Phonemic awareness is not learned by speaking, readers must have an explicit awareness of the segmental nature of speech and that speech is made up of discrete sounds (Troia, 2004). Phonology must be explicitly taught, but children must also be given a chance to practice speaking and saying the words and sounds they have learned.
Classroom discussion helps students understand what they have read. Sadly, researchers found that discussion averaged under 52 seconds per class hour in eighth grade (Nystrand, 1997). Classroom discourse significantly shapes literacy skills because it establishes classroom philosophy (Nystrand, 2006).