If you are responsible for teaching reading in grades K-6 or if you teach struggling readers in K-12, this session is for you! The Language and Literacy series goes beyond the basics of reading and will deepen participants’ understanding of research based reading instruction by helping them understand the language structures that support reading. In Phonology and Reading: Listen to the Sounds, participants will learn why phonological awareness is critical when learning to read and how it predicts later outcomes in reading and spelling. Additionally, participants will learn why phonemic awareness is essential for learning and using the English alphabet, how frequent direct instruction in phonemic awareness will increase decoding skills, and how phonological awareness interacts with, and facilitates the development of vocabulary and word understanding. Recommended prerequisite, Language and Literacy session 1.