to master?
ANSWER:
The ability to delete the second phoneme in a CCVCC pattern.
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LETRS Unit 2, Session 2: Unlocking Phonemic Awareness — Hearing the Sounds Beneath the Words
If Unit 1 was about understanding why reading science matters, Unit 2, Session 2 is where things get real — where theory meets the messy, miraculous sounds of early reading.
It’s about listening. Not the polite kind teachers do when students answer a question, but deep listening — tuning your ear to the smallest parts of spoken language, the phonemes. Once you truly hear them, you’ll never read the same way again.
What This Session Teaches
Phonemic awareness isn’t just another literacy buzzword. It’s the foundation under every fluent reader’s success. In this session, teachers learn to:
- Recognize and isolate the individual sounds in spoken words.
- Understand how phonemic awareness supports decoding and spelling.
- Use explicit, systematic instruction to develop sound skills before and during phonics instruction.
Dr. Louisa Moats calls it “the invisible skill” — the ability to notice, think about, and manipulate sounds without seeing letters. Once that skill clicks, everything else in reading instruction makes sense.
My Classroom Reality
I’ll never forget a kindergartener named Mia who could sing, talk, and memorize whole books — but couldn’t read even simple words like cat. I used to think she just needed more sight words. But after learning about phonemic awareness, I realized she couldn’t separate the sounds in cat — /k/ /a/ /t/.
We started playing sound games. I’d say a word, she’d tap one block per sound. One morning, she looked up mid-game and whispered, “Teacher, I can hear it!” That’s the moment phonemic awareness blooms — not through worksheets, but through ears, hearts, and repetition.
Why It Matters So Much
Phonemic awareness is the predictor of reading success — stronger than IQ, vocabulary, or socioeconomic background. Yet many kids miss this foundation because teachers were never taught how to build it.
This session corrects that injustice. It gives teachers tools to awaken a part of language processing that’s been silent. By understanding how sounds form the code of reading, educators can catch struggling readers before they fail, not after.
Key Takeaways from Session 2
- Phonemic awareness is about sounds, not letters.
- Instruction should be explicit, playful, and auditory.
- Every successful decoding skill begins with hearing and segmenting sounds.
- When students can blend and segment sounds fluently, they’re ready for phonics.
LETRS doesn’t just teach teachers to teach reading — it rebuilds how we hear language.
A Personal Reflection
When I started this session, I thought phonemic awareness belonged only in kindergarten. Now I see it everywhere — in a fifth grader who reads slowly because he still guesses, in a second grader who reverses sounds in slip and spill.
Once you understand the sound structure of words, you can reach any reader, at any age. It’s not magic; it’s neuroscience mixed with empathy.
Connecting Heart and Science
Teaching phonemic awareness reminds us that reading begins long before ink meets paper. It begins in laughter, in rhymes, in songs, in the quiet moments when a teacher helps a child notice that dog and dig don’t just look different — they sound different.
That’s not just instruction. That’s love disguised as literacy.
References & Further Reading
- Moats, L. C. (2020). Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers.
- The Reading League. What Is the Science of Reading?
- Voyager Sopris Learning. LETRS Professional Learning Overview
- Reading Rockets. Phonemic Awareness and the Science of Reading
