Phonological Awareness is defined by one's awareness to the phonological structure of words in language. It is considered an "umbrella" term which covers aspects of sounds identification and manipulation in spoken language. Activities in Phonological Awareness are based on a progression of skill difficulty. The goal of Phonological Awareness instruction is to develop an awareness that words are composed of individual sounds, or phonemes, and to develop the ability to manipulate words. All of these skills use pictures to practice learning the skills. Printed letters and/or words are used while teaching Phonics (the next level skill set after all phonological awareness skills are mastered). 2005 Florida Center for Reading Research