This document provides background information for a teacher study investigating how instruction in phonemic awareness affects decoding skills in readers with dyslexia. It begins with an introduction outlining the problem, purpose, and research question of the study. It then reviews related literature on phonemic awareness and decoding. Phonemic awareness is established as important for reading acquisition, and instruction should include activities to teach sound manipulation. Decoding relies on applying letter-sound knowledge to read words. The document discusses theories of reading development and challenges faced by students with dyslexia.