Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks of Reading Instruction provides a framework for using the findings of the National Reading Panel (NRP) in the classroom. It describes the NRP’s findings and provides analysis and discussion in five areas of a balanced reading program: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. For this task you will focus on the first two sections included in the NRP publication (see Web link below): phonemic awareness and phonics instruction (pp. 1–21).
Task:
Write a brief essay (suggested length of 3 pages) in which you do the following:
A. Summarize each of the 12 key concepts listed below from the NRP’s report concerning phonemic awareness and phonics instruction as part of a balanced reading program.
Phonemic Awareness
1. Phonemic awareness can be taught and learned.
2. Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to read.
3. Phonemic awareness instruction helps children learn to spell.
4. Phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when children are taught to manipulate phonemes by using the letters of the alphabet.
5. Phonemic awareness instruction is most effective when it focuses on only one or two types of phoneme manipulation, rather than several types.
Phonics Instruction
6. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is more effective than nonsystematic or no phonics instruction.
7. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves kindergarten and first-grade children’s word recognition and spelling.
8. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves children’s reading comprehension.
9. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is effective for children from various social and economic levels.
10. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is particularly beneficial for children who are having difficulty learning to read and who are at risk for developing future reading problems.
11. Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is most effective when introduced early.
12. Phonics instruction is not an entire reading program for beginning readers.
B. Discuss how phonemic awareness and phonics instruction support a balanced reading program. Relate phonemic awareness and phonics instruction to each part of a balanced reading program.
http://www.nifl.gov/publications/pdf/PRFbooklet.pdf#xml=http://search.nifl.gov/texis/search/pdfhi.txt?query=phonemic+awareness&pr=nifl.gov&prox=page&rorder=500&rprox=500&rdfreq=500&rwfreq=500&rlead=50
