A collection of activities to foster in children an awareness of how spoken words can be broken down into the smallest units known as phonemes, or discrete sounds. The small-group lessons, hands-on activities, and easy-to-play games focus on the skills of recognizing, isolating, identifying, blending, and manipulating phonemes. In addition, this reproducible resource book offers tools for assessing each student's level of phonemic awareness. Supports the NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) and IRA (International Reading Association) position statement by providing instructional materials that sensitize children to spoken sounds, build their awareness of rhyme and phonemes, and engage them in activities and explicit lessons for more advanced skill development. --From p. [4] of cover.