Teach effective phonics using explicit, systematic instruction and practice. Students must learn to match a
unit of sound (a phoneme) to the letter or letters that stand for the sound (a grapheme). Understanding
letter-sound relationships and using them to decode words is the foundation of reading.
Phonics instruction is greatly enhanced when it provides ample opportunity for students to practice the sound/symbol relationships they have been taught in decodable texts. Practice with controlled texts builds confidence in early readers as they experience success and develop their foundational reading skills.
How to Use Phonics Resources
When using each set of resources for phonics instruction, you should first introduce and teach the sound and symbol relationship and then allow opportunities for practice with books, worksheets, flashcards, and for writing the symbol and using it in spelling. Use the Phonics Assessments to monitor students' progress in order to focus and differentiate your instruction for each student.
Other Phonics Resources
Use Alphabet Books,
Sound/Symbol Books, and
Read-Aloud Books
to make vital connections between letters and sounds and support key phonics skills. In addition to Decodable Texts and Phonics Lessons,
Word Sorts
focused on particular letters or sounds can also help students classify words according to the sound and symbol relationships taught.
