The words in our language are made up of letters or groups of letters which create specific sounds. By learning how to put these sounds together, we can create words. We can add prefixes and suffixes to root words. I use a very systematic way of teaching these phonetic skills which give the student the ability to sound out and read any words. Also necessary for success in reading is the ability to hear the individual sound units in each word. Therefore I teach phonemic awareness (hearing the individual sounds) as an integral part of the reading process. I also work with each student on fluency and comprehension in reading.