Effective teaching of phonics is based on continuous assessment, matching students with appropriate materials on their level; providing explicit, modeled instruction; and providing sufficient guided practice and application.
The key is to provide as much instruction and practice as is needed.
Approaches to Teaching Phonics
Phonics is frequently taught through a synthetic approach. Words are decoded sound by sound, and both consonant and vowel sounds are pronounced in isolation and then blended (synthesized) to form a word. A child decoding cat would say, “Kuh-ah-tuh, cat.” This approach is very direct, but it distorts consonant sounds, which cannot be pronounced accurately without a vowel. However, an advantage of the synthetic approach is that students make connections between each letter and sound in a word. A disadvantage is that blending can be difficult.
Here is a typical synthetic phonics lessons as summarized from UFLI, a highly regarded synthetic phonics program. The lesson is introducing sh/sh/. After students complete some preliminary phonemic awareness activities and blending drills, the concept of a digraph is reviewed and the sh spelling of /sh/ is introduced: “The two consonants S and H have their own sounds, /s/ and /h/. But when these consonants come together in words, they make one new sound, /sh/, like at the beginning of the word sheep.” Students are then taught to articulate the sound /sh/ after which a sound card representing its spelling and sound are added to the sound wall. Students practice letter formation for sh , read and spell words containing sh, complete chaining exercises in which they change letters to form new words, and read decodable sentences and a decodable story (UFLI Foundations).
Although many literacy programs use a synthetic approach to phonics.highly effective approach for teaching phonics, based on my experience, is Word Building. If students have difficulty with Word Building, try Speech-to-Print Phonics.
Word Building: An Integrated SYNTHetic & PATTERN APPROaCH
Word Building is an approach to developing phonics and syllabication skills that builds in step-by-step fashion on what students know. Combining a pattern approach with a sound-by-sound synthetic approach, Word Building presents the most basic pronounceable element in the pattern being taught and leads students to build words by adding to that core element. In presenting the –at pattern, for example, the teacher shows students how at is composed of a/a/ and t/t/ and helps them to build words like bat, cat , fat, hat ,mat, rat, and sat. They are then shown how to use this knowledge to decode unfamiliar words independently. When faced with a word that poses difficulty for them, students use the strategy of seeking a pronounceable word part and then use that pronounceable word part as the basis for reconstructing the word. A student unable to pronounce the printed word chat might use the pronounceable word part at to reconstruct the word, saying “at,” “ch,” “chat.” Here is sample lesson in which the –it pattern is presented.
On a more advanced level, Word Building helps students learn multisyllabic words by building on their knowledge of at to read multisyllabic words such as batter, matter, and chatter. Word Building is incorporated into Building Foundational Literacy, a five-level intensive intervention program. Building Foundational Literacy is available in the Store.
Speech to Print
Because students are only required to recognize the printed form of a word spoken by the teacher, Speech to Print Phonics is about as easy an approach to phonics instruction as you can find. It also integrates phonological awareness and phonics (Vandervelden & Siegel, 1997; Bus & van Ijzendoorn, 1999). The teacher presents a vowel element, such as s = /s/, shows the students two word cards, and asks students to point to the word that contains that element. After two letter-sound correspondences have been introduced, the students are shown two words, one of which starts with the element just taught. For instance, having taught the correspondences s = /s/ and m =/m/, the teacher presents the words man and sun on cards and asks students to point to the word that says man. After a third correspondence has been taught, students choose from all three. However, as additional correspondences are introduced, drop one so that students are not required to choose from more than three correspondences. At-risk students who took part in Speech to Print Phonics improved in phonemic awareness, letter-sound recognition, and the ability to learn new words (Vandervelden & Siegel, 1997). Click here to see an adapted lesson.
Word Wall
One way to emphasize essential or troublesome printed words is to place them on the wall. Being placed on the wall, they are readily reviewed. They also serve as a handy reference for students who are trying to decode or spell them. Newly learned pattern words can be placed on the wall as can high frequency words such as what, one, and is. Words should be arranged in alphabetical order so they are readily located. Pattern words should be arranged by the first letter in the rime, rather than the initial consonant. Thus, –ag words would appear together and would appear before –at words. Because their vowel spellings may be irregular, high frequency words should be placed in order by initial letter. To keep the two systems straight, put them on different walls. To help students further differentiate among words you might use a variety of colors. Short-vowel words might be green. Long-vowel words might be blue. Irregular high-frequency words might be red. You might also group some words by category: animals, colors, numbers, for example. A sample word wall of high-frequency words is shown below.
Making Words
In a making words activity, students compose words by putting letters together. To create a making words lesson, decide what pattern you wish to reinforce. Then decide what words the students will assemble. Students might start with two-letter words and work up to words that contain five or more letters. The last word that students put together contains all the letters. The last word is a challenge word. Instead of telling what the word is, ask students to see what word they can make using all the letters. To reinforce –an patterns and the beginning blend pl in Lesson 1, you might distribute the following letters: a,n, t, p, l, s, t. Then have students do the following:
• Use two letters to make the word at.
Change a letter to make the word an.
• Add a letter to make tan.
• Change a letter to make the word pan.
• Add a letter to make the word plan.
• Add a letter to make the word plans
• Use all the letters and see what word you can make (plate).
Steps in A Making Words Lesson
Students place the letters to be assembled on their desks. Words are assembled in letter holders. (Letter holders can be constructed from file folders.) After each word has been formed, the teacher checks it. The teacher has a set of large letters. The teacher calls on a volunteer to assemble the target word with large letters placed in a pocket chart or on a chalkboard ledge. The teacher has also placed the target words on large cards. The teacher places the large word cards in the pocket chart. That way, after all words have been assembled, the words can be reviewed and/or sorted. Students check their words to make sure they have assembled them correctly. (For management purposes, store words and letters in folders or 8.5 by 11 envelopes.)
Here are the steps in a making words lesson:
Step 1: Letters are passed out by helpers. Each helper distributes one letter to each student and later collects that letter. Letters should be uppercase on one side and lowercase on the other. Alert students when uppercase letters are needed.
Step 2: The teacher holds up each letter and has children do the same to make sure they have the appropriate letters and can recognize them.
Step 3: The teacher gives the directions for assembling each word. Children assemble the words.
Step 4: The teacher calls on one child to use large letters to assemble the word in the pocket chart. Children check their spellings. The teacher can go over the word sound-by-sound. The teacher places the word card in the pocket chart.
Step 5: The teacher goes on to the next word.
Step 6: Students form the secret word.
Step 7. The words are reviewed and discussed. Students might be asked to select words that rhyme or begin with the same sound. Words might be sorted. Students might suggest other words that have the same pattern as the assembled word or they might be asked to read words that incorporate -ate or another pattern. After assembling plate, students might be asked to read date, gate, and hate. For more information about making words, see Cunningham, P. (2016). Phonics they use (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Letters and words for possible making words lessons are listed below. Lessons are arranged according to the phonics element being reinforced. Phonics elements are listed from easiest to most advanced. Words are placed in the order in which they might be presented. The last word is the secret word.
Short-a Lessons
Lesson 1: Letters: a, n, p, t, s, t
Words: an, tan, pan, plan, plant, plants
Lesson 2: Letters: a, m, p, s, t
Words: sat, Sam, Pam, map, maps, pat, tap, taps, sap, Sam, stamp
Lesson 3: Letters: a, p, s, t
Words: as, sat, sap, tap, pat, past
Short-i Lessons
Lesson 4 : Letters: i, l, p, s, t
Words: it, its, sit, sip, pit, lip, tip, lit, split
Lesson 5
Letters: i, n, p, r, t
Words: in, tin, pin, nip, rip, print
Lesson 6: Letters: g, i, n, s, t
Words: in, tin, pin, sit, sin, sing, sting
Lesson 7: Letters: c, i, k, s, t
Words: sit, kit, sick, tick, stick
Lesson 8: Letters: i, n, p, s
Words: in, is, sin, pin, pins, nip, nips, sip, spin
Short-o Lessons
Lesson 9: Letters: o, p, s, t
Words: pot, pots, top, tops, stop, spot (Ask students to tell what word in addition to stop can be made using all the letters.)
Lesson 10: Letters: m, o, p, s, t
Words: mop, mops, Tom, pot, pots, top, tops, stop, stomp
Short-e Lessons
Lesson 11: Letters: e, l, p, s, t
Words: set, let, pet, pets, slept
Lesson 12: Letters: e, n, s, t
Words: net, nets, ten. set, sent, nest, tens (Ask students to tell what words in addition to sent can be made using all the letters.)
Lesson 13: Letters: e, p, s, t, w
Words: set, let, pet, pets, wept, swept
Lesson 14: Letters: e, n, p, s, t
Words: net, nets, ten, set, sent, nest, pest, pen, pens, spent
Short-u Lessons
Lesson 15: Letters: h, n, s, t, u
Words: hut, huts, sun, nut, hunts
Lesson 16: Letters: g, n, r, s, t, u
Words: gun, run, sun, rug, rugs, tug, runt, grunts
Long-a Lessons
Lesson 17: Letters: a, i, l, r, s, t
Words: tail, tails, tail, sail, tail, tails, trails
Lesson 18: Letters: a, i, n, p, t
Words: pat, pan, pin, tin, tan, pan, pain, paint
Lesson 19: Letters: a, p, r, s, s, y
Words: say, pay, pray, ray, rays, pays, prays, sprays
Long-i Lessons
Lesson 20 : Letters: e, i, p, r, s, t
Words: pie, tie, tip, sip, rip, tip, trip, rip, ripe, stripe
Lesson 21: Letters: e, i, p, r, s, t
Words: Ed, led, lid, lie, lid, slid, Sid, side, slide
Long-e Lessons
Lesson 22
Letters: a, b, e, s, t
Words: bet, bat, best, beat, seat, eat, east, beast
Lesson 23
Letters: a, e, m, r, s, t
Words: me, met, mat, meat, seat, team, steam, stream
Long-o Lessons
Lesson 24
Letters: g, n, o, r, w
Words: no, go, row, grow, grown
Lesson 25: Letters: c, d, l, o, s, s
Words: so, old, sold, cold, colds, scolds
R-Words Lessons
Lesson 26: Letters: a, i, r, s, t
Words: sit, sat, rat, sir, stir, air, stair
Lesson 27: Letters: e, o, r, s,t
Words: rot, rest, or, sore, tore, store
AW-Words Lessons
Lesson 28 : Letters: a, e, l, l, m, s, s, t
Words: Sam, sat, set, seat, all, tall, mall, small,
Smallest
Lesson 29: Letters: a, r, s, t, w
Words: rat, sat, saw, was, raw, straw
Lesson 30
Letters: b, g, h, o, r, t, u
Words: got, rot, rob, hut, bought, brought
Lesson 31
Letters: e, g, n, o, r, r, s, t
Words: set, get, got, rot, rest, song, strong, stronger
Long-oo Lessons
Lesson 32: Letters: n, o, o, p, s, s
Words: so, no, soon, spoon, spoons
Lesson 33: Letters: h, o, o, s, t
Words: so, to, too, soot, hot, hoot, shoot
Lesson 34: Letters: b, m, o, o, r, s
Words: so, sob, mob, moo, boo, boom, room, rooms, broom, brooms
OW (cow)-Words Lessons
Lesson 35: Letters: c, l, n, o, s, w
Words: so, no, low, slow, cow, cows, now, clowns
Lesson 36: Letters: d, g, n, o, r, u
Words: go, no, do, dog, gun, run, round, ground
Lesson 37: Letters: g, l, o, r, s, w
Words: go, row, low, slow, ow, sow, owl, owls, growls
OY-Words Lessons
Lesson 38: Letters: e, j, n, o, s, y
Words: no, Joe, Jen, yes, joy, enjoy, enjoys
Lesson 39: Letters: d, e, i, l, o, p, s
Words: led, lid, pod, oil, soil, spoil, spoiled
Students can work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. After a sort has been completed, have students read the words in each category and note what is the same about the sound and spelling of the words in each category. If students have completed a sort under your guidance, have them sort the items a second time for additional practice. If students are simply sorting the words according to their spellings and not noting the sounds of the words, try blind sorts. In a blind sort, the teacher or a student calls out a word, and the student points to the model word it would fall under. For instance, the teacher would call out “bat” and the student would point to the model word cat.
Vowel patterns can be sorted in a number of ways. Short vowels can be contrasted with long vowels and can also be contrasted with each other. Vowels can be sorted according to sound or according to sound and spelling. Long a, for instance, could be sorted according to its ai (nail), ay (hay), and a-e (gate) spellings.
Sorting is a highly effective technique and should be used regularly. In addition to actively involving students, sorting helps students discover underlying relationships among words. For instance, students may be able to read am, ham, Sam, and jam but may not realize that these words all fit a pattern until they sort them. Here is how a sort might be conducted. Using ham, cat, and man as the model pictures, have students place rhyming picture cards under them. Once students are adept at sound sorting, have them sort the patterns according to sound and spelling. Again, using the picture of the ham, cat and pan as models have students place –am words under the picture of the ham, –at words under the picture of the cat and –an words under the illustration of the pan.
Cutup Sentences
After a pattern or series of high-frequency words has been presented, create or have students compose a sentence that incorporates some of the words that have been taught: The cat sat on the mat. Write the word on a strip of tagboard. Have students read the sentence. Then give it to them in cutup form and have them reassemble it: mat the sat the on The cat. Sentences can be reassembled by students working alone or in pairs. Keep cutup sentences in envelopes
Reading Rhymes
Reading rhymes is especially good for reinforcing patterns. Because they contain rhyming lines and a distinctive rhythm, verses, poems, and songs are easier to read and are more fun to read. They lend themselves to being read over and over again. Because of their rhyme and rhythm, they also promote accuracy of reading. Songs play a similar role. Rhymes are arranged according to the phonic element they incorporate. are The skill being reinforced is listed at the end of each rhyme.
Word Building A Rhymes: Short-Vowel Patterns
Word Building B Rhymes: Long-Vowel Patterns
Word Building C Rhymes: R-Vowel and Other-Vowel Patterns
Some of the rhymes, especially those at the beginning level may contain some unfamiliar words. Display the target rhyme so that all can see it. Discuss the target rhyme and then read it to students. Point to each word as you read it. Then reread it with students until they can read it on their own. To build fluency, have students reread the rhyme with a partner and take it home to read to caregivers