Mod 10 Video Discussion

Phonological awareness and phonics relate to the majority of the work we do in my IND classroom because my students are in grades K–2, are currently struggling readers, and do not yet have the ability to read independently. With most of my students, our main focus is building letter–sound knowledge by consistently practicing the question, “What sound does this letter make?” Students respond using their individual mode of communication, and I support them through oral modeling and teacher demonstration, along with opportunities for students to demonstrate the skill in their own way (verbal responses, pointing, AAC, or other supports).

Being able to identify letter sounds is an important step because it helps students begin to recognize and read CVC words (consonant–vowel–consonant), which is where much of our instruction is focused. As students strengthen their ability to connect letters to sounds, they become more successful with early blending and decoding, which supports both their reading development and their ability to communicate their understanding.