Phonological awareness

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Phonological awareness is the conscious sensitivity to the sound structure of language. It includes the ability to auditorily distinguish parts of speech, such as syllables and phonemes. The ability to blend and segment phonemes is critical to the development of decoding and spelling skills. Phonological awareness is an important and reliable predictor of later reading ability and has, therefore, been the focus of much research. Phonological awareness is often confused with "phonics" but it is really a precursor to phonics. Children develop phonological awareness through verbal communication. Songs and nursery rhymes are particularly good tools for developing this auditory skill.