How does explicit phonemic awareness instruction in a 6th-grade classroom, influence students reading fluency and comprehension?

The purpose of this study was to determine if using phonemic awareness lessons could help students with reading comprehension and fluency. This action research study was conducted in a rural 6th-grade classroom with a total of 38 students. The classroom is in west-central Minnesota. The student participants were two sections that included the entire 6th grade. The research entailed whole group lessons; which involved games, syllable instruction and explicit instruction on listening to the sounds in words and noticing the patterns that sounds and spellings have in words. Small group lessons were also implemented where students rotated in the classroom to stations set up with phonemic awareness assignments. The students were also given tools and resources to use independently to decode and attack new words. Data was collected with the STAR Renaissance assessment tools. Students were assessed for comprehension three times a year, and fluency throughout the year. A comprehensive phonemic awareness assessment was given to students to determine students that had a gap in this foundational reading skill