Before teachers include letters in phonemic awareness instruction, students should know which two things?

Before incorporating letters into phonemic awareness instruction, it is essential for students to be familiar with most letter names and many letter sounds. This familiarity is crucial because phonemic awareness primarily focuses on the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words.

Understanding letter names allows students to connect the sounds they hear with the symbols (letters) that represent those sounds. Moreover, having knowledge of many letter sounds prepares students to decode words, which is fundamental in developing reading skills. With a grasp of both the names and sounds of letters, students can begin to understand how phonemes—the smallest units of sound—combine to form words. This foundation is vital for effective literacy development, as it bridges the gap between phonemic awareness and the formal introduction of written language.