Phonological awareness are, “skills that include recognizing and cognitively manipulating units of oral language such as word, syllabes, onsets and rimes.” (Erickson & Koppenhaver, 2020) This also includes rhymes and alliteration. When focusing on emergent literacy, our focus is often on shallow vs. deep phonological awareness skills. Deep phono- logical awareness skills examine the ability to recognize and manipulate the smallest units of spoken language, which are speech sounds (e.g. decoding and spelling), while shallow skills focus on greater units (e.g. words, syllables, onset, rimes). For the purposes of this article, we are focusing on shallow skills (Schuele & Boudreau, 2008). GETTING STARTED Learning environments are active, busy and curious. In order for embedded instruction to occur naturally throughout your setting, educators should consider the following: Purpose- Remember why your learner(s) need alphabet knowledge or phonological awareness instruction embedded into their day. Many learners need ample opportunities to work on targeted skills outside of the blocked, explicit instruction period. Emergent literacy learners need repetition, authentic learning experiences and access to literacy across environ- ments. Without purpose, we have no direction for what we do. Plan- Outline how you will embed alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness into your daily instructions and routines. Identify learner strengths and consider areas to strengthen. Use your trusted planning tool or lesson template and plan for embedded instruction to occur. We know there are many opportunities for impromptu and “on the spot” teaching to occur, however, we suggest you identify set times within a lesson, during the day or week when you can plan for embedded alphabet and phonological awareness instruc- tion. This will also help other staff understand when instruc- tion will occur. Working with other educators and related services? Co-plan with members of your team to maximize time, resources and targeted areas of need. This could look like weekly co-planning time between the teacher and speech-language pathologist (SLP) to identify letters and letter sounds to embed into instruction and therapy. Both educators can work on specific letters (teacher) and letter- sounds (SLP) that a learner may struggle with. Both educators then plan for embedded opportunities to target these skills to increase exposure in various contexts and purposes. During the planning process, you might identify instances in which multiple strategies would be appropriate for a learner. For instance, during a shared reading activity, you might iden- tify several examples of the letter of the day being used within the text. Examples of embedded instruction could include
pointing to the targeted letter within the text, counting the syllables within target words, or counting the number of words within a sentence. Despite the differences in overall focus, we often find in literacy instruction that our work does not exist in a silo. There is a high level of overlap between skill sets and instructional strategies that are used to develop literacy skills. Prepare- Consider what materials and tools you will need. Individualize learner materials to provide alternative access, communication and positioning needs. Materials with high durability will provide for long lasting use. You want to spend less time creating materials and more time using them! Consider materials that can be used in a variety of settings and with multiple learners. Many settings have paraprofessional staff who can help with preparing materials. You can also look for help from parent volunteers or individuals looking to fulfill service hours. Learners can also be part of the process; this allows for learners to understand the purpose of the materials and tools if they are part of the development, creation and organization. Learners can then customize materials to increase engagement and excitement for their use!
Alphabet materials on learner desk.
Placement- Identify where you will store your materials that you have prepared. We recommend having quick and easy access to your prepared materials. Storage options can vary and having your tools ready increases the likelihood of others using them on a consistent basis. This can include physical items such as clear bins, rolling carts, command hooks, pocket charts, desk storage, clear page protector, whiteboards and much more. Place materials in locations where embedded instruction would occur naturally! You should also consider placement of digital materials. This can include shared Google drives, Jamboard, Book Creator and other technology-based resources.
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