The need for phoneme awareness and methods of fostering phoneme awareness are discussed, along with available assessment measures, research findings, and phonological awareness training programs. Educators are urged to use phoneme awareness techniques for assessment and remediation when appropriate. (CR)

In the 1920s and 1930s, interpretations of reading readiness held that learning to read occurred at a specific point in cognitive development. Postponement of reading instruction until a child reached this stage of maturity was widely accepted at that time, and throughout the 1940s and 1950s. The 1960s marked a transition period in terms of…