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Read Naturally, Inc. Launches Funēmics®, a Phonemic Awareness Program for Developing Readers

September 2, 2014

SAINT PAUL, MN—Read Naturally, Inc., a Saint Paul-based educational publishing company, released Funēmics^®, a new curriculum for developing readers. Funēmics uses traditional songs and nursery rhymes to teach phonemic awareness, a foundational aspect of reading development. The inclusion of phonemic awareness rounds out Read Naturally’s offerings of products targeting the five essential components of reading development as identified by The National Reading Panel: Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.

Phonemic awareness refers to a student’s ability to focus on and manipulate phonemes in spoken words. According to the National Reading Panel, teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading development.

Funēmics teaches all six elements of phonemic awareness: segmenting words, recognizing rhyme, recognizing and manipulating syllables, producing rhyme, recognizing phonemes, and manipulating phonemes. Funēmics meets the Phonological Awareness Common Core State Standards. The program is entirely pre-grapheme, meaning students can use it without prior knowledge of letters and sounds. Teachers or volunteers present scripted lessons to small groups of students using a lesson guide and an illustrated ebook for the iPad®. All lessons incorporate play, movement, song, or rhyme.

Funēmics was designed by Andrea Peterson, an educator with a background in early childhood and special education whose son was struggling with phonemic awareness. Peterson worked with the educators on staff at Read Naturally to develop the scripted lessons and format. She drew upon her Masters degree in Educational Computing and Technology to create the interactive book, which helps set Funēmics apart from other drill-and-practice oriented programs. The format allows students to play with old rhymes in fresh and fun new ways, Peterson explains. “Funēmics brings traditional songs and nursery rhymes to life as students grasp cadence, rhythm, and rhyme in a fun and natural way,” she says.

Funēmics has been piloted in schools with great success in both high functioning and remedial groups of students. Read Naturally is currently shipping the program, just in time for teachers to incorporate it into lesson plans for the 2014–2015 school year.

For More Information
 Funēmics product page

About Read Naturally, Inc.
Read Naturally's research-based programs provide interventions and differentiated instruction for struggling readers of all ages. Since its founding in 1991, Read Naturally has established itself as a pioneer in the industry and has developed a variety of products targeting the essential components of reading instruction.

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