Review of Phonological Awareness Is Child's Play

Yopp, H. K., & Yopp, R. H. (2009). Phonological Awareness Is Child's Play. Retrieved   March 10, 2018.

Main Point Addressed:

Phonological awareness is everywhere, and can be recognized in children who are as young as age 4. It is defined as a broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language. It specifically means to focus on phonemes, or individual sounds. Without the base for understanding of what phonological awareness is, every part of the child’s language, speech and reading will slow the developmental process. Phonological awareness is needed in the reading process.

Salient Ideas Gleaned from Article:

·      Phonological awareness is sensitivity to the sound structure of language.

·      It is focusing more on the sound of a word, not the meaning.

·      Children who can detect and manipulate sounds in speech are phonologically aware.

·      There is said to be “two dimensions” of phonological awareness.

·      One being the type of manipulation

·      Two being the size of the sound being manipulated.

·      Syllable awareness is the ability to discern syllables

·      Onset and rimes is smaller units within syllables

·      Phonemes are the individual sounds of spoken language

·      We must be able to notice and have a firm grasp of the sounds of our speech if we are to understand how to use a written system that records sounds.

·      Noticing and being able to manipulate the sounds of spoken language, phonological awareness, is highly related to later success in reading and spelling.

Reflection:  Describe the benefit(s) of the information provided in this article. Who can benefit from this information?

The benefits of this article is that it prepares teachers for what phonological awareness is, how to achieve it, and why it is so important for teachers to utilize it in order to richen the students reading process. Teachers can most definitely benefit from this article because it is a reminder of what phonological awareness is, and all the steps it takes to get there. It also includes ideas of how to use these things in the classroom. I also think it would be great for parents to read because it talks about the games in the car and involving families at home. Specifically families who speak a language other than English, this would be great for them because they can engage in language activities that manipulate the sounds of their home language.

How can the information be utilized?  Provide specific suggestions for applying the information. 

The information can be utilized in several ways. This article clearly explains why phonological awareness is important, how to use it, and then how to apply it to the classroom. Some ideas are to read aloud books that play with sound. Playing around with books that enhance sounds and use rhythm help the students get a better understanding of the sounds of language. When choosing a book, chose one that makes obvious use of sound play. You should also comment on the books language play, and read the book several times in the course of the week. Place the book where a child can easily access it for reference, build something like a model to demonstrate it, and continue to reread the book. Some other ideas to incorporate phonological awareness and reading is to share poetry that plays with sounds, share songs that play with sounds, play games that draw attention to sounds and to always try to involve the families. Home time is a great opportunity for parents to help instill the ideas and sounds while doing daily tasks.