If you've ever sat through a LETRS training and felt like your brain was being rewired in real time, you're not alone. Unit 2, Session 3 is one of those sessions that quietly changes how teachers think about reading instruction — even if they don't realize it in the moment. And the check for understanding part? That's where it clicks.
So let's walk through what this session actually covers, why it trips so many people up, and how to get the most out of it — whether you're a first-year teacher or someone who's been in the classroom for twenty years and just wants a refresher that doesn't feel like one And it works..
What LETRS Unit 2 Session 3 Actually Covers
LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) is built on the science of reading, and Unit 2 focuses heavily on the speech-to-print connection — how the sounds of spoken language map onto the written word. Session 3 zooms in on phonological processing, phonemic awareness routines, and the often misunderstood difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness.
If you're fuzzy on that distinction, you're in good company. Most teachers have used those two terms interchangeably for years. Session 3 is the one that finally separates them and shows you why the difference matters when you're working with struggling readers.
The check for understanding portion — usually a set of questions at the end of the session or embedded throughout the facilitator's guide — is designed to make sure you're not just absorbing the content passively. It asks you to apply what you've learned to real classroom scenarios, identify errors in instructional delivery, and reflect on your own teaching practice.
The Core Concepts You Should Walk Away With
By the time you finish Session 3, there are a few ideas that should feel second nature:
- Phonological awareness is a broader umbrella than phonemic awareness. It includes things like rhyming, syllable segmentation, and alliteration — skills that don't require the listener to focus on individual sounds.
- Phonemic awareness is the most advanced level of phonological awareness. It involves manipulating individual phonemes, which is harder than most people assume.
- Phonological processing includes phonemic awareness but also touches on phonological memory and phonological retrieval. It's the system that lets us hold sounds in our head long enough to do something useful with them.
- These skills are not the same as phonics. You can have strong phonemic awareness and still struggle to map sounds to letters. Session 3 makes that distinction really clear.
If you only remember one thing from this session, make it this: phonemic awareness is about sounds, phonics is about print. They work together, but they are not the same thing Easy to understand, harder to ignore. Surprisingly effective..
Why This Session Matters More Than You'd Think
Here's what most people miss — phonemic awareness isn't just a "early grades" thing. It's not something you teach in kindergarten and check off the list. Research keeps showing that weak phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of reading difficulty, even in older students Worth keeping that in mind. Worth knowing..
Think about it this way. Because of that, it's a phonological processing gap that was never properly addressed. If a fourth grader is still struggling to blend sounds, the problem probably isn't intelligence or effort. And that's exactly the kind of insight Session 3 is trying to build.
The check for understanding section pushes you to recognize these patterns. It might give you a scenario where a student is guessing at words based on the first letter, and ask you to identify the underlying skill deficit. That's not a trick question — it's the kind of thing you'll see in real classrooms every single week.
How the Check for Understanding Actually Works
The structure varies depending on which LETRS edition you're using (Volume 1 vs. Volume 2, the older Bridge to Practice version, etc.), but the general idea is the same. You're given a set of questions — usually somewhere between 8 and 20 — that target the key learning outcomes of the session Most people skip this — try not to..
These aren't multiple choice in the way a typical quiz is. Some of them are scenario-based. Some ask you to evaluate a teacher's instructional decision. Others ask you to sequence steps or identify which concept is being demonstrated.
A typical question might look like this:
A teacher says a word and asks students to say the word without the first sound. Which level of phonological awareness is this targeting?
And the answer isn't just "phonemic awareness" — it's specifically phoneme deletion, which is a sub-skill. Session 3 wants you to be precise with that language.
What Kind of Questions Should You Expect?
Expect a mix of question types. Here's the general breakdown:
- Identification questions — what's this concept called, what skill is this, which category does this fall under?
- Application questions — given a classroom scenario, what's the best instructional response?
- Analysis questions — why does this approach work, what's the underlying reasoning?
- Comparison questions — how is X different from Y, and why does that matter?
If you can handle those four types, you'll do fine on the check Practical, not theoretical..
The Mistakes Almost Everyone Makes
I talk to a lot of teachers working through LETRS, and the same few misunderstandings come up again and again. Here's where people tend to go sideways Still holds up..
Mistake #1: Treating Phonemic Awareness Like Phonics
This is the big one. Phonemic awareness is purely auditory. That said, no letters. No printed words. No letters on a whiteboard. In real terms, if you're showing a child letters while teaching them to segment sounds, you're doing phonics, not phonemic awareness. And that's not a bad thing — but it's not the same thing, and the research is clear that pure auditory phonemic awareness work has its own value.
Mistake #2: Skipping the Easier Skills
People tend to jump straight to phoneme manipulation because that's what gets the most attention. But rhyming, syllable work, and onset-rime activities aren't throwaway lessons. They build the foundation that makes phoneme-level work possible.
Think of it like this — you wouldn't teach a kid long division before they understood multiplication. Same idea.
Mistake #3: Assuming Older Students Don't Need This
Real talk: I hear this constantly. " Yes, they do. Practically speaking, "My fourth graders don't need phonemic awareness. So if they're still struggling readers, they almost certainly do. The National Reading Panel made this point over two decades ago and it hasn't gone away.
Mistake #4: Memorizing Instead of Understanding
You can technically pass the check for understanding by memorizing a few definitions. But that's not the point, and it won't help you in a classroom on a Tuesday at 1:30 when a kid is stuck on a word. The whole goal of LETRS — and Session 3 in particular — is to build a mental model you can actually use.
Practical Tips for Actually Learning the Material
Look, LETRS is dense. It's not the kind of thing you skim once and retain. Here's what actually works when you're trying to get the most out of this session.
Read the chapter first, then watch the video. Or watch first and read second. Either way, do both. The redundancy isn't accidental — it's there because the content is layered and the second pass catches things you missed the first time.
Talk it out with someone. Even if it's just explaining the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness to a colleague over coffee. If you can say it in your own words, you actually understand it. If you can't, you don't yet.
Don't skip the check for understanding. I know it feels like a formality. It's not. Those questions are often the most efficient way to surface gaps in your understanding. If you get one wrong, that's actually a win — now you know what to go back and review.
Connect it to a real student. Pick one child in your class — someone who's struggling, someone who's flying through, anyone — and ask yourself how the concepts in Session 3 apply to them. Abstract knowledge becomes useful knowledge the moment it touches a real kid Easy to understand, harder to ignore. Less friction, more output..
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between phonological awareness and phonemic awareness?
Phonological awareness is the broader category — it includes skills like rhyming, syllable clapping, and alliteration. Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness that specifically involves recognizing and manipulating individual sounds (phonemes) in words.
Does the LETRS check for understanding count as a grade?
It depends on your facilitator and cohort. But don't treat them as optional. In most implementations, the checks are formative — they're meant to guide your learning, not penalize you. They're where a lot of the actual learning happens.
How long does Unit 2 Session 3 take to complete?
Plan on about 2 to 3 hours if you're doing the full reading, video, and check for understanding. If you're facilitating it for a
group, budget an additional hour for discussion and application activities Easy to understand, harder to ignore..
Can I skip sessions in the LETRS sequence?
You can, but you really shouldn't. Which means each session builds on the last, and Session 3 specifically references concepts from Sessions 1 and 2. Skipping ahead tends to create exactly the kind of fragmented understanding that makes the later units feel overwhelming.
Final Thoughts
LETRS Unit 2 Session 3 might not be the flashiest part of the training, but it's foundational. Now, the skills it covers — phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, and the science of how kids actually learn to read — are the building blocks of everything that comes next. More importantly, they're the building blocks of what your students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
If you're feeling stuck or overwhelmed, remember: the goal isn't perfection. The goal is understanding. Take your time, use the strategies above, lean on your colleagues, and don't be afraid to go back and re-watch a section or re-read a chapter. The investment is worth it — not because of any check for understanding or certificate at the end, but because of the kids in your classroom who are counting on you to be the teacher who finally helps reading click for them But it adds up..
