What is the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?

Question

When understanding and teaching phonics it is very important to know the difference between phonemic awareness and phonic instruction.

Answer 1

When understanding and teaching phonics it is very important to understand the difference between the two. The two can be easily confused learning how to reading. Here the differences between phonemic awareness and phonics.

Phonemic Awareness: is the understanding that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes (the smallest unit of meaningful sound) and is oral and auditory. This is when students begin connecting sounds with their corresponding letters.

Phonics: is the method of teaching students to read by helping them associate written letters/groups of letters with their sounds and is both visual and auditory . This is when students begin decode and read simple words. (examples: b-a-t = bat, s-p-o-t = spot)

Phonemic Awareness precedes Phonics because students need to identify sounds they hear and then gradually being able to connect sounds with their corresponding letters.

Answer 2

Phonemic Awareness is the understanding of the sounds that make up words. Phonics is the development of the understanding that the sounds correspond to the written letters.