Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program FAQ:
Question	Answer
Does Sounds & Symbols meet the guidelines for use in Reading First programs?	Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program is a phonemic awareness-based, systematic approach for teaching reading skills to young students. It addresses the reading tasks identified by the National Reading Panel and specified by Reading First. We provide a wide range of materials to help schools meet the goals of Reading First. For more information, go to our Reading First resources page.
What is the rationale for sequencing the sounds/symbols in the particular order they are presented in the Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program?	The authors give several reasons for ordering the sounds/symbols as they did: The consonants were ordered according to the following criteria: which consonant sounds are easiest to say by imitating the teacher's production which consonants are the most frequent within the English language and used more often in children's writings which consonants require mouth positions that are easier for the child to see (m, f, b, t, s, etc.) when sound production is modeled The long vowels were presented before the short vowels because they are easier to say (the sound and symbol are the same). Consonants and vowels were chosen according to which ones could be used to build the most real words using traditional spelling (with or without silent letters). For example, me, toe, too, bee, meet, meat, feet, pie, time, team, boat, boot, and eat are a few of the words the children learn to read in just the first 12 lessons. The qu and x were not included because they are infrequent and not usually presented to children first learning to read.
What is the rationale for the particular order in which the sounds/symbols are presented in the Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program?	The authors give several reasons for ordering the sounds/symbols as they did. The following consonants are presented first: consonant sounds that are easiest to say by imitating the teacher's production consonants that are the most frequent in the English language and used more often in children's writings consonants that require mouth positions that are easier for the child to see (m, f, b, t, s, etc.) when sound production is modeled The long, tense vowels and some diphthongs are presented before the short, lax vowels because they are easier to say discriminate remember Knowing these sounds makes it easier and faster for the children to master some early phonemic awareness skills that are so important for reading. Consonants and vowels were chosen according to the number of real words using traditional spelling (with or without silent letters) that can be built with them. For example, me, toe, too, bee, meet, meat, feet, pie, time, team, boat, boot, and eat are a few of the words the children learn to read in just the first 12 lessons. The qu and x were not included because they are infrequent and not usually presented to children first learning to read. The 38 Encore Stories companion packet, to enhance your Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program, can be taught in any order. You can purchase it online at ags.pearsonassessments.com or through our Customer Service Department at 800-328-2560. Look/ask for Product Number 10085.
Why are nonsense syllables used, and how are they relevant to phonemic awareness?	According to the authors, nonsense words distinguish between true phonemic awareness and just the ability to remember sight words. Some children are so visual that they may learn the early words quickly and not have to use their blending ability to do the various tasks. This defeats the purpose and limits them to a set list of memorized words. Successful completion of the activities with nonsense material ensures that the children are learning the decoding skills and the various elements of phonemic awareness that are being presented.
Why doesn't the Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program teach word families or rhyming?	Word families, which are used by the traditional reading programs, require the children to look at the end of words before the beginning. They must see the am at the end of the word in order to know what family to blend with the initial sound such as h am is ham . Some children who have difficulty with reading often try to read words in reverse. Traditional word families encourage the incorrect technique. Sounds and Symbols uses word families, but they are beginning families such as ma. Thus, once children master the ma , they can add ending sounds to form words such as mat , map , and man . The left-to-right progression is reinforced when the children learn to blend. Since rhyming stresses final sounds, it was not included in the Sounds & Symbols Early Reading Program. Although rhyming is an important skill, which should be taught as a part of the early curriculum, it should be taught as an auditory skill and not combined with print at the beginning of the reading experience.