It seems logical that the main focus of teaching phonemic awareness should be the 44 phonemes of spoken English. In the National Literacy Strategy document Framework for Teaching, it is stated that, A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word. Accurately articulate, identify, read and spell the seven short monophthongs. Accurately articulate, identify, read and spell the five long monophthongs. Accurately articulate, identify, read and spell the eight diphthongs.
Blend phonemes in clusters for reading.
Segment clusters into phonemes for spelling. Explain why digraphs are not clusters of initial letter sounds . Explain why the two letters q u are a consonant cluster not a digraph. Explain why the letter x is not a graph but a letter representing a consonant cluster. Explain how accent influences children s phonemic and graphemic awareness.