Improving the learning and teaching of early reading skills - Estyn

Improving the learning and teaching of early reading skills
June 2007
Developing phonological and phonemic awareness
49 In Welsh and English, words are made of units of sound and letters. In both
languages, letter-patterns represent these units of sound. The phonological structure
of Welsh differs in a number of ways from that of English. Although the numbers of
consonants and vowels are both slightly larger in Welsh than in English, the number
and complexity of consonant clusters (explained in the glossary) is greater in English
than in Welsh. Despite some differences in language structures, developing
phonological and phonemic awareness are necessary for learning to read in either
Welsh or English.
50 The review of literature highlights the difficulty of gaining an agreed definition of
phonological and phonemic awareness. However, in general, phonological
awareness refers to the set of skills, which enable us to analyse sounds in words we
say and hear. Phonemic awareness is usually concerned with gaining an awareness
of individual phonemes, the smallest unit of sound within words. Despite the
difficulties of definition, there is agreement about the importance of phonological and
phonemic awareness in learning to read and both aspects are important cognitive
skills underpinning literacy. Phonological and phonemic awareness are not the same
as phonics, which is concerned with the relationship between letters and sounds in
written words.
51 Pupils need to develop the ability to focus, quite deliberately, on the individual
sounds in spoken words. This analysis is an essential early reading skill and helps
developing readers make use of the alphabetic principle, which underpins the written
language systems of Welsh and English. Generally, pupils who do well in phoneme
awareness tests are at an advantage in learning to read. Research also shows that
problems encountered with word reading, as well as later literacy difficulties, can
often be because of underlying difficulties in pupils’ phonological processing ability.
52 The importance of developing pupils’ phonological and phonemic awareness is well
established. ‘Raising Standards of Literacy in Primary Schools: A framework for
Action in Wales’ refers to the value of developing these aspects and many schools
take account of this guidance. In these schools, pupils gain an explicit awareness of
the sounds in words, through experiences with word games, songs, nursery rhymes,
jingles, poetry and alliteration. These activities provide good opportunities for pupils
to reflect on words and become aware of the similarities and differences between
words and sounds. As a result, these pupils are confident in saying that two words
‘sound the same’ or rhyme. The activities also help pupils to identify syllables in
words, which is necessary for them to understand sound-structure relationships.
53 The weight of research evidence suggests that learning and teaching about
phonological and phonemic awareness are most effective when work is integrated
fully into language and literacy learning in the classroom. In particular, work should
occur in meaningful and enjoyable learning situations, which avoid dealing with these
aspects discretely.
54 A minority of schools do not give enough attention to the systematic development of
phonological and phonemic awareness. As a result, pupils often find it difficult to
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