Phonological Awareness Strategy

Training Manual

by Joseph R. Boyle

Joseph R. Boyle 2009

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Phonological Awareness Strategy

The purpose of this strategy is to teach initial letter sounds (i.e.,
we expected students to know most of their letter sounds), but to teach
the next logical step -- segmenting and blending. Therefore, we
required students to know at least 70% of the initial letter sounds
(phonemes) from a list of 26 phonemes (consonant and vowel sounds) in
order to qualify for training. Each phonological awareness training
session lasts from 20 to 50 minutes.

Phonological Awareness Strategy

Because the students are so young, the strategy uses familiar keywords
(i.e., stare, tell, open, put). The phonological awareness strategy
incorporates both segmenting and blending skills through the mnemonic
"STOP" (see Figure 1). The specific steps of the strategy were
developed because: (1) previous studies demonstrated that segmenting
and blending were two skills essential for pronouncing words (Rack,
Snowling, & Olson, 1992); (2) training students in one subskill (e.g.,
segmenting) did not result in increases in other subskills (e.g.,
blending) (O'Conner, Jenkins, Leicester, & Slocum, 1993); (3)
segmenting and blending must be taught together to assist students at
pronouncing words (Torgesen, Morgan, & Davis, 1992); and (4) the type
of phonological awareness training that explicitly linked phonological
awareness with reading and taught specific strategies to implement
those phonological awareness skills was proven to be more effective
than a "skill and drill" approach to teaching phonological awareness
skills (Cunningham, 1990).

STOP Strategy
S – Stare at the unknown word
T – Tell myself each letter
O – Open your mouth and say each letter
P – Put the letters together to say the word

Figure 1. Phonological Awareness Steps

More specifically, the steps using the mnemonic "STOP" are:

1. Stare - Stare at the unknown word - cue the student to look at each
letter of the unknown word
(i.e., the first step of segmenting)
2. Tell - Tell myself each letter- cue the student to silently say to
him/herself each letter sound in the word
(the second step of segmenting)
3. Open - Open your mouth and say each letter - cue the child to
verbalize aloud the segmented sounds
4. Put - Put the letters together to say the word - cue the student to
blend the letter sounds together to pronounce the word
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Phonological Awareness Strategy Training

Stage 1: Pretest Phase

(Approximately 1 Session)
During this stage, the teacher will assess students on their knowledge
of initial letter sounds, correct pronunciation of words, segmenting
skills, and blending skills.

1. Initial Letter Sound Pretest. Using Initial Letter Sound Pretest,

the teacher will sa a letter sound from the teacher form and ask
students to circle the corresponding letter on the student form.
Administer the Initial Letter Sound Pretest. The student must achieve
a score of 70% or higher to proceed on to Stage 2 and use this
strategy.

2. Pronunciation Pretest. Begin by making index cards for each word

on the Pronunciation Pretest. Neatly print each of the 30 words, using
only lowercase letters, on separate index cards. Once printed neatly
on index cards, present one word at a time to the student. Record
whether the student correctly pronounced the entire word on the
Pronunciation Pretest. Keep these index cards because they will be
used again in the posttest.

3. Segmenting Pretest. Begin by making index cards for each word on

the Segmenting Pretest. Neatly print each of the 15 words, using only
lowercase letters, on separate index cards. Once printed neatly on
index cards, present one word at a time to the student. Using the
Segmenting Pretest, record the student s correct responses. Circle
only each letter sound that the student has correctly pronounced in the
word. Leave blank those letters that were not pronounced correctly.
Caution the student to tell you the letter sound, not letter name, of
each letter in the word. Keep these index cards because they will be
used again in the posttest.

4. Blending Pretest. Administer the Blending Pretest to the student.

Say each letter sound separately and ask student to blend the sounds
together to pronounce the word. Record whether the student blended the
sounds together to correctly pronounce each word.
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Stage 2: Introductory and Mnemonic Practice Phase

(Approximately 1 to 2 Sessions)
Prior to Beginning Stage 2: Introductory and Mnemonic Practice Phase:

1. Prior to beginning this stage, transfer the Model Words (see Stage
1 Model Words) to index cards. When transferring the Model Words to
index cards, use only lowercase letters and neatly print one word per
card.

Beginning Stage 2: Introductory and Mnemonic Practice Phase:

2. At the start of training, distribute Cue Card 1 to each student.

3. During this initial stage of the training, explain to students the

components that comprise the phonological awareness strategy. Describe
all the STOP steps on their cue card and then explain how this strategy
will help them to pronounce unknown words.

4. Next, model each strategy step to students using the 10 model

words. Initially, the teacher models the strategy using the first three
words. Next, the teacher asks the students to help him/her during
modeling by telling the teacher which step to use on the next several
words. Finally, on the last two words, have the students use the
strategy steps from their cue card to pronounce the words. Provide
support as needed and review the ten model words again if needed.

5. Next, practice the strategy steps with students by moving round

robin in the group. Have each student tell you the letter and the step
(e.g., T Tell myself each letter ). Next, randoml give each
student a letter (O T S P) and have them tell you the step.
Practice the strategy steps until you feel that students understand
them. Pair them up and have them tell each other the steps.

Strategy – Mnemonic Practice Test:

6. Finally, quiz students on their knowledge of the mnemonic "STOP"
using the Mnemonic Practice Test. Each student should be taken to a
quiet section of the room and asked to verbally recite the steps to the
strategy, while the teacher records their attempts on the Mnemonic
Practice Test. After each missed attempt, have the student study the
strategy steps again before quizzing them.

Provide students up to 5 attempts. Ideally, students should be able to

memorize the strategy steps to mastery; however, you may need to allow
students to use their cue card during the initial training sessions.

Once students can correctly recite the steps with 100% accuracy, they
are ready to begin using the strategy with the training words from the
list.
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Stage 3 Strategy Training Phase

(Approximately 12 Sessions)
Prior to Beginning Strategy Training Phase:
1. Using the Word Lists, neatly print all 120 words and 24 nonsense
words. You will be using 20 words and 4 nonsense words per week. When
transferring the words to index cards, use only lowercase letters and
print one word per card. Once printed neatly on index cards, present
only 10 words and 2 nonsense words per session beginning with Week 1
and proceeding through Week 6. Nonsense words are used a check to
insure that students are using the strategy steps and not recalling the
words from memory as sightwords.

2. Be sure that you have the correct set of index cards for each
session. Each set of 10 words and 2 nonsense words may be reviewed as
many times as you wish within one training session, but are not be used
for more than one training session. Each training session should begin
with a new set of 10 words and 2 nonsense words.

During Stage 3 Strategy Training:

3. The Word Lists were developed using words which contained phonemes
that followed "regular phonetic rules" (i.e., short vowel sounds, hard
"g" and "j" sounds, etc.). To avoid confusing students, words with
letters that used "unique" sounds (i.e., soft "g", "j", and "c" sounds,
"r" controlled sounds, etc.) were purposefully omitted. These unique
sounds (i.e., words) should be taught to students later with their
corresponding phonetic rules.

4. During each session, present only 10 words and 2 nonsense words per
session. Again, the nonsense words are used a check to insure that
students are using the strategy steps and not recalling the words from
memory as sightwords. In order to receive credit, the student had to
use the steps of the strategy to correctly pronounce the word when
first presented. For purposes of scoring, record onl student s
correct pronunciation of words on the first presentation. Use the Word
Lists to keep track of student s correct pronunciation of each word
using all of the steps of the strategy. Teachers can review each set of
10 words (and 2 nonsense words) as often as they would like during each
session; however, record the student s first attempt on these words as
the session score.

5. After the student has finished reviewing the words, record the
student s score on the Phonological Awareness Strategy
Progress Chart.

6. Complete each session with a new set of words. Proceed through

Week 6 words. Once you have completed Week 6, the student is ready to
move on to Stage 4 Posttest Phase.
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Stage 4 Posttest Phase

(Approximately 1 Session)
Following the strategy training stage and prior to the generalization
phase, posttesting should take place. During this stage, the teacher
will assess students on their knowledge of correct pronunciation of
words, segmenting skills, and blending skills.

1. Pronunciation Posttest. Use the same index cards that were used
with the Pronunciation Pretest. Similar to the pretest, present one
word at a time to the student. Record whether the student correctly
pronounced the entire word on the Pronunciation Posttest.

2. Segmenting Posttest. Use the same index cards from the Segmenting
Pretest. Similar to the pretest, present one word at a time to the
student. Using the Segmenting Posttest, record the student s correct
responses. Circle only each letter sound that the student has
correctly pronounced in the word. Leave blank those letters that were
not pronounced correctly. Caution the student to tell you the letter
sound, not letter name, of each letter in the word.

3. Blending Posttest. Administer the Blending Posttest to the

student. Say each letter sound separately and ask student to blend the
sounds together to pronounce the word. Record whether the student
blended the sounds together to correctly pronounce each word.

Stage 5 Generalization Phase

(Approximately 1 to 3 Sessions)
Generalization Passages: Three short reading passages (see the
passages: The Duck, Friends, and Wild Planets) were developed for
students to use during the generalization phase. Each passage is 50 to
70 words in length and contains 10 training words (both monosyllabic
and multisyllabic words) and 2 nonsense words. The purpose of using
the passages is to assess whether students can correctly use the
strategy in the context of a reading passage.

Depending upon time constraints, students can either read one, two, or
all three passages in one session or multiple sessions. During each
session, students will orally read the passage as the teacher records
the pronunciation errors.

Prior to the start of the generalization phase, inform students that

they will be using the strategy as they read a short passage. The
passage is sometimes silly and contains some nonsense words. When they
come to an unknown word, students are instructed to use the strategy to
pronounce the word.
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Student name______________________________

Initial Letter Sound Test Pretest

(Student Form)

1. a y n l 16. d a s j

2. e m h q 17. d a x k

3. t j w c 18. b h y v

4. q a z k 19. w l e t

5. m j h l 20. r p x o

6. r o x i 21. i m b s

7. w f x m 22. s v b q

8. a h e r 23. i c x z

9. b r l n 24. j q e y

10. p c d z 25. g j v x

11. p v k f 26. f k u x

12. m k v b

13. q x k o

14. m k y s

15. f m x p
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Initial Letter Sound Test – Pronunciation Key

(Teacher Form)

Teacher: Hand student the “student form. Tell the student “I will be saying a letter
sound, not letter name. On your sheet, I want you to circle the correct letter that
matches with the sound I pronounce.

Pronounce each letter sound (not letter name) to the student.

Begin with number 1.

1. n as in nat 16. a as in ask

2. e as in egg 17. d as in desk

3. w as in worm 18. h as in hot

4. k as in king 19. t as in tot

5. j as in jack 20. o as in otter

6. i as in ick 21. b as in boy

7. m as in mouse 22. s as in sick

8. r as in rust 23. z as in zap

9. l as in lost 24. q as in queen

10. c as in car 25. g as in goat

11. p as in pet 26. u as in upper

12. v as in vet

13. x as in x-ray

14. y as in yolk

15. f as in first
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Student name________________________________

Pronunciation Pretest

Teacher: Have the student say each word below. Did the student
pronounce the word correctly?

1. lick yes no 19. blump yes no*

2. clap yes no 20. drant yes no*

3. duck yes no 21. flent yes no*

4. addict yes no 22. gloss yes no

5. brisket yes no 23. splint yes no

6. gravel yes no 24. ransom yes no

7. sprint yes no 25. saft yes no*

8. trost yes no* 26. rong yes no*

9. smock yes no 27. vang yes no*

10. sprocket yes no 28. flint yes no

11. scratch yes no 29. fram yes no*

12. nost yes no* 30. sunk yes no

13. splendid yes no

14. frost yes no * indicates nonsense word

15. cremp yes no*

16. gram yes no

17. pit yes no

18. plat yes no

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Student name________________________________

Pronunciation Posttest

Teacher: Have the student say each word below. Did the student
pronounce the word correctly?

1. lick yes no 19. blump yes no*

2. clap yes no 20. drant yes no*

3. duck yes no 21. flent yes no*

4. addict yes no 22. gloss yes no

5. brisket yes no 23. splint yes no

6. gravel yes no 24. ransom yes no

7. sprint yes no 25. saft yes no*

8. trost yes no* 26. rong yes no*

9. smock yes no 27. vang yes no*

10. sprocket yes no 28. flint yes no

11. scratch yes no 29. fram yes no*

12. nost yes no* 30. sunk yes no

13. splendid yes no

14. frost yes no * indicates nonsense word

15. cremp yes no*

16. gram yes no

17. pit yes no

18. plat yes no

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Student name________________________________

Segmenting Pretest

Teacher : Write each of the words below on a separate index card. Print
neatly and use only lowercase letters. Do not include extra spaces
between letters.

Say to the student, “ I will be giving you a list of words, I want you to
segment or say each letter sound in the word. Be careful that you say the
sound that represents the letter, not its name. “

Circle each letter sound that the student correctly pronounced.

1. i n

2. m a n

3. r a t

4. t u g

5. v a n

6. f a s t

7. j e t

8. c l a p

9. f o x

10. a d m i t

11. t r a f f i c

12. b u c k e t

13. c r i m s o n

14. l o c k e t

15. s c r i m p
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Student name________________________________

Segmenting Posttest

Teacher : Write each of the words below on a separate index card. Print
neatly and use only lowercase letters. Do not include extra spaces
between letters.

Say to the student, “ I will be giving you a list of words, I want you to
segment or say each letter sound in the word. Be careful that you say the
sound that represents the letter, not its name. “

Circle each letter sound that the student correctly pronounced.

1. i n

2. m a n

3. r a t

4. t u g

5. v a n

6. f a s t

7. j e t

8. c l a p

9. f o x

10. a d m i t

11. t r a f f i c

12. b u c k e t

13. c r i m s o n

14. l o c k e t

15. s c r i m p
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Student name________________________________

Blending Pretest

Teacher : Say each letter sound separately and ask student to blend the
sounds together to pronounce the word.

Did the student blend the sounds correctly to pronounce the word?

1. m a n yes no

2. h a t yes no

3. z a p yes no

4. w o n yes no

5. l o c k yes no

6. y a k yes no

7. b e t yes no

8. i n yes no

9. u p yes no

10. d i g yes no

11. s u b l e t yes no

12. h u s k yes no

13. p l a n e t yes no

14. s t a t i c yes no

15. i n d e n t yes no
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Student name________________________________

Blending Posttest

Teacher : Say each letter sound separately and ask student to blend the
sounds together to pronounce the word.

Did the student blend the sounds correctly to pronounce the word?

1. m a n yes no

2. h a t yes no

3. z a p yes no

4. w o n yes no

5. l o c k yes no

6. y a k yes no

7. b e t yes no

8. i n yes no

9. u p yes no

10. d i g yes no

11. s u b l e t yes no

12. h u s k yes no

13. p l a n e t yes no

14. s t a t i c yes no

15. i n d e n t yes no
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Stage 1 – Model Words*

rob

lip

man

sat

top

wet

met

pot

tip

pass

* (Place words on index cards before reviewing with students)

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STOP Strategy

S – Stare at the unknown word

T – Tell myself each letter sound

O – Open your mouth and say

each letter sound

P – Put the letters together

to say the word

Cue Card 1
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Strategy – Mnemonic Practice Test

(Teacher form)

Teacher: Record each time a student attempts to tell you the strategy steps from memory.
Place a check mark next to each step that the child correctly recites from memory.

Attempt 1 Attempt 2 Attempt 3 Attempt 4 Attempt 5

Stare at the
unknown word ____ ____ ____ _____ _____

Tell myself
each letter ____ ____ ____ _____ _____

Open your
mouth and
say each letter ____ ____ ____ _____ _____

Put the letters

together to say
the word ____ ____ ____ _____ _____
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Word Lists

1. Covers 23 phonemes throughout the entire training.

These include: s,p,r,c,t,l,b,d,f,g,j,m,n,v,w,h,k. Training follows “regular phonetic
rules.

2. Covers 3 to 5 initial phonemes per session by using 10 words and 2 nonsense

words per session. Prepare for each session by printing 12 words (10 words + 2
nonsense words) on index cards (see list below). Carefully print these words in
manuscript using all lower case letters.

3. In first session of the week, use words with 3, 4, and 5 letters per word from list
below. In second session of week, use words that contain 3 to7 letters.

4. During each session, first review the initial letter sounds. Next, using STOP
mnemonic, model how to use each strategy step with three words.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

cap trap bin dug van jest
cram trip blip dim vent jog
mop track bed dog vast jot
mask trend brat deck win jump
mist trust fret desk west rib
mast pest flop drip wig rot
smack pet frog drab wink plank
scam tack flag drink glint pack
scan test fend draft gust peck
smog tent clip drag got plot
scrap tram clinic grab nab plus
stock twin flank grim nest hack
scram rob flint grit nick hem
crab rack flock glen nut hug
cost rest froth gab neck husk
clasp rock blank rack wet sprocket
cabin picnic blimp raft gas spring
splash prank brimful ransom gift puck
misfit plan brisket grant glut yes
mess plug letter grand gram prod

Nonsense Words
clisket trepit flipem drasket venack sprist
cravet trovet flacket grivest nacket sprack
masbet ropom blombet droget westet justin
scromp pratest clisp grest vislet praveck
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Phonological Awareness Strategy

Progress Chart

10

8
Number of Words Correct

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Days

= Training Words
= Nonsense Words
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Generalization Passage 1

The Duck

There once was a duck named Trost. He wore a smock with a

sprocket. He was a very splendid duck. Trost liked to lick the

frost off the gravel. He could scratch an itch and sprint over a

pit. When he fell, you could hear a big blump on impact. His

sister Sam would then clap with joy.

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Generalization Passage 2

Friends

Mastic was a rat who lived in a bucket. Crimson was a fox lived

in an old van. Mastic and Crimson were friends. They liked to

play tricks on Flent. Flent was a man who lived in an old jet.

The fox and the rat would tug on the man’s locket. They would

then run as fast as they could away from traffic. The man would

drive his jet across the lot and always get a ticket.
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Generalization Passage 3

Wild Planet

Saft is a planet where Vang the yak lives. The only way to get

to visit them is by riding a rocket to the top of the plat. I bet that

if you dig in a pit on Saft that you will get a zap on the lip. The

planet has static that can cause a hat to fly off your head. If

you lock on the left track, you will find your way home.
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Results
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