Charting the Cs logo with black and blue text Charting the Cs Conference 2025: Cooperation Communication Collaboration To Literacy and Beyond Unlocking Literacy: Phonological Foundations for Diverse Learners April 30, 2025 Nicole Perman Speech Language Pathologist, Lake Park Audubon Schools nperman@lpa.k12.mn.us Raina Askin, Literacy Coach Lakes Country Service Cooperative raskin@lcsc.org Raina Askin •3 Time Dragon Graduate •BS in Elementary Education •Master’s in Educational Leadership •Ed Specialist Degree (Prek-12) •Former MTSS Mentor •Former Prek - 12 Principal •LETRS Facilitator, PBIS Trainer, Lindamood Bell, CAREIALL, PLC, and Trauma Informed Trained •Current COMPASS Literacy Coach for LCSC Black and white family picture of 14 people in front of a building exterior with windows. Nicole Perman •SLP with 15+ years of experience •BS in Speech Language Hearing Sciences •MS in Speech Language Pathology •Certificate of Clinical Competence ASHA •Passion for literacy •Trained in Lindamood Bell LIPS •Certified LETRS Facilitator •Current SLP in the Lake Park Audubon School District (Active member of the MTSS teams, PBIS team leader, TCIT coach ) Family photo of 5 people outdoors. By the end of the course, participants will be able to: •Define phonological skills •State the importance of phonemic awareness as a predictor of reading success •Apply and differentiate phonological instruction, strategies and experiences across ages, and needs to support phonological development •Understand the significance of assessment of phonological skill levels Building Blocks of Literacy Phonics – rules between phonemes and graphemes (letters) Phonemic/Phonological Awareness - ability to perceive and discriminate individual sounds, rhyming, blending, segmenting, and manipulating speech sounds Oral Language – spoken words to express one’s knowledge and ideas. Image: Mrs. Wordsmith Website Building Blocks of Literacy Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Fluency Phonics Phonemic Awareness Text Comprehension - ability to process text, understand meaning, & to analyze using the reader’s bkgd knowledge relies on syntax, semantics, & linguistic skills, relational reasoning. Vocabulary (semantics) – the words in a language and their meaning Reading Fluency - ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression Building Blocks of Literacy Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Fluency Phonics Phonemic Awareness PlusSpeech Sound Acquisition – students with speech sound disorders often show difficulties in phonology and morphology PlusMorphology– supports reading fluency, phonological awareness, syntax, and vocabulary acquisition Building Blocks of Literacy Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Fluency Phonics Phonemic Awareness Differences Between Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Phonological Awareness The ability to hear and manipulate larger units of sound. •syllable segmentation •onset rime •alliteration •rhyming Phonemic Awareness The ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. •phoneme blending •phoneme segmenting Segmenting & Blending proficiency is a major predictor of future reading problems. (Scarborough & Brady, 2002) Speech to Print •The two best indicators of reading success are phonemic awareness and alphabet knowledge. •The more we provide the oral language foundation, the faster the sound - letter correspondence begins to take shape.(Moats, 2000 and Moats, 2005) Image credit: https://learningbydesign.com/why-spell-links/ A diagram of a brain indicating Executive function, language, language/visual integration, visual, cerebellum, auditory, and speech areas of the brain. Definition of Literacy •Literacy encompasses the knowledge and skills students need to access, understand, analyze, and evaluate information, make meaning, express thoughts and emotions, present ideas, and opinions, interact with others and participate in activities at school and in their lives beyond school (Ewing, 2016). •The word literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, speak and listen in a way that lets us communicate effectively and make sense of the world. (National Literacy Trust: literacytrust.org.uk/ ) Scarborough’s Reading Rope Scarborough’s Reading Rope (view larger image) Scarborough's Reading Rope Language Comprehension Strand: Background Knowledge Vocabulary Language Structures Verbal Reasoning Literacy Knowledge Word Recognition Strand: Phonological Awareness Decoding Sight Recognition Reflection on Brain Science and Learning Theory What is something that squares with your thinking? What is still circling in your head? Square (3 Dimensional) Circle with arrows image Dyslexia & Specific Learning Disabilities Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (Lyon, Shaywitz , & Shaywitz , 2003, p. 1); https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/ Categories of Developmental Reading Difficulties •Phonological •Orthographic •Comprehension Carol Tolman’s Hourglass Carol Tolman’s Hourglass (view larger image) Keys ★Phonological Awareness ★Phonemic Awareness at Increasingly Complex Levels. ★1:1 Correspondence Shifts Strategies Used ★Vocabulary & Context Throughout Carol Tolman's Hourglass Phonological Awareness: Early- syllables, alliteration, onset rime Basic - phoneme blending, phoneme segmenting Advanced - phoneme deletion, substitution, reversal 1:1 connect letters and sounds Orthography graphemes diagraphs trigraphs vowel teams blends families syllables morphemes etymology Typical Progression (Source: “Keys to Literacy”) Typical Progression (view larger image) Typical Progression of Phonological Skills Early: rhyming, alliteration, first sound Basic: blending, segmenting Advanced: phonemic proficiency including manipulation Word Reading Progression: Early: Requires simple phonology to learn sounds that correspond to letters Basic: Requires letter sound knowledge and blending; a gateway to orthographic mapping Advanced: requires letter-sound skills and advanced phonemic awareness Phonological Instructional Tools and Techniques 1.Early Oral Language Skills oListening & Speaking 2.Basic oRhyming & Syllable Detection oPhoneme Isolation, Blending and Segmenting 3.Advanced oManipulation, Deletion, and Substitution www.teachphonics.co.uk Oral Language Development Chart with stages 1-7 Expressive (Speaking) Oral Language Expressive & Receptive (Listening) Keys Samples of Expressive Oral Language Audio link to 8 Year Old (going into 3rd grade) - Dash Audio link to 9 Year Old (going into 4th grade) - Averi Venn diagram including form, use, and content circles. Oral Language Development Tools Turn & Talk What is expressive language? Application tools: •Modeling & Expanding (grammar, vocabulary, syntax, context) •Imitate (grammar, vocabulary, sound production) •Conversational Turns •Engage in open-ended conversations (tell me…) •Expand/teach vocabulary •Encourage imaginative play •Provide commentary throughout the day Early Listening Skills and Rhyming Early Listening Skills (view larger image) Create a Phonological Rich Environment •Songs and Singing •Nursery Rhymes, Rhyming Sorts, Sentence Completion, I Spy Rhyme o3 things:name3 things rhyme •Read Alouds oChoose books that emphasize rhyme, rhythm, and repetition •Practice Following 1-2 Step Oral Directions 5 Strategies to Improve Your Child's Listening Skills (Source: One World International School) 5 Strategies to Improve Your Child's Listening Skills (Source: One World International School) Create a Phonological Rich Environment •Poetry •Listen for the Sound •Alliteration Games •Instrument play (ID sounds) •Understand Basic Concepts •Identification of body parts, parts of room, etc. Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection ●Ways for Syllable Detection What is a syllable? (Definition from thriveedservices.com) Understanding Phonemes Understanding Phonemes (view larger image) What is a phoneme? graphic Phoneme Isolation •Teach isolated speech sounds using articulatory features •continuant/stop, noisy/quiet, front/back oContinuant= s, f, sh, z, v, th oStop= t, d, b, p, k, g oNoisy (voiced)= b, d, g, v, z, vowels oQuiet (unvoiced)= p, t, k, f, s, sh oFront = p, b, d, t, s, z, f oBack = k, g, h Source: Pro-Ed Lips Mouth Cards LIPS Mouth Cards How familiar are you with the categories of phonemes that we just practiced? Emoji of Concern Heart Eyes Emoji Understanding Consonant Production Bilabial Labiodental Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Manner - + - + - + - + - + - + - + Stop /p/ /b/ /t/ /d/ /k/ /g/ Fricative /f/ /v/ /th/ /th/ /s/ /z/ /sh/ /zh/ /h/ Affricate /ch/ /j/ Nasal /m/ /n/ /ng/ Liquid /l/ /r/ Glide /wh/ /w/ /y/ Understanding Vowel Formation *Chin Placement* *Mouth Formation* Let’s Practice together! Source: Flipping Pages Book Club Blogspot Vowel Circle graphic Phoneme Isolation Activities •I spy something that begins with ‘ ffff ’ •Treasure hunt– find me something that begins with mmmmm •10 things—name 10 things that start with ‘b’ •Identifying the sound heard in beginning, middle, end of CVC words •Fill in the missing phoneme •Visual Phonics Source: Libby Klinner Teaching & Make, Take, and Teach Blog Initial Sound Activity Isolating Sounds Activities Segmenting and Blending Blending is the ability to combine individual sounds, phonemes, to make a word. An example of blending is saying the individual sounds /c/ /r/ /a/ /b/ followed by the ability to say those sounds together as a whole word, crab. Segmenting is the ability to hear a whole word and isolate each sound, phoneme, individually. An example of segmenting is saying the word sledge and then isolating each sound /s/ /l/ /e/ /j/. Phoneme Blending and Segmenting Word Chain Practice! Skill Progression oCV/VC (at/be) oCVC (cat) oCCV/VCC (ble/aft) oCCVC/CVCC (snip/best) oCCVCC (troops) Games/Strategies Blending (individual phonemes) •Robot Talk, Songs & Cheers •Mystery Word •Blending Slide •Spider Web (yarn w/letters) •Tap/Map/Zap Segmenting (Whole to individual) •Build a word (identify phonemes) •Picture Cards More Phoneme Blending & Segmenting Activities ●Use of colored squares, chips, tiles, mouth pictures and eventually letters to blend and segment sounds ○Sound Train: use toys or cards to represent sounds. ○Say the sounds slowly and move the car across ○Stretch and Slide: stretch out the sounds using hand motions, then slide hands together to blend ●Elkonin Boxes: Use boxes to represent sounds ○Slide counters or tokens into each box as you blend sounds to form a word. Source: maketaketeach.com Blending and Segmenting Activities Advanced: Manipulation, Deletion, Substitution •Use of colored squares, chips, tiles, mouth pictures and eventually letters to blend and segment sounds •Kilpatrick Word Drills Examples: ▪“Say tub, now say tub but change the /t/ to a /l/, Lub” ▪“Say ran, now say ran but change the /a/ to an /u/, Run” ▪“Say crash, now say crash without the /r/, Cash” Kilpatrick's Equipped for Reading Success Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculums Multi - Tiered Systems of Supportive Inclusive of All Multi-Tiered Systems of Supportive Inclusive of All (view larger image) MTSS Inclusive of All Graphic MTSS Identification and Response ‘Cycle’ (Illuminate Education) MTSS Identification and Response ‘Cycle’ (view larger image) MTSS ID Response Cycle: Universal Screening (Identify students at risk) Skill Analysis/Diagnostics (Pinpoint exact area of need) Intervention (Aligned to need as identified by data.) Progress Monitoring (Track whether intervention is working.) Evaluate (Adjust, continue or fade out.) Evaluation and Assessment Standardized & Normed Evaluation Examples (Compares student performance) -Phonological Awareness Test (PAT - 2) -Test of Phonological Awareness (TOPA) -Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test (LAC - 3)* Formative Assessment Examples (Gather Evidence of Student Learning) -Kilpatrick’s PAST (Diagnostic) -Heggerty Assessment (Curriculum Based Measure) -FASTBridge and Acadience Reading (Screening & Progress Monitoring) Lingering Questions and Thoughts? Thank you for the opportunity to learn together! Resources Pillars of Reading : Dr. David Kilpatrick on Phonemic Awareness (Video) Tools4Reading at 95percentgroup.com/tools-4-reading/ Dr. Mary Dahlgren “Sound Walls and Phonemes” Video Reading Rockets at readingrockets.org Reading Universe at readinguniverse.org dese : Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Charting the Cs logo with black and blue text Thank you! Nicole Perman, nperman@lpa.k12.mn.us Raina Askin, rainaaskin@gmail.com