Empowering students with dyslexia and other learning challenges to master reading using science-backed instruction.
Phonological Awareness: Blending and Segmenting
What is Phonological Awareness?
A simple view of phonological awareness (PA) is the ability to understand that the sounds of our spoken language are connected to written language. This foundational literacy skill develops along a continuum, preparing a student for reading and spelling by helping them blend and segment word parts.
Without phonological understanding, a student must rely on memorizing words by sight, a strategy that can limit the development of reading fluency.
- From big to small: At Ed Memory, we teach phonological awareness (PA) skills in a specific order. Connecting skills, beginning with larger units, such as compound words, to smaller, more complex units, like individual sounds or phonemes.
- Our strategy enables students to understand the abstract concept of blending (putting sounds together) and segmenting (taking sounds apart) as a pattern for reading and writing, not a skill in isolation.
About RAVE-O
What is RAVE-O?
We are pleased to partner with Maryanne Wolf and her publisher to offer RAVE-O, a one-of-a-kind intervention program, which is not yet available in school districts.
RAVE-O is a research-based, structured literacy program designed by Maryanne Wolf and published by Nido Learning. RAVE-O's focus is to build students’ reading fluency and comp
We are pleased to partner with Maryanne Wolf and her publisher to offer RAVE-O, a one-of-a-kind intervention program, which is not yet available in school districts.
RAVE-O is a research-based, structured literacy program designed by Maryanne Wolf and published by Nido Learning. RAVE-O's focus is to build students’ reading fluency and comprehension through a multi-component approach.
Each unit in RAVE-O teaches students metacognitive strategies that develop skills in multiple components of reading, including phonics, phoneme awareness, English orthography, vocabulary, syntax, and morphology.
Explore the curriculum
Connecting the Parts: RAVE-O is the only program that simultaneously integrates phonology, orthography, semantics, syntax, the alphabetic principle, and morphology.
Fluent Comprehension: This integration facilitates fluent comprehension, particularly in deep reading processes such as inference, empathy, and critical analysis.
proven Success
proven Success
A federal study conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) funded a
Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) regarding the effectiveness of RAVE-O.
The study found that students receiving instruction in RAVE-O outperformed comparison groups in areas of decoding, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Real Student Results
A Success Story: From Literacy Intervention to Independent Reading
"Since starting twice-weekly sessions with Ms. Carleen at Ed Memory, the improvement has been remarkable. After just 15 sessions, our daughter:
- Exited school literacy intervention
- Reading at an end-of-year level (3 months ahead of schedule)
- Reading independently for fun
"Our daughter is in second grade and had been in literacy intervention since Kindergarten. Despite school sessions plus 18 months of private tutoring, her reading remained slow and laborious.
"After a neuropsychological evaluation identified a disability with reading comprehension, we were advised to switch to RAVE-O tutoring to target fluency and rapid naming.
Ms. Carleen is patient, kind, and makes the sessions motivating. In addition to literacy, she works on spelling and writing skills. We have been so impressed with and grateful for Ms. Carleen. We highly recommend her and the RAVE-O program."
Camas H., New Jersey Mom
The Story
Once Struggling Reader
Carleen M. Paul, M.S., ET/P
Repeating first grade solidified that elementary school was not fun for me. I became embarrassed to be singled out and placed in the "lowest group." Humiliation set in when I was announced as being slow and was ordered to the back of the classroom. Then came reading. I quickly realized that reading out loud was the worst! Adults would try to help me read with good intentions, but they would soon become frustrated and exclaim, "Just read the words on the page!" Ugh, that's what I thought I was doing!
Tenacity became my best friend through those early years, even though my mom often called it stubbornness. I began to memorize whole words and connect letter patterns, stumbling through the process of learning to read.
Wanting to prevent other students from experiencing the same educational shame, I went to college. I soon realized that my educational degrees had limited my understanding of current reading practices, so I continued to learn.
Having used Maryanne Wolf's RAVE-O since its beginning in 20o8, I find the updated version even more effective. The new online component and expanded modules have accelerated student reading growth while fostering a genuine love for reading.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about my story. Feel free to reach out so I may learn about your story and how I may help you and your child.
Educational Background:
California State University, Fullerton
· Bachelor of Science in Child and Adolescent Studies (B.S.)
· Master of Science in Special Education (M.S.).
· Multiple Subject Credential
· Learning Handicapped Credential
· Resource Specialist Certificate of Competency
· Language Development Certificate of Competency
Specialized Training:
· RAVE-O (Marianne Wolf) 2023, 2025, 2026
· IMSE –Orton Gillingham Training 2022, 2023
· UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) 2024, 2025
· LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) 2024, 2025
· Lindamood Bell - Visualizing & Verbalizing, Seeing Stars, Talkies (2015)
· Educational Therapist Training (500 hours of clinical supervision by the Association of
Educational Therapists) (2005)
