Word limit: 1800 (+/- 10%)
Due date: April 28
This assignment will be in the form of an essay. The topic of this essay is centred on the teaching of phonological awareness in support of children’s emergent and early reading and writing development.
For this essay, you are required to choose a specific group (for example, 3 to 4 year olds or 6 to 7 year olds) to focus on. In addition, references to a relevant sub-outcome under Outcome 5 from the Early Years Learning Framework or a relevant content description from the Australian curriculum: English (or a state equivalent) must also be included in your essay to contextualise your descriptions of the learning experience and the teaching resource.
Your essay must address the following components:
• Using research literature and relevant sources, critically discuss the importance of teaching phonological awareness in relation to children’s emergent and early reading and writing development.
• Describe and evaluate a learning experience that supports the development of phonological awareness in early years literacy education.
• Describe and evaluate a teaching resource that supports the development of phonological awareness in early years literacy education.
Your essay can be structured as follows:
1. Introduction (approximately 100 words):
• Introduce the topic.
• Include a thesis statement.
• Outline how you intend to address the topic in your essay.
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2. Body of the essay (approximately 1600 words)
• This section will consist of a series of paragraphs through which you will address the components of the essay.
• Each paragraph in this section should begin with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea or theme of that paragraph. Typically, the topic sentence and the discussions would be supported with a reference to scholarly or professional source(s).
• It would be ideal to try and keep to one main idea or theme per paragraph. In addition, avoid writing paragraphs that only consist of one or two sentences.
• Ensure that there is a cohesive flow of ideas throughout the series paragraphs.
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3. Conclusion ( approximately 100 words)
• Highlight the key points that you have covered in your essay.
• Relate your key points back to your thesis statement.
• State your concluding remarks.
Note: Your essay needs to be written in third person and you must justify your explanations and Assessments by making links to the EYLF, the Australian Curriculum, your relevant state/territory curriculum, scholarly sources and other relevant sources—at least 10 references. All references cited in your essay must be included in your reference list using the APA 7th edition style. This reference list will not be included in the word count.
Introduction
Phonological awareness is a crucial skill that is necessary for children’s early literacy development, including reading and writing. The purpose of this essay is to critically discuss the importance of teaching phonological awareness in early years literacy education and to describe and evaluate a learning experience and teaching resource that support the development of phonological awareness. This essay will focus on 3 to 4-year-old children and the sub-outcome under Outcome 5 from the Early Years Learning Framework, which states that children develop phonological awareness by recognizing and producing rhyming words, syllables, and phonemes. This essay will also include relevant content descriptions from the Australian Curriculum: English.
Importance of Teaching Phonological Awareness in Early Years Literacy Education
Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the sound structures of words, including syllables, onset and rime, and phonemes (Ehri, 2014). Phonological awareness is essential for early literacy development, as it is a precursor to decoding and encoding words, which are crucial skills for reading and writing (National Early Literacy Panel, 2008). Children who lack phonological awareness are more likely to struggle with reading and writing and may experience difficulties with spelling and vocabulary (Lonigan, Anthony, Bloomfield, Dyer, & Samwel, 2009).
According to the Australian Curriculum: English, children in Foundation (Prep) are expected to develop phonological awareness skills, including recognizing and producing rhyming words and syllables, and identifying initial, final, and medial sounds in spoken words (ACARA, 2014). This aligns with the sub-outcome under Outcome 5 from the Early Years Learning Framework, which states that children develop phonological awareness by recognizing and producing rhyming words, syllables, and phonemes (DEEWR, 2009). Therefore, it is essential to teach phonological awareness skills in early years literacy education to ensure children have the foundational skills necessary for reading and writing.
Learning Experience to Support the Development of Phonological Awareness
One effective learning experience to support the development of phonological awareness is rhyming activities. Rhyming activities involve recognizing and producing words that have the same ending sound. For example, the teacher may say, “What rhymes with cat?” and the children may respond with words such as “bat,” “mat,” or “sat.” This activity helps children to recognize and produce rhyming words, which is a sub-skill of phonological awareness.
According to the Australian Curriculum: English, children in Foundation (Prep) are expected to recognize and produce rhyming words (ACARA, 2014). Rhyming activities also align with the sub-outcome under Outcome 5 from the Early Years Learning Framework, which states that children develop phonological awareness by recognizing and producing rhyming words (DEEWR, 2009). Therefore, rhyming activities are an effective learning experience to support the development of phonological awareness.
Rhyming activities can be incorporated into a range of literacy experiences, including shared reading, poetry, and songs. For example, the teacher may read a rhyming storybook to the children and pause at the end of each page to ask the children to identify the rhyming words. The teacher could also introduce a rhyming poem or song and ask the children to identify the rhyming words. Rhyming activities can also be included in literacy centers, such as matching rhyming words or completing rhyming word puzzles.
Assessment of the Rhyming Learning Experience
The rhyming learning experience is an effective way to support the development of phonological awareness in early years literacy education. Rhyming activities are engaging and enjoyable for young children, which can motivate them
