Standard 2: Reading Foundations

Students will develop foundational skills for future reading success by working with sounds, letters, and text.

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize, think about, and manipulate sounds in spoken language without using text. 

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

Students at this level require guidance and support during instructional opportunities for this objective.

• Students will recognize that a sentence is made up of separate words by repeating words in a given sentence, pausing between each word, and using actions or manipulatives to represent words.

Students at this level require guidance and support during instructional opportunities for this objective.

• Teachers speak or read aloud sentences purposefully pausing between words.

• Teachers model using manipulatives or actions to represent words in a sentence.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to practice using manipulatives or actions to represent words in a sentence.

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to repeat words in a sentence.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for students to receive feedback when distinguishing spoken words in a sentence.

Supporting Resources

Teacher Insights 

ABCs of Phonemic Awareness (webpage)

Florida Center for Reading Research:  Pre-K Activities (webpage)

Florida Center for Reading Research:  Sentence Segmentation (PDF) 

Developing Concept of Word (PDF)

• The skill of distinguishing spoken words is a new concept for many Pre-K students. Exposure during this time can be provided in engaging and kinesthetic (movement) opportunities for students. Students need intentional guidance and support at this stage.

• Distinguishing spoken words is the prerequisite skill for understanding concept of words, which is the ability of a reader to match spoken words to written words while reading. Students with a concept of words understand that each word is separate and that words are separated by spaces within each sentence.  The skill of distinguishing spoken words begins to develop through oral instruction.  

• This objective is intended for students to distinguish at the spoken word level, not in written text.

• Begin with single syllable words so that students do not confuse words with syllables

Due to the recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.