An excellent ‘sound foundation’ brings success.

When someone speaks, we instantly recognize and organize the speech sounds in the ‘Mind’s Ear.’

Say this sentence rapidly:
"Come and explore the Reading Treehouse."

In the second that it takes to say this, your listener has already discerned and organized its 24 speech sounds, and by their order and arrangement, has recognized the words and understood the meaning.

Whew!

Now look at these symbols.

M-m-m-m
S-s-s-s-s-s
Sanik

Did you ‘hear’ the sounds in your ‘Mind’s Ear’? (Try again, and listen.)

In fluent reading, strings of symbols are transformed into a flowing stream of speech in the ‘Mind’s Ear.’

The letters just seem to announce their sounds.

We don’t ‘think’ about each one--it’s more as if they speak to us.

This comes from auditory skill, and practice.

To learn this skill, children must first be skilled with sound.

The special sound-skills that make good readers, are known as Phonological Awareness, or Phonemic Awareness.

Like learning to talk, learning to read begins with sound.

More on this topic: The Reading Treehouse -> THE FLOOR: Phonemic Awareness

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