Phonemic Awareness

The ability to separate, manipulate, and distinguish individual phonemes (individual sounds) within spoken words is referred to as phonemic awareness (Ehri, 2022). Although phonemic awareness is considered an essential foundational reading skill, it is not adequately addressed in many reading curricula (Lane et al., 2025). Phonemic awareness supports the acquisition of letter-sound knowledge, which in turn facilitates the ability to read words (Clayton et al., 2020). Phonemic awareness skills are directly tied to future reading ability (Piasta, 2022).

Not only should phonemic awareness instruction be explicit (Antonacci & O’Callaghan, 2011), but it also needs to be taught with fidelity to be effective. My tool for teaching this foundational reading skill is the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness curriculum (Heggerty, n.d.). Using a research-based curriculum will enable your students to learn the skills they need. Here is what it looks like in action:

• 10-minute daily whole-group lesson

• Assessments for progress monitoring and skill grouping

• Using assessment data to review and reteach necessary skills in small-group settings as needed

(Heggerty, n.d.)

References

Antonacci, P. A., & O'Callaghan, C. M. (2011). Promoting literacy development: 50 research-based strategies for K-8 learners (1st ed.). SAGE Publications.

Clayton, F. J., West, G., Sears, C., Hulme, C., & Lervåg, A. (2020). A Longitudinal Study of Early Reading Development: Letter-Sound Knowledge, Phoneme Awareness and RAN, but Not Letter-Sound Integration, Predict Variations in Reading Development. 

Scientific Studies of Reading, 24(2), 91–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2019.1622546

Ehri, L. C. (2022). What teachers need to know and do to teach letter-sounds, phonemic awareness, word reading, and phonics. Reading Teacher, 76(1), 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2095

Heggerty (n.d.). Kindergarten Curriculum. Phonemic Awareness Kindergarten Curriculum. Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://heggerty.org/programs/phonemic-awareness/kindergarten/#section-1

Lane, H. B., Contesse, V. A., Gage, N. A., & Burns, M. K. (2025). Effect of an instructional program in foundational reading skills on early literacy development of students in kindergarten and first grade. Reading Research Quarterly, 60(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.607

Piasta, S. B., & Hudson, A. K. (2022). Key knowledge to support phonological awareness and phonics instruction. Reading Teacher, 76(2), 201-210. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2093

Small Group Instruction

Why should teachers be using small group instruction? 

Small-group instruction has been researched and has proven to improve student success (Wyatt & Chapman-DeSousa, 2017). Small-group instruction enables teachers to foster relationships with students while supporting their development of social, communication, and critical thinking skills. It is also an ideal time to support the unique needs of learners through modifications and scaffolds. Although it is known to be effective, many teachers do not use this instructional strategy.

How can teachers make the transition? 

Making the transition from whole-group instruction to small-group instruction can be intimidating. What will the rest of the class be doing? What about the students who don't work well independently? There are so many aspects to consider. Here is my advice: take it one step at a time.

1. Begin your literacy centers by having everyone participate in the same activity. Walk around to monitor student progress and praise on-task behavior. 
2. Next, try four stations. Set a timer and have students rotate. Use a slide or visuals on the board to help them know where they are transitioning to. Try this for a few days, making any necessary modifications to your routine. 
3. Finally, try meeting with one of the groups during their rotations. 

It will not be perfect, and you will need to make changes as you go to make it work for you and your students. But - it will be worth it! 

What should be taught? 

For many years, the standard was dividing students into guided reading groups based on the results of informal reading inventories. Over time, research has shown that this simply isn’t enough (Walpole, 2024). While guided reading groups provided practice with reading comprehension, they did not support growth in the foundational skills necessary to grow as a reader. 

In line with the science of reading, teachers should instead use a diagnostic inventory to divide students into skill-based groups (Walpole, 2024). Students will work on skills like phonemic awareness, phonics, word recognition, vocabulary, and comprehension. Frequent reassessment will allow students to demonstrate growth and move between skill groups as necessary. Using a developmental roadmap can help you determine the hierarchy or progression from one skill to the next. 

References: 

Walpole, S. (2024). Repositioning differentiation time as literacy acceleration time. Reading Teacher, 77(6), 975-981. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2302 

Wyatt, T., & Chapman-DeSousa, B. (2017). Teaching as interaction: Challenges in transitioning teachers' instruction to small groups. Early Childhood Education Journal, 45(1), 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0758-6

About Me

Hi! I am Kristi Mullen — a wife, mom of two amazing kids, and a kindergarten teacher in Washington state. I hold a bachelor's degree in elementary and special education and am currently pursuing my master's in literacy. I taught special education for four years before becoming a stay-at-home mom when my daughter was born. 

When my son started school, I eased back into the classroom by teaching part-time at a Reggio Emilia-inspired preschool, which taught me a lot about play-based learning and student-directed planning. I took another year off from work to stay home when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down our schools.

After schools reopened, I became a substitute at my children's school — a role that quickly turned into a long-term position and eventually led to my current full-time kindergarten classroom.

It didn't take long to realize how much reading instruction had changed since I was in college. I began researching strategies and signing up for professional development opportunities to improve my instruction. I know that the ability to build strong foundational reading skills can shape a student’s entire educational path — and I take that responsibility seriously. That passion is what inspired me to pursue a master's degree in literacy.

This blog is a space where I'll share practical, classroom-tested strategies that support early literacy development. I hope you enjoy reading along. Feel free to leave a comment if you've tried a strategy or have one to recommend!

-Kristi

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