Phonemic awareness interventions for students with IEPs
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
Effective phonemic awareness intervention teaches students to blend, segment and change the individual sounds in spoken words, and links those sounds to letters as soon as possible. Find the student's place in the skill sequence, teach 10 minutes a day with clear prompts and immediate correction, and probe weekly on the exact skill the goal names.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and work with the single sounds (phonemes) in spoken words: hearing that "ship" has three sounds, /sh/ /i/ /p/, and that changing /sh/ to /ch/ makes "chip." It is one part of the broader skill called phonological awareness, which also covers rhyme, syllables and onset-rime. For the difference between the terms, see phonological awareness vs phonemic awareness.
When a student cannot decode, check phonemic awareness first; a gap there often sits underneath the decoding problem. The intervention is short and direct. The hard part is starting at the right place and moving to letters soon enough.
What the evidence recommends
The What Works Clearinghouse practice guide for kindergarten through grade 3 recommends developing awareness of the segments of sound in speech and how they link to letters.[1] Two points in that recommendation shape every routine on this page. First, work toward the phoneme level, since that is the level decoding and spelling use. Second, add letters as soon as the student can handle them. Oral-only practice that goes on for months, with no letters in sight, is a common way intervention time gets lost.
The National Reading Panel report reached a similar conclusion: phonemic awareness instruction helped reading more when it used letters and focused on one or two ways of working with sounds at a time, rather than many at once.[2]
The guide also recommends teaching decoding and word analysis directly.[1] Phonemic awareness work should feed into that phonics work, not run as a separate program. The phonics interventions guide picks up where this one ends.
The developmental sequence: from rhyme to substitution
Phonological skills tend to develop from larger units to smaller ones, and from simple tasks to harder ones. The ages below are rough guides for when many children show each skill. Children vary widely, and an age is not a diagnostic cut point.
| Skill | Task example | Often appears around | Goal template |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word awareness | "Clap each word: I like dogs." (3 words) | Age 4 (pre-K) | Count words in a sentence |
| Rhyme recognition | "Do cat and hat rhyme?" | Age 4 to 5 | Pick the rhyming picture |
| Rhyme production | "Tell me a word that rhymes with sun." | Age 4 to 5 | Produce a rhyming word |
| Syllable blending and segmenting | "Clap the parts in rabbit." (2) | Age 4 to 5 | Segment syllables |
| Onset-rime blending | "/m/ ... ap. What word?" (map) | Age 5 (kindergarten) | Blend onset and rime |
| Initial phoneme isolation | "What is the first sound in fan?" (/f/) | Age 5 (kindergarten) | Isolate first and last sounds |
| Phoneme blending | "/s/ /u/ /n/. What word?" (sun) | Age 5 to 6 (K to grade 1) | Blend phonemes |
| Phoneme segmenting | "Say each sound in sun." (/s/ /u/ /n/) | Age 6 (grade 1) | Segment phonemes (timed) |
| Phoneme deletion | "Say mat without /m/." (at) | Age 6 to 7 (grades 1 to 2) | Delete the first sound |
| Phoneme substitution | "Change /m/ in mat to /s/." (sat) | Age 7 (grade 2) | Change the first or last sound |
Start instruction at the lowest skill the student cannot do with about 80% of items correct on a short probe. Do not wait for mastery of every row before moving on. Many students can work on phoneme blending while rhyme production is still shaky, and blending matters more for reading.
How to find where to start
Give a short probe of 10 items at each level, starting two rows below where you expect the student to be. Stop when the student misses 5 or more items in a row at one level. The phonological awareness goals page lists probe ideas for each skill.
Example. Theo, a fictional 1st grader with an IEP, scores:
| Probe | Items correct | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Syllable segmenting | 10 of 10 | Solid |
| Onset-rime blending | 9 of 10 | Solid |
| Initial sound isolation | 8 of 10 | Nearly solid; quick review |
| Phoneme blending (3 sounds) | 4 of 10 | Start here |
| Phoneme segmenting (3 sounds) | 2 of 10 | Teach next |
| Phoneme deletion | 0 of 10 | Not yet |
Theo's intervention starts with phoneme blending and segmenting of 3-sound words, paired with the letters he already knows.
A 10-minute phonemic awareness routine
This routine is for a group of 1 to 4 students. It uses sound boxes (a row of empty boxes, one per sound) and letter tiles. Each step names the exact prompt.
Minute 0 to 1: Warm-up with a known skill
"I'll say the parts, you say the word. /m/ ... op." Students: "mop." Do 4 to 5 quick items. This builds success before new work.
Minute 1 to 4: Teacher model, then blending
Model first: "My turn. /s/ /a/ /t/. Sat." Hold up one finger per sound, then sweep your hand as you say the word.
Then guided practice: "Your turn. /f/ /i/ /n/. What word?" Students answer together, then one at a time. Do 8 to 10 words. Use continuous sounds (/m/, /s/, /f/, /l/) at the start of words first, since they are easier to stretch than stop sounds (/b/, /t/, /k/).
Minute 4 to 7: Segmenting with sound boxes
"Say sun." Students: "sun." "Push a chip into a box for each sound." Students push chips as they say /s/ /u/ /n/. "How many sounds?" "Three."
After 3 or 4 words with chips, swap the chips for letter tiles the students know. "Now push the letter for each sound." This is the point where phonemic awareness meets phonics.
Minute 7 to 9: Manipulation, when ready
For students past segmenting: "Make sun with your tiles. Now change /s/ to /r/. What word?" (run). "Now change /n/ to /g/." (rug). Word chains like this build both phoneme manipulation and letter-sound links.
Minute 9 to 10: Quick check
Each student does 3 items alone, with no help. Mark each on the data sheet. These quick checks show you whether to move on or reteach tomorrow.
How to correct errors
Correct every error right away, in the same way each time. A consistent correction is faster and easier for students to learn from.
- Model: "My turn. /f/ /i/ /n/. Fin."
- Lead: "Say it with me. /f/ /i/ /n/. Fin."
- Test: "Your turn. /f/ /i/ /n/." Student: "Fin."
- Retest later: go back to the missed word 2 or 3 items later.
Keep the correction short. Do not ask the student "Are you sure?" or say "Almost." Give the right answer and have the student say it.
Adapting the routine
- Older students still building phonemic awareness need age-respectful words and tasks, such as segmenting nonsense syllables or long content words. See the middle school phonological awareness goals.
- Students who use AAC or have limited speech can show phonemic awareness by pointing, tapping a switch per sound, or choosing pictures. Templates for these response formats include tap a dot per sound and onset-rime blending with picture choices. An SLP can help pick the response mode.
- Students with speech sound disorders may hear sounds they cannot yet say. Score the sound the student means, and plan with the SLP.
- Young students in pre-K stay at the word, rhyme and syllable levels, with songs and games. See the pre-K phonological awareness goals.
Goals and progress monitoring
Write the goal at the student's starting skill, with a criterion one year away. Theo's team writes: "Given a spoken 3- or 4-sound word, Theo will say each sound in order on a 1-minute segmentation probe, scoring 35 correct sounds per minute on 2 of 3 weekly probes." His baseline was 12 correct sounds per minute. The timed segmentation template has the full wording.
For untimed skills, record trials on the opportunity trial data sheet: 10 items, one mark per item, and a total out of 10. For timed probes, record correct sounds in 1 minute on a rate per minute graph. Short, repeated probes graphed weekly give the team a trend to act on.[3]
Grade-band goal sets are on the K to 2 phonological awareness goals and grades 3 to 5 phonological awareness goals pages. Paste any draft into the goal checker before the meeting.
Common mistakes
- Weak: Months of rhyme practice for a 1st grader who cannot blend sounds. Better: Move to phoneme blending and segmenting; rhyme matters less for decoding.
- Weak: Oral-only practice all year. Better: Add letter tiles as soon as the student knows a few letter sounds.
- Weak: Saying "buh" for /b/, with an extra vowel. Better: Clip stop sounds short so blending works: /b/, not "buh."
- Weak: Practicing the same 10 words every day. Better: Use new words each day, so the probe measures skill and not memory.
- Weak: A goal of "will improve phonological awareness." Better: Name the skill, the item count and the criterion, as in Theo's goal above.
Activities that fit phonological awareness practice
These activities fit the routine above or work as short extra practice. Each targets one skill from the sequence table.
- Sound walk: students hop one floor square per sound in a spoken word (segmenting).
- Robot talk: the teacher speaks in separate sounds, and students say the word (blending).
- Odd one out: say three words, and students name the one with a different first sound (isolation).
- Rhyme race: students name as many rhymes as they can for a word in 1 minute (rhyme production).
- Word chains with tiles: change one letter at a time (manipulation tied to letters).
Frequently asked questions
How long should phonemic awareness intervention last each day?
About 10 minutes a day is enough for most students when the practice is focused and fast. Put it at the start of a longer reading lesson so it flows into phonics work with the same sounds and letters.
Should phonemic awareness be taught with or without letters?
Start orally if the student knows few letter sounds, then add letters as soon as possible. The What Works Clearinghouse guide recommends linking speech sounds to letters, because that link is what decoding and spelling use.
Do older students need phonemic awareness intervention?
Some do. If a diagnostic shows an older student cannot segment or manipulate sounds, teach it with age-respectful words, such as nonsense syllables and long content words. Keep it short and tie it to multisyllabic decoding.
Who should teach phonemic awareness to a student with an IEP?
Usually the special education teacher or reading interventionist, with the SLP consulting or co-teaching when the student has speech or language needs. The IEP should say who provides the service and how often.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- Phonological awareness goals (reading)
- K to 2 phonological awareness goals
- Phonemic awareness in the IEP glossary
- Phonological awareness in the IEP glossary
- Opportunity trial data sheet
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Phonological awareness vs phonemic awareness vs phonics
- Phonics interventions for struggling readers
- Reading intervention for students with IEPs: assess, group, teach, monitor
- IEP goal examples for reading
- Phonemic awareness IEP goal examples
- Manipulatives for phonemic awareness: what to use for each skill
- Phonemic awareness activities to do at home with your child
- A 10-minute daily phonemic awareness routine
- Auditory discrimination and auditory memory IEP goals
- Blending sounds activities: phoneme blending in teaching order
- Elkonin boxes: how to use sound boxes for segmenting
- Onset and rime activities for small groups
- Phoneme addition activities for building blends
- Phoneme deletion activities, with letters and without
- Phoneme segmentation IEP goals: 24 examples, with blending goals
- Phoneme substitution activities and word chains
- Phonemic awareness activities for 1st grade intervention
- Phonemic awareness for older students who struggle to read
- Phonemic awareness games for small groups, with data
- Phonological awareness assessment template, with a completed example
- Phonological awareness in speech therapy: an SLP's plan
- Rhyming activities for kindergarten intervention
- Rhyming IEP goals: 24 examples with baselines and data sheets
- Syllable segmenting activities, from clapping to long words
- The phonemic awareness continuum: how the skills develop in order
Sources
- Foundational Skills to Support Reading for Understanding in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade, What Works Clearinghouse, Institute of Education Sciences
- Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.