Build Phonemic Awareness & Phonics Skills

Break Down Reading to find Real Strategies that Work

Reading isn't a simple task. Just the opposite. Reading depends greatly on highly complex functions of the mind, and they must be learned. Ravinia's teaching is mindful of both phonology and phonics to build a child's reading skills simultaneously.

A good reader must be able to hear, recognize and play with the smallest units of sound that indicate meaning. This is called phonemic awareness. For example, the phonemes (sounds) in "cat" are /k/ - /a/ - /t/. Pronounce those three sounds quickly, and contrary to popular belief, you won't say "cat" (or the name of any animal that meows).

It would be close, but the sounds we use to break up "cat" are not the precise sounds that comprise the spoken word. To know that the written word "cat" sounds like and means exactly what it means, must be learned.

It is just as important to grasp the rules that letters, and groups of letters follow. That's phonics. Together, phonics and phonemic awareness bridge the gap between the meaning in spoken language and the symbols of written words. We also teach word parts, prefixes and suffixes. Each of these helps a child accurately decode new words on her own as she encounters them in a text.

With reading lessons at Ravinia, we work with your child to identify phonemic and phonetic weaknesses progressively from the start. This integrated approach allows Ravinia to begin with the basics, because the first signs of progress can mean the world to a struggling reader.