1. Phonological Awareness:
* Sound segmentation: Identifying and separating individual sounds in words (e.g., "cat" has three sounds: /k/, /æ/, /t/).
* Rhyme and alliteration: Recognizing rhyming words and words that start with the same sound.
* Phoneme manipulation: Being able to add, delete, or change sounds in words (e.g., what word do you get if you take the /s/ sound from "stop"?).
2. Morphological Awareness:
* Understanding morphemes: Recognizing the smallest units of meaning in words (e.g., "un" in "unhappy" means "not").
* Identifying prefixes and suffixes: Recognizing and understanding the function of prefixes (e.g., "re" in "rewrite") and suffixes (e.g., "-ing" in "walking").
* Understanding compound words: Recognizing words made up of two or more smaller words (e.g., "raincoat").
3. Semantic Awareness:
* Vocabulary knowledge: Understanding the meaning of words and how they relate to each other.
* Word associations: Connecting words to other words and concepts based on their meaning.
* Understanding synonyms and antonyms: Recognizing words with similar and opposite meanings.
4. Pragmatic Awareness:
* Understanding context: Recognizing how the meaning of a word can change based on the context in which it is used.
* Using language appropriately: Knowing when to use different words and phrases depending on the situation and audience.
* Recognizing figurative language: Understanding metaphors, similes, and other figures of speech.
5. Metalinguistic Awareness:
* Thinking about language: Being able to reflect on and analyze language itself.
* Understanding language rules: Recognizing the grammatical rules of a language.
* Identifying and correcting errors: Being able to spot mistakes in grammar and vocabulary.
6. Literacy Skills:
* Reading comprehension: Understanding the meaning of written text.
* Writing skills: Communicating effectively in written form.
* Spelling: Recognizing the correct spelling of words.
7. Emotional Awareness:
* Understanding the emotional weight of words: Recognizing the emotional impact of different words and phrases.
* Using language to express emotions: Being able to communicate feelings effectively through language.
These are just some of the key aspects of word consciousness. It's a complex and multifaceted skill that develops over time through a combination of experiences and learning.