Keys for the Teacher
This strategy gives students a tool to use to stretch words apart into smaller components and then recombine them into words. This is accomplished orally first; then sounds are matched to letters within words. For many children, this is a complicated process that requires repeated practice.

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“Reading and phonemic awareness are mutually reinforcing: Phonemic awareness is necessary for reading, and reading, in turn, improves phonemic awareness still further.” (Shaywitz, 2003).

 

Keys for the Children
Good readers stretch a word apart by saying each letter sound, one by one. Next, blend or push the sounds together and say the whole word.